Sri Lanka vs New Zealand: First Test, Galle – Day 1 Review:
Kamindu Mendis Fires Sri Lanka with a Century But the brightest spot of the day remained Kamindu Mendis’s hundred (114 off 173 balls). His ton steadied Sri Lanka after a nerve-wracking start. Sri Lanka, which came in after losing the toss and opting to bat, saw itself in trouble by early indications of 33 for 2, losing its top order cheaply. Mendis forged important partnerships with Angelo Mathews (36) and Kusal Mendis (50), thus taking Sri Lanka to a respectable 302/7 at stumps.
Early Strick by New Zealand’s Pace Attack
The bowling attack of New Zealand, spearheaded by debutant Will O’Rourke did manage some early breaks that brought Sri Lanka down to 88 for 3. O’Rourke was the best with his three wickets for 54 runs that included big wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka. Glenn Phillips also supported with part-time spin as he picked up two wickets for 52 runs, one of them being Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva.
Galle Pitch-A Test of Spin and Patience
For a surface that has often tended to favor the spinners, no contest at the Galle International Stadium is going to be ever different. With the wicket offering even slight turn towards the latter half of the day’s play, Patel had it along with one wicket while keeping the run rate in check. As the match advances further, the spinners are more likely to come into play, and hence, the second innings for both teams assumes greater importance.
Player Watch: Kamindu Mendis impresses, Angelo Mathews steady
Kamindu Mendis:
He provided an anchor during the innings. It showed that a visitor can bat under pressure. His knock really featured a lot of patience and aggression – perfect for the slow, turning Galle pitch.
Kusal Mendis:
His aggressive 50 off 68 balls, with 7 boundaries, helped accelerate scoring in the middle overs.
Angelo Mathews: The veteran’s match-winning contribution of 36 off 116 deliveries proved to be crucial in stabilizing the innings after early losses.
New Zealand Bowling Attack
Will O’Rourke:
The debutant was the surprise package for New Zealand, removing Sri Lanka’s key batsmen early in the innings.
Tim Southee:
The experienced captain maintained discipline with figures of 1 for 48, though he could not quite extract as much movement as expected on this dry surface.
What to Expect on Day 2
The lower order of Sri Lanka will have to defy the challenge New Zealand’s pace and spin attack will present when they bat again at the end of Day 2 to add to their first innings total. New Zealand, who had suffered a series defeat against Australia in the previous series they played, will look to emerge victorious with a solid batting effort by Kane Williamson and Tom Latham. Sri Lanka will once again look to its spinners, particularly Prabath Jayasuriya for exploitation of the turning conditions.
Head-to-Head and Series View
Sri Lanka was on a roll at Galle. Sri Lanka had never lost a Test match to New Zealand at Galle and had won all four Test matches played at the venue against New Zealand. Sri Lanka has not won a Test series against New Zealand since 2009. New Zealand had never lost in their last six Test series played against Sri Lanka.
An even contest developed on the first day of the first Test. Kamindu Mendis’ 103 helped Sri Lanka get to a difficult position at 302 for 7, while New Zealand’s bowlers, with some useful breakthroughs from debutant Will O’Rourke, kept the game on an even keel. The match is finely poised at close of play, with the pitch – at times quite silky – set to deteriorate over the next few days, and that would create an interesting challenge for Sri Lanka’s spinners and New Zealand’s batsmen.
