After consistent knocks from Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva, as well as fifty-scores from Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, Sri Lanka extended their lead to 202 at the end of the third day of play in Galle.
As an extended final session came to a finish, the latter pair had amassed an undefeated fifth wicket partnership of 59, as Sri Lanka gradually gained their hard-earned edge, the seeds of which had been sowed earlier.
After playing poorly on the second day, Prabath Jayasuriya performed admirably on the third morning, taking three wickets to add to his total for the night. Ramesh Mendis also took two wickets, finishing with a number of 3 for 101.
After that, Karunaratne and Chandimal engaged in a 147-run stand that, had it lasted longer, would have assuredly taken the game away from New Zealand.
The visitors’ persistence with their intentions and the worn pitch contributed to its end. Finally, Ajaz Patel got one to spit and slip beneath Karunaratne’s sweep, to crash into the stumps. This was due to his persistent attempts to take advantage of the expanding patch of rough outside the left-hander’s off stump, to the extent that even against the right-handers a leg stump tactic was used.
That provided the much-needed opening for New Zealand, and they promptly summoned out Will O’Rourke to take aim at the new batter. Chandimal, the other batter in the set, would flip one straight to leg slip, and he would be out.
O’Rourke’s unnerving bounce and pace troubled Sri Lanka’s hitters for a while, and he eventually reaped more dividends when Kamindu Mendis edged ahead. With eight wickets in the Test now, he is close to tying the record with ten wickets in a match.
Neither Mathews nor Dhananjaya had an easy time at the crease as the day went on due to the ball turning more and more prolifically, but they found runs when they were given and rode their luck on other occasions.
There was a potential outside edge from Dhananjaya that sailed past Daryl Mitchell’s outstretched hands at first slip, even as late as the last few overs and more than 100 deliveries into their stand.
Meanwhile, Mathews survived an extremely close leg before shout, only to survive on the umpire’s call regarding the line of impact.
However, batting appeared much simpler with Karunaratne and Chandimal at the crease, and any pitch-related demons were mostly dormant. Their collaboration taught them both opportunism and discipline.
Despite New Zealand’s consistent delivery of accurate lines and lengths outside off, both batsmen, especially Karunaratne, consistently chose not to participate. He could defend the pitch by either going back or reaching it when the lines tightened closer to off. The pitch also seemed to be getting easier in the brilliant sunshine, which was helpful.
On September 20, 2024, in Galle, Sri Lanka vs. New Zealand, First Test, Third Day, Will O’Rourke continued to impress. On day three, Will O’Rourke claimed three wickets for SLC.
Even though he wasn’t as adept at defending, Chandimal was eager to use his feet and looked for alternate ways to change the pressure whenever the bowlers tried to get into a routine. These ways were mostly the sweep and reverse. Also, Karunaratne’s most successful shot was the cut, as both hitters were quick to punish anything dragged short.
Although they didn’t figure in either of their innings, boundaries served as a means of relieving any strain that might have built up. However, the pressure valve was never forced to an unpleasant level for the most part thanks to deft one- and two-handed manoeuvring.
The crucial stand contributed to the day’s consolidation after Sri Lanka claimed the last six New Zealand wickets in the morning session for a meagre 89 runs.
With a strong start to the session, Sri Lanka had forced the New Zealand batsmen to make things happen by maintaining regular lines and lengths. The majority of New Zealand proved capable, especially Mitchell, who exuded an air of imperiousness with his snide loft down the ground off Lahiru Kumara. Positive footwork was also demonstrated by Mitchell, who used the same strategy that New Zealand had used to such devastating effect on day two.
However, the salvation Sri Lanka was looking for came through a poorly chosen single to cover. Glenn Phillips signalled for a single, but Mitchell was only a little bit slow to get going at number fifty-seven, and that was all it took for the striker to find him inches short. Sri Lanka was looking at a deficit that might have gone over 100 runs with Mitchell at the wicket, but all of a sudden they smelt blood.
The wickets fell rapidly after that as Mendis and Jayasuriya went through the tail of the wicket. After being bowled out for 340, New Zealand had a 35-run lead after the first innings.
If Sri Lanka had been presented with this result at the beginning of the day, they would have taken it immediately, especially as New Zealand had started the day 50 runs behind with six wickets remaining. But you wouldn’t have blamed them for feeling a little let down at the end of the innings for having given the visitors so much.
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In contrast, after losing five wickets for 50 runs in the opening hour of play, New Zealand would have been thankful for each of those 35 runs. In that regard, Phillips was the difference-maker as he scorched an undefeated 48 balls and 49, including some massive hits off Jayasuriya, before O’Rourke, the final man, was removed. Still, those runs could come in helpful.
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