Sri Lanka lost opener Pathum Nissanka in the opening over but recovered and was 102 for one at lunch on Thursday's opening day of the second Test against New Zealand. (More Cricket News)
Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand 2nd Test, Day 1: SL Recover After Early Loss To Reach 102/1 At Lunch
Following defeat in the opening Test, New Zealand slipped from third to fourth in the WTC rankings. A win in the second Test would allow the Kiwis to reclaim third spot
Dinesh Chandimal, promoted to No. 3 from his usual position at five, scored his second half-century in the series. He remained unbeaten on 60 at lunch, having struck nine boundaries off 99 balls.
Chandimal was involved in a crucial partnership of 100 runs for the second wicket with Dimuth Karunaratne, who was not out on 40.
This partnership helped consolidate Sri Lanka's position after it won the toss as it aims for a first series win against New Zealand since 2009. Sri Lanka leads the two-match series 1-0 after winning the opening Test by 63 runs.
Chandimal took a nasty blow to his helmet from William O'Rourke but continued without trouble.
Currently placed third in the World Test Championship, Sri Lanka will be looking to strengthen its standing with a win. Galle has been a friendly venue for Sri Lanka, where the home side has won 25 of the 43 matches played.
Sri Lanka made two changes from its win in the first test, also at Galle, with all-rounder Milan Rathnayake coming in for fast bowler Lahiru Kumara and Nishan Peiris replacing Ramesh Mendis.
Peiris was making his Test debut, while Ratnayake was recalled for his all-round abilities.
New Zealand retained an unchanged lineup as it bids to continue an unbeaten streak in the last six Test series against Sri Lanka.
Following defeat in the opening Test, New Zealand slipped from third to fourth in the WTC rankings. A win in the second Test would allow the Kiwis to reclaim third spot.
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