Dinesh Chandimal’s Century gave Sri Lanka momentum on the first day of the Galle Test.
You recognize, that day of cricket had absolutely everything. Dinesh Chandimal provided an excellent contribution, knocking out his 16th Test century and truly leading for Sri Lanka. With his gear changes, he mirrored driving in varied speed zones to ensure his team scored 194 for 2 at tea on the first day of the second Test in Galle. The duo, led by Dimuth Karunaratne, knocked together a sound hundred partnership before lunch.
Subsequently, he joined forces with Angelo Mathews after lunch for an unbeaten total of 50 plus. Chandimal is red hot right now—this is his sixth century at Galle in total, coupled with another 50-plus score in his last eight Test innings. Did I mention he’s been playing in the top three, rather than his usual spot down the order? Yeah, he’s doing it so the younger players like Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis will have an opportunity.
Hitting his fifty off 79 balls, largely via powerful hits to the off side, Chandimal started to slow things down a bit, especially after Karunaratne had been run out. Ugh, what a mix-up that was! But anyway, in the morning’s matches, Chandimal was all over the fast bowlers, making use of some swing as the ball remained new. After it had lost that slick new-ball reflection, he and his teammates eased up somewhat, especially with the sun toasting the pitch pleasantly. With some jumbled lines, William O’Rourke allowed Sri Lanka to excel, while New Zealand’s three spinners were dealt with reasonably well.
Still, Sri Lanka wasn’t entirely to blame. There was an initial breakthrough for New Zealand when Pathum Nissanka played an outswinger from Tim Southee behind in the opening over. Honestly, they had no capability to build on that. Karunaratne was exquisitely lucky—not once, but twice! At the onset, Daryl Mitchell performed a pretty basic slip catch while Karunaratne had only 5 runs. As Karunaratne stood at 17, Tom Blundell misjudged a stumping when the batsman tried a big swing against Ajaz Patel. This will be one of those occasions when New Zealand will beat themselves up.
Chandimal wasn’t fortunate enough to have an easy introduction, nicking a few deliveries at first. You recognize him—he’s never willing to back down. He made an explosive start with this tough cut shot to the off side and then produced some amazing boundaries, including a gorgeous drive off O’Rourke that very much embodied power and timing.
Chandimal played more intelligently as the day advanced, especially after the spinners started to excel. The use of left-arm spinners by Southee from both ends slowed things down temporarily, but Sri Lanka was able to stick it out. Karunaratne scored a four to midwicket to finally break free, after Chandimal had been stuck on 49 for what felt like a long time. There was a small rain delay preceding lunch, and upon their return, New Zealand could not seem to break the partnership.
Unfortunately for Karunaratne, his luck came to an end after lunch, but in an incredibly bizarre manner. He hit the ball to midwicket and called for a single, but Chandimal seemed to hardly move! The throw by Glenn Phillips to short leg was on point, and Latham’s flick off an under-arm delivery struck the stumps perfectly. Karunaratne fell short by a mile. Discuss a relationship that never was.
New Zealand’s frustrations didn’t wrap up there. Mathews also settled into life before too long. O’Rourke walked too far, sent down a no-ball, and Mathews pressed their edge, all while the umpire waved it off. Once he was settled in, Mathews played the spinners with calmness, whereas Chandimal kept on doing what he does best. A couple of glove hits came his way, but for the most part, he was looking pretty relaxed. His wickets thanks to balls delivered through the covers, lofted shots, and a cheeky boundary via misfields revealed that he was absolutely in the driver’s seat.
Chandimal finally benefited from some luck when a ball from Ajaz Patel jumped and scraped his glove, though it just fell short of cover. Not long afterwards, he clicked a single and hit that special three-figure number. And if you want to know how he bought it? Yes, the celebrated rock-the-baby technique Chandimal welcomed fatherhood back in June, which made this century even more special.
Also Read: Prabath Jayasuriya Leads Sri Lanka to Victory in Galle