New Zealand were still 315 runs behind in the second innings after being succumbed to spin, recording their lowest score against Sri Lanka in the second Test where 13 wickets fell on day three.
>>8 Tests and a truckload of Mendis specials<<
They had to bat for around six minutes before lunch, but their woes continued. Tom Latham walked back to the pavilion for a duck, caught at short leg in the very first over bowled by Peiris, as New Zealand lost nine wickets in the first session.
Facing the danger of losing by an innings, Conway and Williamson displayed positive intent after the break, with the latter taking on the spinners and reaching fifty at just over a run-a-ball.
As the partnership began to build, skipper Dhananjaya brought himself on and managed to break the 97-run stand, which came off just 108 balls. Conway fell for 61 off 62, with Chandimal taking a good running catch.
Substitute fielder Ramesh Mendis took a well-judged catch near the long-on boundary as Peiris dismissed the experienced Williamson for 46. Once again, wickets tumbled quickly, with Mitchell and Ravindra falling in quick succession, leaving half of the New Zealand side down for 119.
Most of the New Zealand batters fared marginally better this time, with Blundell (47*) and Phillips (32*) countering the spin to share an unbeaten 78-run partnership off just 84 deliveries before bad light forced an early stumps.
On a day when the hosts dominated once again, Peiris, on debut, took three more wickets, while Jayasuriya and skipper De Silva claimed one each.
Earlier, after enduring a forgettable second day in the field, New Zealand resumed their first innings at 22 for 2, trailing by a daunting 580 runs, with Kane Williamson and nightwatchman Ajaz Patel at the crease.
>>Twin Mendis tons put Sri Lanka in a superior spot<<
Despite hopes of stabilizing the innings, the visitors struggled from the start. Sri Lanka’s spinners, led by relentless accuracy, offered no respite. Williamson, New Zealand’s key player, fell to Prabath Jayasuriya in the third over of the day, unable to anchor the innings.
Rachin Ravindra became the maiden wicket of Nishan Peiris before Patel was adjudged LBW in the next over, leaving New Zealand reeling at 52 for 5. Jayasuriya dominated the Black Caps’ lower middle order, claiming 4 wickets and securing his 8th five-wicket haul in Galle.
Mitchell Santner hung in for a while, forming the highest partnership of the innings by adding 20 runs for the final wicket alongside Will O’Rourke before Peiris clean bowled him, making him the top scorer with 29.
The debutant Peiris finished with 3 for 33 as New Zealand were skittled for just 88, suffering a horrendous morning session. Jayasuriya was the main threat, taking 6 for 42. With their disciplined bowling and sharp fielding, Sri Lanka left New Zealand 514 runs behind, forcing the visitors to follow on.
>>Chandimal century headlines in dominant first day for Sri Lanka<<
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka 602/5d (163.4) Kamindu Mendis 182*, Dinesh Chandimal 116, Kusal Mendis 106*, Angelo Mathews 88, Glenn Phillips 3/141
New Zealand 88 (39.5) Mitchell Santner 29, Prabath Jayasuriya 6/42, Nishan Peiris 3/33 & 199/5 (f/o) (41) Devon Conway 61, Tom Blundell 47*, Kane Williamson 46, Glenn Phillips 32*, Nishan Peiris 3/91
Day 3 Stumps.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Tom Blundell b Tim Southee | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Dimuth Karunaratne | run out (Tom Latham) | 46 | 109 | 4 | 0 | 42.20 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | b Glenn Phillips | 116 | 208 | 15 | 0 | 55.77 |
| Angelo Mathews | c William O’Rourke b Glenn Phillips | 88 | 185 | 7 | 0 | 47.57 |
| Kamindu Mendis | not out | 182 | 250 | 16 | 4 | 72.80 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Tom Blundell b Glenn Phillips | 44 | 80 | 3 | 1 | 55.00 |
| Kusal Mendis | not out | 106 | 149 | 6 | 3 | 71.14 |
| Extras | 19 (b 6 , lb 8 , nb 2, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 602/5 (163.4 Overs, RR: 3.68) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Southee | 19 | 1 | 70 | 1 | 3.68 | |
| William O’Rourke | 17 | 1 | 81 | 0 | 4.76 | |
| Ajaz Patel | 41 | 5 | 135 | 0 | 3.29 | |
| Mitchell Santner | 33 | 5 | 82 | 0 | 2.48 | |
| Glenn Phillips | 38 | 4 | 141 | 3 | 3.71 | |
| Rachin Ravindra | 12.4 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 4.35 | |
| Daryl Mitchell | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 8.33 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Latham | c Pathum Nissanka b Asitha Fernando | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Devon Conway | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 9 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Kane Williamson | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 7 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 13.21 |
| Ajaz Patel | lbw b Nishan Peiris | 8 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 19.51 |
| Rachin Ravindra | b Nishan Peiris | 10 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Daryl Mitchell | c Angelo Mathews b Prabath Jayasuriya | 13 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 86.67 |
| Tom Blundell | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Glenn Phillips | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mitchell Santner | b Nishan Peiris | 29 | 51 | 4 | 1 | 56.86 |
| Tim Southee | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| William O’Rourke | not out | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 13.33 |
| Extras | 5 (b 5 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 0, pen 0) |
| Total | 88/10 (39.5 Overs, RR: 2.21) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2.00 | |
| Nishan Madushka | 17.5 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 1.89 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 18 | 6 | 42 | 6 | 2.33 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Latham | c Pathum Nissanka b Nishan Peiris | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Devon Conway | c Dinesh Chandimal b Dhananjaya de Silva | 61 | 62 | 10 | 1 | 98.39 |
| Kane Williamson | c Ramesh Mendis b Nishan Peiris | 46 | 58 | 4 | 0 | 79.31 |
| Rachin Ravindra | b Nishan Peiris | 12 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Daryl Mitchell | c Pathum Nissanka b Prabath Jayasuriya | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Tom Blundell | lbw b Nishan Peiris | 60 | 64 | 6 | 2 | 93.75 |
| Glenn Phillips | c Dimuth Karunaratne b Nishan Peiris | 78 | 99 | 6 | 3 | 78.79 |
| Mitchell Santner | st Kusal Mendis b Nishan Peiris | 67 | 115 | 6 | 3 | 58.26 |
| Tim Southee | b Prabath Jayasuriya | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Ajaz Patel | b Prabath Jayasuriya | 22 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 55.00 |
| William O’Rourke | not out | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 3 (b 0 , lb 2 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 360/10 (81.4 Overs, RR: 4.41) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan Peiris | 33.4 | 4 | 170 | 6 | 5.09 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 34 | 2 | 139 | 3 | 4.09 | |
| Asitha Fernando | 5 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 2.80 | |
| Milan Rathnayake | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3.50 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 7 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 4.00 | |
