SL vs NZ | Kamindu Mendis' impressive century gives Sri Lanka advantage on Day 1

Debayan Sinha

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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Sri Lanka had a strong batting performance on Day 1, scoring 302/7 by the end of play, thanks to Kamindu Mendis’ 114 runs from 173 balls. Sri Lanka's batting was weakened by a sudden loss of wickets due to William ORourke taking three wickets, but Mendis' century put them in a commanding position.

‌Following the letdown in Greater Noida, New Zealand eventually switched to Test match mode against Sri Lanka at Galle on a sunny morning. The hosts chose to bat after winning the toss, but the outcome was disappointing. Dimuth Karunaratne and standout batter Pathum Nissanka did not display their talent and were out early, with the score at 33/2 after only six overs. Nonetheless, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews maintained the scorecard's momentum by hitting occasional fours and rotating the strike, reaching a score of 69/2 in 24 overs. However, the sorrow continued for the Sri Lankans as Mathews had to leave the field due to a finger injury that made him uncomfortable. Kamindu Mendis and Chandimal were at the crease, steadying Sri Lanka at 88/2 in 28 overs at Lunch after William O Rourke took early wickets.

After lunch, New Zealand's moment arrived when Tim Southee dismissed Chandimal in the opening over following the interval. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Mendis attempted to increase the run rate, but Glenn Phillips stopped them by dismissing the Lanka skipper in the 35th over, allowing Mathews to come back in. The pair stayed calm and formed a fiery alliance, adding 72 runs to the Sri Lanka scorecard, reaching 178/4 in 55 overs by Tea. During this time, Mendis reached a fifty in 73 balls and provided his team with a crucial boost. Nevertheless, amidst their strong performance, O Rourke once again got rid of Mathews on the third delivery of the 56th over, resulting in Tea being called with a score of 178 runs and five wickets lost.

The last session saw Kusal Mendis being moved lower in the batting lineup and entering the crease at number seven to partner with Kusal at the crease. The pair looked fantastic and intended to end the day on a strong note for the hosts. Mendis was the only player putting up a fight for the Lankan team, scoring 94 runs as they reached a total of 244/5 in 70 overs. In addition, towards the evening, New Zealand achieved a crucial breakthrough when Glenn Phillips removed Kusal in the 79th over who departed scoring a half-ton. Nevertheless, Kamindu Mendis maintained his impressive performance by bringing the score to 298/6 after 83 overs. Sri Lanka finished the day on a somber tone as Mendis left the field after making 114 runs from 173 balls, with the home team ending the day at 302/7 after 88 overs.

 Yelove

Mendis power 

Nice

What a player!

Stumps

Day highlights

Interesting 

The star

Another one

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