Nishan Peiris scripts records with nine wickets on Test debut
Sri Lanka registered an innings win over New Zealand in the final Test of the two-match series in Galle. Senior spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and debutant Nishan Peiris stole the show with 18 wickets between them. The latter went on to register the third-best match figures by a Lankan bowler on Test debut. He dismissed six batters in the third innings. Here are further details.
Sensational show from Peiris
Peiris, who dismissed three batters in NZ's first innings, was even more lethal in the second. The off-spinner dismissed Tom Latham for a duck in the opening over. Star batters Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra were his other victims on Day 3. In Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner, NZ had three half-centurions on Day 4 and each of them fell to Peiris.
Peiris joins these names
Peiris claimed 3/33 in his first outing and followed it up with 6/170 in 33.4 overs. As per ESPNcricinfo, his match figures of 9/203 are now the third-best by a Lankan bowler on Test debut. The 27-year-old is only behind spinners Prabath Jayasuriya (12/177 vs Australia, 2022) and Praveen Jayawickrama (11/178 vs Bangladesh, 2021). This was overall his 13th First-Class fifer.
Do you know?
Jayasuriya, Jayawickrama, and Upul Chandana are the only other SL stars besides Peiris to claim an innings six-fer on Test debut. Notably, Jayasuriya claimed six wickets in both his outings on debut. Meanwhile, Peiris now owns the seventh-best innings figures against NZ on Test debut.
How did the game pan out?
Sri Lanka had three centurions in the form of Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, and Kusal Mendis in their first innings score of 602/5d. NZ were asked to follow on as they managed just 88/10 in their first outing. Prabath Jayasuriya dismissed six batters. Devon Conway, Blundell, Phillips, and Santner scored fiftes in NZ's second outing. However, they were eventually dismissed for 360.
