Galle [Sri Lanka], September 29 (ANI): Following Sri Lanka’s victory over New Zealand in the second Test at Galle, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya praised his teammate Nishan Peiris for his outstanding performance in the second innings.
With a comprehensive victory by an innings and 154 runs in the final match of the series, Sri Lanka completed a 2-0 whitewash over the Kiwis.
Jayasuriya, who was named Player of the Series, took 18 wickets across four innings at an average of 21.39, making him the leading wicket-taker of the series.
Peiris, in his debut Test, claimed a five-wicket haul in the fourth inning. He took six wickets, including the scalps of Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner.
“He is very good. He bowled consistently in one line and length. Very positive for him. This was a bit harder than the previous Test. When the ball gets soft, the wicket also softens. We just tried to stick to the basics, and there was no need to panic. We aimed to bowl wicket to wicket and create pressure,” Jayasuriya said during the post-match presentation.
As for the match, Sri Lanka opted to bat first. Centuries from Dinesh Chandimal (116 off 208 balls, 15 fours), Kamindu Mendis (182 off 250 balls, 16 fours, and four sixes), and Kusal Mendis (106 off 49 balls, six fours, and three sixes) propelled Sri Lanka to a formidable 602/5 declared, batting for nearly two days.
Glenn Phillips (3/141) was the standout bowler for New Zealand.
In response, New Zealand’s batters struggled on a spin-friendly surface. Catches to skipper Dhananjaya de Silva came frequently as Sri Lanka’s bowlers consistently beat the bat. Mitchell Santner (29 off 51 balls, four boundaries, and a six) top-scored as New Zealand were bundled out for just 88 in 39.5 overs, with only two players managing to cross the 10-run mark.
Prabath Jayasuriya continued his impressive form at Galle, taking 6/42–his eighth five-wicket haul at the venue. Nishan Peiris also impressed with figures of 3/33 in his debut Test.
Sri Lanka led by 514 runs, the fifth-highest first-innings lead in Test cricket history.
New Zealand fared slightly better in their second innings. Devon Conway (61 off 62 balls, 10 fours, and a six) returned to form with a half-century, while Kane Williamson (46 off 58 balls, four boundaries) and Tom Blundell (47*) also contributed, finishing day three at 199/5, trailing by 315 runs.
On the fourth day, half-centuries from Blundell (60 off 64 balls, six fours, and two sixes), Phillips (78 off 99 balls, six fours, and three sixes), and Santner (67 off 115 balls, six fours, and three sixes) helped delay the inevitable. Phillips-Santner and Santner-Ajaz Patel (22) put together fifty partnerships, but New Zealand were eventually bowled out for 360, losing by an innings and 154 runs.
In the second innings, Peiris took six wickets, conceding 170 runs in 33.4 overs. Prabath Jayasuriya picked up three more wickets, while skipper Dhananjaya chipped in with one.
Kamindu Mendis was awarded the Player of the Match, while Prabath Jayasuriya took home the Player of the Series honour for his 18 wickets. (ANI)
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