SL vs NZ | Twitter erupts as Tim Southee & Co. execute genius field setup to trap Dinesh Chandimal

ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

Today at 5:24 PM

Being strategic and employing clever tactics often leads to excellent results, especially when it comes to dismissing a well-set batter. This was evident in the Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand orchestrated a brilliant field setup to dismiss the established Dinesh Chandimal.

‌Sri Lanka's second innings got off to a shaky start with the dismissal of in-form batter Pathum Nissanka. However, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal steadied the ship, building a crucial 148-run partnership that took the score to 153/1 in 46 overs. Both batters reached their half-centuries, putting Sri Lanka in a strong position. But Chandimal's innings was cut short by New Zealand’s well-executed field strategy.

Leading up to the 47th over, Chandimal had been regularly dispatching leg-stump deliveries to the leg gully for boundaries and singles. Recognizing this pattern, New Zealand devised a clever plan. Just before the 49th over, Tom Latham, who had been fielding at extra cover, was repositioned to the leg gully area. The idea was simple: tempt Chandimal into playing his favourite flick shot off a leg-stump ball.

Sure enough, on the second delivery of the 49th over, William O’Rourke bowled a fuller-length ball aimed at the leg stump, tailing in towards the Lankan veteran. The Sri Lankan batter, as expected, flicked at it without trying to keep it down. New Zealand's trap worked perfectly as the ball flew straight towards Latham, who took an easy diving catch. The team’s tactical brilliance paid off, and social media buzzed with excitement over the clever execution of the plan that dismissed Chandimal.

That is brilliant!

Mastermind Kane Williamson 🔥🤯❤️#Kanewilliamson #NZVSSL pic.twitter.com/l1KzxEDZBr
— Rishi Gurjar (@Rishikivani) September 22, 2024

Yupe!

Tight game in Galle. #SLvsNZ #NZvsSL #WTC25
— Kunal Pandey (@itskunalpandey) September 22, 2024

Tough game!

2 wickets left 2 balls left for stumps #nzvssl
— Eternal 🫵 (@shamsuuiii) September 22, 2024

Stumps now!

Score Update:

New Zealand 🇳🇿 vs Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Nz need 119 runs and SL need 5 wickets to win the 1st Match .#NzvsSl #SLvsNZ pic.twitter.com/zxa22wV4w3
— Mustajab🏏 (@Mustajab625) September 22, 2024

He is there for tomorrow again?