Sri Lanka’s All-Around Dominance Seals 2-0 Test Series Win Against New Zealand .

SRI LANKA VS SOUTH AFRICA , 2ND TEST, GALLW : Sri Lanka’s All-Around Dominance Seals 2-0 Test Series Win Against New Zealand .

Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand on Sunday, triumphing by an innings & 154 runs in the second and final Test at Galle International Stadium. This victory led by Dhananjaya de Silva’s squad sealed a 2-0 clean sweep over their visitors. They had earlier bagged the first match by 63 runs at the same venue.

In the first innings, Kamindu Mendis powered the hosts to a towering 602 for 5 before declaring. New Zealand collapsed to just 88 & then faced a follow-on. In their second innings, the Blackcaps scored 360, falling short and thus losing by an innings margin.Sri Lanka’s All-Around Dominance Seals 2-0 Test Series Win Against New Zealand .

TOSS:

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat.

TEAMS LINE UP:

New Zealand (Playing XI):

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee(c), Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke.

Sri Lanka (Playing XI):

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Asitha Fernando.

DAY 1:

Sri Lanka decided to bat first but lost opener Pathum Nissanka in the initial over. Then Chandimal and Karunaratne joined hands for a 122-run stand for the second wicket until Karunaratne got run out due to a mix-up. He aimed a quick single after hitting to square leg but was sent back by Chandimal and couldn’t make it.

Chandimal kept his cool and struck his first Test century against New Zealand—the sixth at Galle. Chandimal and Mathews partnered for another 97 runs before Glenn Phillips intervened. Using his feet well against spin initially, Chandimal misread the off-spinner and got bowled while attempting another aggressive shot. He scored 116 off 208 balls with 15 boundaries.

Mendis joined Mathews & started scoring easily. By day’s end, Mendis was unbeaten on 51 from 56 balls with eight boundaries & one six. Mathews remained solid with 78 not out from 166 deliveries with six boundaries.

New Zealand’s bowlers worked hard on this hot and humid day but were hindered by poor fielding efforts.

Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal racked up 116 runs forging significant partnerships with Dimuth Karunaratne & Angelo Mathews pushing Sri Lanka to a dominant position of 306 for three on day one of the second Test.

DAY 2-

New Zealand grabbed two wickets in the first session; Mathews & De Silva fell to the sweep against Phillips. But then, despite the pitch starting to turn, Kamindu and Kusal took command. Kusal’s daring style hit the perfect note right off.

Throughout the innings, Kamindu had solid support at the other end. He added 127 with Angelo Mathews, 74 with Dhananjaya de Silva before the double hundred partnership with Kusal. The wicket-keeper batter marked his 10th Test century, showcasing a powerful batting performance from Sri Lanka.

Kamindu reached the 1,000-run milestone in just 13 innings since his debut on this exact ground two years ago, matching the record of Aussie legend Don Bradman. His achievement of five centuries from 13 innings also made him the third-fastest to that mark, tied with Bradman and West Indies’ George Headley.

Sri Lanka declared at 602 for 5 shortly before stumps on day two in Galle after a massive 200-run partnership between Kamindu and Kusal Mendis–the third century-plus stand of the game. Kamindu stood unbeaten at 182 as Sri Lanka declared their innings at 602 for five before reducing Blackcaps to 22 for two.

The visitors lost their openers within nine overs, with Tom Latham caught on the fifth ball of the innings for two and Devon Conway departing for nine. Kane Williamson (six) and Ajaz Patel  will resume on Saturday.

DAY 3-

Starting at a risky 22-2 in their first innings, New Zealand’s batters overwhelmed. They barely put up a fight. The biggest partnership was just 20 runs, added by the last pair: Mitchell Santner, who top-scored with 29, & William O’Rourke .

Sri Lanka declared on Friday with a massive 602-5 in their first innings. Spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took 6-42, marking his ninth five-wicket haul as the visitors couldn’t even reach three figures.

With a lead of 514 runs, Sri Lanka enforced the follow-on straight away. The downward spiral for the tourists persisted. Tom Latham fell in the first over to Peiris, right before lunch. Sri Lanka lost nine wickets just in the first session.

Devon Conway and Williamson managed a 97-run stand. Conway initiated a counterattack with a flurry of boundaries. Williamson also notched boundaries here and there as they quickly piled up a half-century stand. Conway hit his fifty off just 48 balls.

Conway was caught on 61 by Dinesh Chandimal, who ran back from cover to make an impressive catch. Williamson soon followed, giving Peiris his second wicket by miscuing to long-on for 46. Daryl Mitchell handed a catch to short-leg off Jayasuriya & Rachin Ravindra was bowled by Peiris, leaving New Zealand at 129-5 at Tea before Blundell-Phillips resistance emerged.

Tom Blundell stood firm with an unbeaten 47, while Glenn Phillips was on 32 when bad light cut the play short in Galle—ending early due to rain which saw the ground covered entirely.

Sri Lanka was only five wickets away from securing a decisive second Test and series victory over New Zealand by Saturday, with the tourists standing at 199-5 at stumps on the third day, having succumbed to a mere 88 all out in their first innings.

DAY 4-

New Zealand’s lower order showed some resilience after resuming at 199-5. Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, & Mitchell Santner all managed to score half-centuries. Peiris, who had taken three second-innings wickets on Saturday, trapped Blundell lbw for 60 early in the first session. This ended a 95-run partnership with Phillips.

Santner forged a 64-run partnership for the seventh wicket before Phillips, displaying determination, fell on 78. He mistimed a shot to long-on, handing Peiris his maiden five-wicket haul. Santner then formed a gritty ninth-wicket stand of 53 with Ajaz Patel before Jayasuriya bowled Patel out for 22.

Sri Lanka clinched the victory when Santner’s defiance was finally broken. He was stumped by Kusal Mendis for 67 off Peiris’s bowling. Sri Lanka could have concluded the match and series in the morning session if not for a series of dropped catches.

Peiris, 27, and fellow spinner Prabath Jayasuriya shared an astonishing 18 wickets in the match. Jayasuriya claimed six wickets for 42 runs in the first innings, dismantling the tourists for just 88 after Sri Lanka had posted a massive total of 602-5 declared.

Debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris took six wickets on Sunday to secure Sri Lanka’s first series win against New Zealand in 15 years with a commanding victory by an innings and 154 runs in the second Test at Galle. The result leaves New Zealand winless from six Test appearances at Galle, with Sunday’s score of 360 being their highest innings total at this venue.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka 602/5 declared (Kamindu Mendis 182\*, Dinesh Chandimal 116, Kusal Mendis 106\*; Glenn Phillips 3-141) defeated New Zealand 88 (Mitchell Santner 29; Prabath Jayasuriya 6-42, Nishan Peiris 3-33) & 360 f/o (Glenn Phillips 78, Mitchell Santner 67, Devon Conway 61, Tom Blundell