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Sport Nation
Resilient Sri Lanka lay down the challenge to Australia
Andrew Slevison • February 7th, 2025 9:38 am
Sri Lanka batted for the entire first day of the second Test against Australia in Galle, setting the scene for a much more competitive contest.
The home side showed resilience to work their way to 9/229 at stumps in an arm wrestle of an opening day which ebbed and flowed in the fortified coastal city.
Sri Lanka had the better of the Aussies in the first session at 1/87, before the tourists hit back hard in the second session with 4/57 (5/144 overall), but the home side edged their way over 200 which has lay down the challenge.
SEN Cricket’s Tom Morris noted that the Sri Lankan side has been able to show much more competitiveness than they did on Day 1 of the first Test which was already basically lost by this point.
He believes the pitch will begin to deteriorate quickly which could make it a tough task for Australia’s batters in response.
“This time in the last Test Australia was running away with the game,” he said.
“At the moment you’d say the Australians are ahead given Sri Lanka are 9/229 but they’re not out of it, the Sri Lankans. They can still bowl well and then bat well in the second innings, and then hope that the pitch breaks up.
“If it does break up it’s going to be hard for the Australians to chase.”
Bryce McGain feels that Sri Lanka’s first innings total of at least 229 is enough to make things challenging for the Aussies.
“They showed quite a considerable amount of resilience in the end,” he said.
“I get a sense that 229 on a first innings here is valuable. It’s going to be very challenging for the Australian batters.
“They have strengthened the batting, of course with the debutant in Cooper Connolly coming in at eight, so they bat all the way down.
“Both teams have stocked their batting a bit more. It’s worked for Sri Lanka so we’ll see if it pays off for Australia.”
Dinesh Chandimal was the star with the bat for Sri Lanka, making 74 and forming a 70-run partnership with Dimuth Kuraratne who contributed 36 in his 100th and final Test.
Kusal Mendis was resilient in the second half of the day and remains unbeaten on 59. He and namesake Ramesh Mendis (28) put on 65 together for the seventh wicket.
Australia’s most damaging bowlers on Day 1 were Mitch Starc (3/37), Nathan Lyon (3/78) and Matt Kuhnemann (2/53).
Day 2 will resume at 3:30pm AEDT with Kusal and Lahiru Kumara at the crease.
Listen to all of the action LIVE from Galle on SEN Cricket from 2pm with Morris and Bharat Sundaresan on The New Ball.
