SL vs IRE, 1st Test: All-round hosts dominate Day 2
Sri Lanka are already in the driver's seat at the end of Day 2 of the ongoing Test match against Ireland at the Galle International Stadium. Ireland at stumps were 117/7 after the hosts posted 591/6d in their first innings. SL batters Dinesh Chandimal and Sadeera Samarawickrama were the stars earlier in the day. Later, spinner Prabath Jayasuriya stole the show. Here's more.
A look at the Day 2 summary
SL skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and decided to bat. He stitched a mammoth 281-run partnership with Kusal Mendis. Both the batters scored massive tons. Later, Chandimal and Samarawickrama also scored hundreds respectively. In response, Ireland kept losing wickets consistently. Only James McCollum (35) and Harry Tector (34) could cross the 30-run mark. Lorcan Tucker and Andy McBrine were still at the crease.
Chandimal's 14th Test hundred
Chandimal's knock was a mix of caution and aggression as he brought up his hundred in 152 balls. Courtesy of the knock, he raced to 5,218 runs at an average of 44.22. He is SL's 10th-highest run-scorer in this format. He stitched an all-important 183*-run partnership with Samarawickrama to take the score to 591/6. They declared immediately after both batters reached their milestones.
Samarawickrama smokes his maiden Test ton
After making his debut against Pakistan in 2017, Samarawickrama had to wait for four years to get a Test call-up. Once the call-up came, he made the most of it. He came to the crease when SL were comfortably placed at 408/6 but they had lost quick wickets. So he compiled a great partnership with Chandimal. He finished at 104* from 114 balls.
Samarawickrama attains this feat
Samarawickrama, who batted at number eight, became the fourth Test centurion for SL in that batting position. Only Thilan Samaraweera, Kithuruwan Vithanage and Chaminda Vaas have achieved this feat. His score of 104* is the highest for any batter batting at number eight for SL.
A look at the bowlers
Jayasuriya was the pick of the SL bowlers as he ran through the middle order of Ireland. The left-arm spinner has been very effective in home conditions and he finished the day with figures of 5/42. Vishwa Fernando also impressed upfront, with 2/22. Earlier, Irish bowlers had to work very hard to pick wickets. Curtis Campher was the pick of the bowlers, with 2/84.
