Sri Lanka made steady progress on day-one of the second ICC World Test Championship match against Pakistan as they scored 315 for six at close of play on Sunday at the Galle International Stadium. Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. Captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando provided the side a flying start. Fernando, carried his form from the first Test where he scored a fifty in the second innings with an enterprising 50 (70 balls, four fours, three sixes).
The right-hander’s dominant innings was brought to an end by an excellent spinning delivery from Mohammad Nawaz that took the outside edge, Mohammad Rizwan took a sharp catch behind the stumps to end the partnership.
On the eve of the lunch break, Salman Ali Agha ran out Kusal Mendis when he intercepted a straight drive from Karunaratne in his follow through and deflected it on the stumps catching Mendis millimetres short of the crease at the non-striker’s end. Sri Lanka took lunch at 96 for two.
After lunch, Karunaratne was dismissed for 40 when his attempted cut shot was caught by a diving Naseem Shah in the point region off Yasir Shah.
Seasoned middle-order batter Angelo Mathews who is appearing in his 100th Test consolidated his side’s position with a 75-run fourth-wicket stand with the in-form Dinesh Chandimal. Mathews who was dropped by Babar Azam shortly before the tea interval fell to Nauman Ali soon after tea with Rizwan taking another sharp catch. Mathews scored 42 off 106 balls (five fours).
Chandimal registered his third consecutive half-century following contributions of 76 and 94 not out in the first Test. The right-hander once again missed out on a century when he skied a catch to Fawad Alam off Nawaz. Chandimal scored 80 off 137 balls with the help of nine fours and two sixes, he added 63 for the fifth-wicket with Dhananjaya de Silva.
Naseem dismissed de Silva (33) with a pacy inswinger (fifth ball with the new-ball) that removed the middle-stump, Sri Lanka were 290 for six at this stage.
The hosts did not lose any further wicket as play stopped due to bad light with four overs of the 90-over quota remaining. At stumps, wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella was unbeaten on 42 while debutant Dunith Wellalage was six not out.
Pakistan made two changes to their eleven with Fawad replacing Azhar Ali and Nauman coming in for Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Sri Lanka included Asitha Fernando and Wellalage in place of Kasun Rajitha and Mahesh Theekshana.
Scores in brief:
Sri Lanka 315 for 6, 86 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 80, Oshada Fernando 50, Niroshan Dickwella 42 not out; Mohammad Nawaz 2-71)
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