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Kamindu Mendis Secures Opening Day Advantage for Sri Lanka
Kamindu Mendis Secures Opening Day Advantage for Sri Lanka
Kamindu Mendis hit his fourth Test century 114(173)
In the first test against New Zealand, Kamindu Mendis carried on with Sri Lanka's win in the opening day honours at Gallle. He moved up to No.5 after a great start to his Test career, and Kamindu had to rescue Sri Lanka and turn things around as New Zealand lost control. By the end of the day, the home team was at 302/7.
Pathum Nissanka started strong for Sri Lanka with three boundaries, but William O’Rourke quickly made an impact. Dimuth Karunaratne edged a ball due to the extra bounce, and Nissanka was bowled out by an inswinging delivery. Sri Lanka lost both openers within the first six overs. Despite this, New Zealand brought in a spin bowler as early as the ninth over.
However, Sri Lanka stands strong even after all these early strikes they experienced because of the Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews standing in. Both spinners tested the batters with their turns but couldn’t break the partnership. Tim Southee then brought back O’Rourke, who injured Mathews with a delivery that hit his glove. Although Mathews tried to continue, he eventually had to retire hurt just before lunch.
Kamindu made a fine start as Chandimal left in the middle over, but lost the partner immediately after the lunch. New Zealand’s confidence grew as Glenn Phillips stepped up. When he was brought into the attack, Phillips delivered a fantastic ball that bowled Dhananjaya de Silva, breaking through his defence. After this wicket, Mathews returned to the crease, while the New Zealand spinners kept creating opportunities.
Kamindu stayed calm and hit consecutive boundaries off Ajaz Patel, reaching a fifty in 73 balls. O’Rourke had to come back to break the partnership, and Mathews edged a ball behind, leaving for a well-fought 36. By then, Sri Lanka was struggling at 178/5. However, Kamindu and Kusal Mendis turned the game around in the final session. Kusal started strong, and Kamindu kept finding the boundary. At one point, Sri Lanka was scoring six runs an over, and Kamindu reached his century with another boundary off Rachin Ravindra.
He became the fastest Sri Lankan to score four Test centuries, proving his promotion from No.7 to No.5 was the right move. Kusal, who was moved down the order after taking on wicketkeeping duties, scored a fifty, and their century partnership put New Zealand on the back foot. The visitors got lucky when Kusal’s pull shot off Phillips hit the short leg fielder’s arm and lobbed up for Southee to catch. Just before the end of play, Ajaz took the crucial wicket of Kamindu, but with the pitch already showing signs of wear, Sri Lanka ended the day in a stronger position.
Scorecard : Sri Lanka 302/7 (Kamindu Mendis 114, Kusal Mendis 50; William O'Rourke 3/54, Glenn Phillips 2/52)
Scorecard : Sri Lanka 302/7 (Kamindu Mendis 114, Kusal Mendis 50; William O'Rourke 3/54, Glenn Phillips 2/52)
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