Chandimal and Mathews Shine as Sri Lanka Dominate New Zealand on Day 1 of the 2nd Test
Dinesh Chandimal’s brilliant performance of 116 runs was highlight of the day 1 of the 2nd test between Sri Lanka and new Zealand.
Day 1 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand ended with a powerful batting showing of 306 for 3, led by a magnificent century from Dinesh Chandimal and strong contributions from Kamindu Mendis and Angelo Mathews. By taking advantage of New Zealand’s careless fielding, the hosts established the foundation for an impressive opening stand.
Key Performances and Match Scorecard
Sri Lanka 306 for 3 (Chandimal 116, Mathews 78*, Kamindu 51*, Phillips 1-33) vs New Zealand.
Match Analysis
On the first day of play in Galle, Dinesh Chandimal’s signature, audacious century spearheaded Sri Lanka’s march towards a massive score, leaving New Zealand to lament many fielding errors. In the first two sessions, Chandimal changed up his game to score his 16th Test century, which enabled the hosts to end with a dominant 306 for 3. The supporting act came from unbeaten half-centuries from Kamindu Mendis and Angelo Mathews.
If Daryl Mitchell hadn’t dropped two catches at first slip, Tom Blundell hadn’t missed Dimuth Karunartne’s stumping, and William O’Rourke hadn’t overstepped when he had Mathews caught behind, New Zealand would have taken more than three wickets in the day. But what really hurt the visitors was Chandimal’s wasted innings. Batting at No. 3, instead of his normal place in the middle order, he amassed his sixth century in Galle and his fourth fifty-plus score in eight Test innings to allow Kamindu at No. 5 and Kusal Mendis at No. 7.
The early wicket of Pathum Nissanka, who edged an outswinger from Tim Southee behind at the end of the first over, was the only thing that went in New Zealand’s favour. The hosts put on a lot of runs as the ball grew older and the weather became more conducive to batting, thanks to Chandimal taking on the quick bowlers while the ball was still swinging around and setting up an early base for his team.
Two lives were saved for Karunaratne; he was first dropped at slip off O’Rourke on the fifth over, and then he survived a stumping opportunity on the seventeenth when he came down to attack Ajaz Patel and took a powerful swing, but missed. In the beginning against the fast bowlers, Chandimal also edged the ball a few times, but that didn’t stop him from going for his shots.
With an intense scythe, he got off to a fast start, smashing the ball to the deep-point boundary before sailing over the covers to thwart Southee’s outswinger. In order to make quick runs, he took on Ajaz’s left-arm spin from around the wicket.
The most flawless of his boundaries came against O’Rourke, when he used tremendous force and precise timing to drive a full delivery on the rise, square on the off side. In an attempt to stop the run-flow before lunch, Southee applied left-arm spin from both ends after he raced to 41 off 42. The strategy was effective as Ajaz and Mitchell Santner bowled in tandem for 15 overs for 36 runs, with the occasional ball turning sharply. Before reaching the benchmark on his 79th ball, a now-patient Chandimal was on 49 for 13 balls.
The lunch break was delayed from 12pm to 12.22pm due to a brief spell of rain in the first hour. When play resumed, a fielding error helped to terminate the century partnership. Though Chandimal hardly left his crease, Karunaratne sprinted all the way to the other end after flicking a ball from Santner to midwicket.
On the other hand, Latham hit the stumps with an under-arm throw just in time to find the batter, who was frantically trying to regain his ground, short after Glenn Phillips’ midwicket throw reached short leg rather than the keeper.
Mathews was then given a life by New Zealand. After O’Rourke overstepped and had to re-bowl the final ball of the 44th mis, he had Mathews tickle one down the leg side. The umpire’s finger went up, but a few seconds later, the hand was stretched to the side. After that, Mathews calmed himself down by sternly dismissing the spinners who adhered to straight lines and lengths with rather flat trajectories.
When the field wasn’t stretched out, Chandimal continued to smash whole deliveries through the covers, loft the spinners down the ground, and even score an additional four runs from overthrows to reach 95. Having became a parent in June, he celebrated his centennial with a rock-the-baby party.
With his strong arms and wrists, Mathews transferred his weight onto the ball through a lot of back-foot cuts and punches off the spinners. Soon after Mathews achieved his 44th half-century in Test cricket, Chandimal fell, giving Phillips credit for bowling tight lines throughout the day, as he danced down and missed an offbreak.
Even in the final session, fortune remained in the hosts’ favor. Just before the second new ball was taken, Kamindu, the centurion from the first Test, edged his seventh and eighth deliveries from Southee in nearly identical fashion; nevertheless, on both occasions, the ball went through the gap between Blundell and wide slip.
Kamindu delivered a burst of boundaries, beginning with a slog-swept six from Ajaz, and included three more fours in quick succession to bring up his 53-ball half-century after being dropped by Mitchell at slip off O’Rourke after the new ball was taken.
Late in the day, O’Rourke exploited his height and bounce to again draw an edge off Matthews’ bat splice, but Tom Latham’s sardonic face said it all when the ball touched his fingers before going for four.
