Sri Lanka put themselves in a good position on the third day of the opening test against New Zealand after Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal made half-centuries but the hosts lost some of their momentum to reach 237-4 at stumps in Galle on Friday. Dimuth Karunaratne scored 83 and Dinesh Chandimal made 61 as the pair batted sensibly to milk the runs in a 147-run partnership that flattened the Black Caps but their dismissals left the game delicately poised with Sri Lanka 202 runs ahead.
Fifties from Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal were followed by steadying knocks from Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva and Sri Lanka stretched their lead to 202 by the close of play on day three in Galle.
Day 3 : Morning Session : Sri Lanka roar back to put game in the balance with 4 wickets from Prabhat Jayasuriya
Prabhat Jayasuriya (4-136) spun Sri Lanka back into the game in what was an eventful morning session on Day 3. Starting the day at 255/4, just 50 runs behind Sri Lanka’s total, Jayasuriya struck in the session to get rid of Tom Blundell with one that ripped and spun big off the surface. The big breakthrough came soon after for the Lankans as Daryl Mitchell (57) perished to an unfortunate run out at a time when he was looking in total control. His dismissal sparked a collapse as it came just after the hosts had taken the second new ball.
The new cherry gave more grip, turn and bite for the spinners in comparison to the older, softer ball. Jayasuriya took full toll of it and quickly sent Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee back to the hut. Ramesh Mendis then had Ajaz Patel LBW and all of a sudden, New Zealand were in danger of conceding a lead even if very slender.
Glenn Phillips (49*), however, had other ideas as he smoked a series of sixes and farmed the strike to give the Black Caps a handy 35-run lead. Sri Lanka’s tactics to him were just as baffling and it allowed Phillips to add crucial runs with the no.11 William O’Rourke who was eventually castled by Ramesh Mendis.
With the ball in the second innings, O’Rourke continued from where he left off on the first day as he prized out Pathum Nissanka very early but Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal then got stuck in to deny NZ further inroads as Sri Lanka got closer to wiping off the deficit. Prabhat Jayasuriya, ragged on day two, was on the money on the third morning adding three scalps to his overnight tally to end with innings figures of 4 for 136, while Ramesh Mendis grabbed two himself to finish on 3 for 101.
The important stand helped cement a resurgent day that had begun with Sri Lanka grabbing the final six New Zealand wickets for just 89 runs inside the morning session.
Sri Lanka had started the session brightly, sticking to consistent lines and lengths, and forcing the New Zealand batters to make things happen. For the most part, New Zealand were up to the task – particularly Mitchell, who seemed in imperious form as highlighted by a disdainful loft down the ground off Lahiru Kumara. Mitchell’s footwork was also positive, very much in line with the approach New Zealand had utilized to such devastating effect on day two.
But the lifeline Sri Lanka were seeking arrived courtesy of an ill-advised single to cover. Glenn Phillips called for the single, but Mitchell, by then on 57, was marginally slow off the mark, and that was all it took to find him inches short at the striker’s end. With Mitchell at the crease, Sri Lanka were staring at a deficit potentially beyond 100, but suddenly they scented blood.
The next few wickets fell quickly as Jayasuriya and Mendis ran through the tail. When it was all settled, New Zealand’s first-innings lead stood at 35 after they were bowled out for 340.
It’s an outcome Sri Lanka would have snapped up if it were offered to them at the start of the day, one which New Zealand had begun 50 runs behind with six wickets in hand. But by the innings’ close, you wouldn’t have begrudged them a feeling of mild disappointment at having given the visitors so many.
New Zealand, by contrast, would be grateful for each of those 35 runs, having lost five wickets for 50 runs inside the first hour of play. Phillips made the difference in that sense, as he plundered an unbeaten 48-ball 49, including some monster hits against Jayasuriya, before the last man O’Rourke was dismissed. Those runs, though, might still prove handy.
Day 3 : Post Lunch Session : Sri Lanka edge ahead through Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal fifties
Dimuth Karunaratne (72*) and Dinesh Chandimal (54*) ensured a wicketless post-lunch session on day three to put Sri Lanka on the front foot in the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Galle. The duo batted with great control and offered minimal chances against a New Zealand attack that toiled hard on a hot afternoon.
The surface has offered prodigious turn and also a hint of reverse for the pacers but batting hasn’t been impossible yet. Dimuth Karunaratne and Chandimal both had the odd lapse in concentration but had the fortune to survive.
What they did well was to keep the scoreboard moving with fluent strike rotation. Both were keen on putting pressure on New Zealand’s spinners and it even forced someone of Mitchell Santner’s caliber to offer loose balls. William O’Rourke continued to be a threat in his spells although his pace has dipped due to the extremely hot conditions out there.
Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips weren’t able to consistently land their deliveries in the right spot, which meant that neither Dimuth Karunaratne nor Chandimal were put under extreme pressure. The duo batted on smoothly to take Sri Lanka’s lead towards triple figures. But when Dimuth Karunaratne and Chandimal were at the crease, batting seemed a lot easier, while any pitch-related demons were largely in hibernation. Their partnership was a lesson in discipline and opportunism.
As New Zealand peppered good lines and lengths outside off, time and again both batters, particularly Dimuth Karunaratne, refused to engage. When the lines tightened closer to off, he was equally adept at either going back or reaching the pitch to defend. It helped that the pitch also seemed to be easing up under the bright sunshine.
