Sri Lanka smashed Ireland by an innings and 280 runs on Tuesday, in one of the highest victory margins in Test history and the largest by a South Asian country.
Ireland’s greatest defeat to date occurred when the visitors were all out for 168 on day three in the hot and muggy Galle International Stadium.
It surpassed England’s victory over the West Indies in 2007 by an innings and 283 runs to rank as the 12th-largest innings victory in Test history.
Sri Lanka’s previous largest victory came in 2004 in Bulawayo when they thrashed Zimbabwe by an innings and 254 runs.
Sri Lanka in their first innings declared on a mammoth 591 for 6.
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne top scored with 179 runs while Kusal Mendis posted 140. Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama then hit unbeaten hundreds.
Sri Lanka then bowled out Ireland for 143 and enforced the follow-on, finishing the job just after tea on day three.
Prabath Jayasuriya took three wickets in Ireland’s second innings, adding to his seven in the first innings.
Ireland’s Harry Tector top-scored for the visitors in the second innings with 42.
Ireland has now dropped each of their five games since earning Test status in 2017.