Galle: Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said the 63-win against New Zealand in the first Test in Galle on Monday shows that they have the ability to beat any opponent in the red-ball format if players contribute in the match.
It was Sri Lanka’s second consecutive Test win following a previous eight-wicket victory against England at the Oval earlier this month. However, they lost the series 2-1 against England but snatched a consolation win in the final Test of the tour.
De Silva credited the Oval win for boosting their morale and reigniting their belief in winning matches.
“The win in England boosted our morale, we’ve the ability to win Tests and the boys are delivering now,” he said in the post-match presentation.
Sri Lanka bowled well in the final innings of the match to all out Kiwis for 211 in chase of 275 as Prabath Jayasuriya scalped a fifer while Ramesh Mendis grabbed three dismissals.
The home captain also lauded the 152-run second-wicket partnership between Dimuth Karunaratne (83) and Dinesh Chandimal(61) to set the tone for 309 in the second innings. However, the captain feels that they have room for improvement in the lower-order batting and bowling.
“Big partnerships always help win Tests in Galle (on the partnership between Karunaratne and Chandimal in the second innings), but we can improve in both our batting and bowling. We were talking about our lower order batting, stats tell that we’ve the lowest average and that’s something we can work on. I wasn’t expecting to bowl, but Ramesh (Mendis) wasn’t at his best and I think I have the ability to take wickets, something I can use for the sake of the team,” he said.
The second and final Test of the series will be played at the same venue from Thursday, September 26.
–IANS
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