SRI LANKA VS. IRELAND SECOND TEST HIGHLIGHTS, GALLE

Ireland's 492 is considerably their highest Test score surpassing their 339 against Pakistan at Malahide in 2018.
For the first time in their fledgling Test history, Ireland had two centuries in the same innings.
Ireland's four half-centuries (or better) is their most in a Test innings overtaking the three against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2022-23.
Ireland enjoyed record partnerships for the 4thand 5th wickets during their innings, and 9th during the second innings.
In the six Tests which Ireland have played to date, Andy Balbirnie's 95 is the highest score by a captain eclipsing William Porterfield's 32 against Pakistan at Malahide in 2018.
The 212-run lead which Sri Lanka secured is the second highest by a team facing a first-innings total of no fewer than 492. The largest is Sri Lanka's 415 against India (537) at Colombo (RPS) when they made the world-record total of 952 for 6 in 1997-98. Sri Lanka are also in second place with a 200-run lead after making (713-9) against Bangladesh (513) at Chittagong in 2017-18.
Sri Lanka's 704 for 3 is the third-highest, second-innings-of-a-match total by a side only losing three wickets, or fewer. The highest is 790 for 3 by West Indies against Pakistan at Kingston in 1957-58.
Sri Lanka narrowly missed out beating their own record of the highest score by any team at the loss of the third wicket. In this match, their third wicket fell at 629 whilst the world record is 638 by Sri Lanka against South Africa at Colombo (SSC) in 2006. Sri Lanka are also in third place in this list having reached 627 for 3 against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo in 2003-04.
For the fourth time in their history, both Sri Lankan openers made centuries.
For the third time in Test history, the first four players in a team's innings all scored centuries. The other occasions were by India against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2007 and for Pakistan against Sri Lanka at Karachi in 2019-20.
Of the 19 occasions of there being two double centuries in a team innings, Sri Lanka have posted five of these. Of the nineteen, this was the fifth occasion of that team only losing three wickets during the innings.
The Sri Lankan innings saw only the third occasion of a team innings starting with double-century partnerships for both the first and second wickets. The other occasions were both by India, against South Africa at Chennai in 2007-08 and against Sri Lanka at Mumbai (Brabourne) in 2009-10. On both previous occasions, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid featured in both innings.
Kusal Mendis's 245 is the highest score by a Sri Lankan player at Galle (surpassing Mahela Jayawardene's 237 against South Africa in 2004) though not the highest score on the ground which is Chris Gayle's 333 in 2010-11.
Sri Lanka's innings saw the 15th occasion of century partnerships for the first three wickets. The last occasion was for Pakistan against Australia at Rawalpindi in 2021-22.
The Sri Lankan innings also saw the ninth occasion of two slow bowlers conceding more than 175 runs each in the same innings. During the Sri Lankan world record total, three Indian bowlers conceded this number or more.
Whilst Ireland's 492 is the tenth-highest first innings of a match total by a side losing, theirs is the highest such total where a team has lost by an innings. Previously, England's 477 against India at Chennai in 2016-17 was the highest such total.
Prabath Jayasuriya became the fourth-oldest Sri Lankan bowler (31 years 174 days) to reach 50 Test wickets but became the joint-second (with three other bowlers) quickest in terms of Tests played (7). The quickest by any bowler is Australia's Charlie Turner in 1888, in six Tests. Jayasuriya is the quickest to reach the landmark by a slow bowler, ahead of West Indian Alf Valentine (8).