Sri Lanka pulled off a historic Test series victory against New Zealand by defeating the Kiwis by an inning and 154 runs in the second Test match in Galle on Sunday. The hosts won the first Test match by 63 runs at the same venue. (Day 4 Blog | More Cricket News)
Day 4 started with Sri Lanka needing five wickets and New Zealand trailing by 315 runs in the match. The overnight batters Tom Blundell (60 off 64) and Glenn Phillips (78 off 99) batted well and added 95 runs for the sixth wicket.
Debutant Nishan Peiris broke the partnership with an LBW. He dismissed Phillips next to complete his maiden five-wicket haul. He finished the match with nine wickets.
Mitchell Santner fought hard and remained at the crease till last but only delayed the result of the match. His 67 off 115 balls was the second-best score for New Zealand in this Test. He also played a vital 29-run knock in the first inning.
Earlier, it was Kamindu Mendis who gained attention during the Sri Lankan inning when he made an unbeaten 182 to complete his 1000 Test runs in just 13 innings. He equalled Sir Don Bradman while achieving this feat. Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes (12 innings) hold the joint record for the fastest to reach 1000 Test runs.
It was his fifth Test ton in just the eighth Test match. He equalled another record of Sir Don Bradman to complete five Test hundreds in 13 innings. He also became the fastest Asian cricketer to reach the milestone. Earlier, Pakistan's Fawad Alam hold the record with 22 innings.
Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis also scored centuries but the buzz was more for Kamindu Mendis. Since his Test debut against Australia in 2022, Mendis has played eight Test matches so far and has made a fifty-plus score in all the matches. He is the first cricketer in Test cricket's 147-year existence to achieve this feat.
After declaring the first inning on 602/5, Sri Lanka bundled out the Black Caps to 88 runs in the first innings. Prabath Jayasuriya took six wickets and completed his ninth five-wicket haul in Test matches. Out of those nine, eight fifers came at Galle.
New Zealand were asked to bat again as they failed to avoid a follow-on. The Tim Southee-led Kiwi side started well but lost key wickets on the third day. Kane Williamson and Devon Conway got fine starts but they failed to convert them into big knocks.
Kamindu Mendis was given the Player of the Match and Prabath Jayasuriya won the Player of the Series award.
New Zealand will visit India next for a bilateral series consisting of three Test matches starting on 16 October 2024. Sri Lanka will host West Indies for a white-ball series starting on 13 October in Dambulla.
