Sri Lanka’s All-Round Dominance Crushes New Zealand by an Innings and 154 Runs to Seal 2-0 Series Victory.
The Black Caps’ tour of Sri Lanka, consisting of two Test matches, concluded with a resounding 2-0 series win for Sri Lanka.
After winning the first Test and taking a lead in the series, Sri Lanka showcased their all-round prowess in the second match, overpowering New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs.
Match Details
The second Test match was held from September 26th to 29th at the Galle International Stadium, where Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sri Lanka Innings
Sri Lanka’s innings began with Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne opening the batting. However, Pathum fell early in the first over to Tim Southee.
Dinesh Chandimal then joined Dimuth at the crease, and together they built a short partnership. Chandimal looked in fine form, completing his half-century, but Dimuth was run out.
Angelo Mathews entered and formed a steady partnership with Chandimal, who reached a well-deserved century before Glenn Phillips dismissed him.
Angelo, meanwhile, completed his half-century and received strong support from Kamindu Mendis, who also crossed the 50-run mark.
Phillips provided New Zealand with another breakthrough, removing Angelo, but Kamindu carried on. He reached his century and then extended it to 150, while Dhananjaya de Silva chipped in with a few runs before being dismissed by Phillips.
Kusal Mendis joined Kamindu, and both continued to pile on the runs.
Kusal reached his half-century and later celebrated a brilliant century.
Their knocks, along with contributions from other batters, helped Sri Lanka post a big total of 602 runs before declaring their innings.
New Zealand’s First Innings
Tom Latham and Devon Conway opened the innings for New Zealand, but their start was shaky as Fernando struck early, dismissing Latham in the first over.
From there, Sri Lanka’s spinners Nishan Peiris and Prabath Jayasuriya took control.
Both bowlers regularly picked up wickets, dismantling New Zealand’s batting lineup. Prabath completed a five-wicket haul, while Nishan also contributed significantly as they bowled out New Zealand for just 88 runs.
New Zealand’s Second Inning
Following on, New Zealand’s struggles continued. Tom Latham again fell in the first over, but Devon Conway and Kane Williamson put together a brief partnership.
Despite small contributions from several batsmen, New Zealand could only muster a total of 360 runs before being bowled out.
Nishan Peiris claimed another five-wicket haul, and Prabath Jayasuriya took three wickets to complete Sri Lanka’s dominant bowling performance.
Sri Lanka won the match by an innings and 154 runs, sealing a comprehensive 2-0 series victory over New Zealand.
A thumping win for Sri Lanka in Galle 💪#WTC25 | #SLvNZ 📝: https://t.co/MBQXWEOCeW pic.twitter.com/Uo6TmIdocc
— ICC (@ICC) September 29, 2024