Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 2nd Test, Day 1: Chandimal’s performance boosted Sri Lanka’s scores
Chandimal knocked his fourth successive half-century to reach Sri Lanka’s total before Pakistan hit back with late wickets on the opening day of the second Test at Galle. Chandimal hit 80 and put on key partnerships including a 75-run fourth-wicket stand with Angelo Mathews. Mathews fell short of fifty in his landmark 100th Test. Sri Lanka reached 315 for six wickets when bad light stopped play.
Half-centuries made by Oshada Fernando and Dinesh Chandimal helped Sri Lanka reach 315 for 6 on the first day of the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on the 24th of July, 2022.
Opener Oshada Fernando was in good form and along with captain Dimuth Karunaratne made sure that Sri Lanka was off to a comfortable start. In the first hour, the hosts reached 36/0 in 12 overs. After the warm-up, they hit a couple of stunning shots to push the scoring rate of Sri Lanka.
Fernando was the faster of the two as he moved closer to his seventh Test fifty. He made a fifty with a six over mid-on but was immediately dismissed on the next ball, which broke the 92-run opening stand.
Three overs later, Kusal Mendis (3) returned to the pavilion due to an unfortunate run-out as he was out of the crease at the end of the non-striker when the bowler diverted the ball onto the stumps.
He survived 11 balls and made only three before being run out at the stroke of lunch off a direct throw from Agha Salman.
Karunaratne fell into the trap of Yasir Shah’s leg spin after his attempted reverse sweep went to a backward point and Naseem did not miss the opportunity of taking a sharp catch as Sri Lanka looked in trouble at 120-3.
Naseem bowled Dhananjaya de Silva out of the game for 32 and nearly got Dickwella on 24 runs, but skipper Babar Azam missed his second catch of the day.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz stood out for Pakistan by taking two key wickets of Oshada Fernando, who made 50, and Chandimal.
Chandimal, who made 76, and 94 not out in his previous two Tests, handled the opposition spinners with grace and efficiency until his departure on a pitch that turned on day one.
Chandimal had a great game with Mathews and then De Silva in a partnership of 63 but a ball from Nawaz got him caught out forcing him to return.
Mathews, 35, was feted by Sri Lanka Cricket at the start of the Test for reaching his century in five-day matches since he debuted at the same venue in 2009, which was also against Pakistan. He was accompanied by his family.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 315/6 with Dinesh Chandimal scoring 80, Oshada Fernando scoring 50 against Pakistan.
Teams
Sri Lanka lineups: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage, Asitha Fernando
Pakistan lineups: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Naseem Shah
Umpires present: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI), Rod Tucker (AUS)
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
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