Chandimal, while not as comfortable defending, sought other methods – primarily the sweep and reverse, to shift the pressure whenever the bowlers sought to settle into a rhythm – while he also was keen to use his feet. Both batters were also swift in punishing anything dragged short – Dimuth Karunaratne’s most productive shot, in fact, being the cut.
While boundaries weren’t a feature of either of their innings, they were used as a tool to relieve any building pressure. But for the most part, it was clever maneuvering for ones and twos that ensured the pressure valve never reached uncomfortable levels.
Day 3 : Afternoon Session : Dimuth Karunaratne , Dinesh Chandimal put Sri Lanka in commanding position on Day 3
The third day in Galle saw Sri Lanka put in crucial performances to pull the Test match back in balance. The hosts finished the day 202 runs in the lead in their second innings, with six wickets in hand.
New Zealand started the day in a strong position at 255/4 but Sri Lanka’s spinners turned the tide, with Prabhat Jayasuriya leading the effort with figures of 4 for 136. He got rid of the dangerous Tom Blundell with a delivery that turned sharply off the surface, setting the tone for a collapse that saw New Zealand lose four wickets for not many runs.
Daryl Mitchell, who had looked in control, was run out in a mix-up, a turning point that Sri Lanka capitalized on. Jayasuriya also dismissed Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee while Ramesh Mendis chipped in with the wicket of Ajaz Patel. Just when New Zealand seemed down and out, Glenn Phillips counterattacked, smashing sixes at will and farming the strike expertly with last man William O’Rourke. His unbeaten 49 gave New Zealand a much-needed 35-run lead.
Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka to William O’Rourke early but Dimuth Karunaratne (72*) and Dinesh Chandimal (54*) then guided them through a wicketless post-lunch session. The duo batted with great control and offered minimal chances against a New Zealand attack that toiled hard on a hot afternoon.
The conditions offered prodigious turn and also a hint of reverse for the pacers but Dimuth Karunaratne and Chandimal, despite the odd lapse in concentration, did well to keep the scoreboard ticking with fluent strike rotation. Both were keen on putting pressure on New Zealand’s spinners and it even forced someone of Mitchell Santner’s calibre to offer loose balls.
Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips also weren’t able to consistently land their deliveries in the right spot, which meant that neither Dimuth Karunaratne nor Chandimal were put under extreme pressure. The duo batted on smoothly to take Sri Lanka’s lead towards triple figures with their 103-run stand.
New Zealand fought back with quick wickets in the evening session, sending back both half-centurions in the process. When Dimuth Karunaratne was bowled by Ajaz for 72, a mini-collapse followed and Sri Lanka lost three wickets in quick succession. O’Rourke was again in the thick of the action, sending back Chandimal (caught at leg gully) and Kamindu Mendis (caught at leg slip) in his spell.
But as the day had been, Sri Lanka once again found some bouncebackability, with the experienced Angelo Mathews and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva standing firm and surviving a tricky final phase of play, which saw uneven bounce and turn from the rough patches. Mathews, in particular, displayed immense composure, and even survived a close LBW call late in the day.
Batting wasn’t easy on this wearing surface and it will be interesting to see how many New Zealand would be up to chase in the fourth innings. A 147-run stand between Dimuth Karunaratne and Chandimal, which had it been allowed to continue longer would have certainly taken the game away from New Zealand.
It was brought to an end, partly by the visitors’ persistence with their plans and the wearing pitch. With Ajaz Patel consistently seeking to exploit the growing patch of rough outside the left-hander’s off stump – so much so that even against the right-handers a leg stump strategy was employed – he finally got one to spit and sneak under Dimuth Karunaratne’s sweep, to crash into the stumps.
That gave New Zealand the opening they were looking for as Will O’Rourke was swiftly brought back to attack the new batter. He would dismiss the other set batter in Chandimal, who would flick one straight to leg slip. O’Rourke’s unsettling pace and bounce continued to trouble Sri Lanka’s batters and he ended up with further rewards for his efforts, getting Kamindu Mendis to edge behind. This put him on to eight wickets for the Test, on the verge of a 10-wicket match haul.
With the ball turning more prodigiously as the day wore on, neither Mathews nor Dhananjaya had an easy stay at the crease, but they found runs when offered and rode their luck on other occasions.
Even as late as the final few overs and over 100 deliveries into their stand, there was a potential Dhananjaya outside edge that flew past the outstretched hands of Daryl Mitchell at first slip, while Mathews survived an incredibly close leg before shout – only surviving on umpire’s call with regard to the line of impact.
Road Ahead for SL and NZ On Day 5 after rest day
Another hard-fought session to close out a hard-fought day of Test cricket. Three days in and we don’t really have a favorite yet, that’s how good the cricket has been! 103 runs and 3 wickets in that session. After a great partnership from Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka lost three wickets in a cluster. New Zealand had another opening to get ahead but skipper DDS and Mathews got stuck in at the crease and helped Sri Lanka wade through some murky waters.
Batting certainly wasn’t easy. The odd ball exploded off the surface and New Zealand tried to exploit the footmarks with little success. Mathews survived a close shout right towards the end of play and Sri Lanka managed to get through without suffering further damage.
They’ve claimed a very respectable lead of 202 already but wickets have come quickly during the morning sessions and New Zealand will be banking on that. Reminder that tomorrow (Saturday) is a rest-day owing to presidential elections in Sri Lanka. The game will continue as normal on Sunday and we’ll be back then with all the action.
Saturday is a rest day due to the presidential election in Sri Lanka, marking the first time that a test has accommodated such a break since 2008 when Bangladesh hosted Sri Lanka.