Karunaratne and K Mendis hundreds drive Sri Lanka on day 1
On day one of the Test match, Sri Lanka took control with a dominant performance, led by Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis who formed a partnership of 281 runs for the second wicket. The pair batted comfortably and scored runs quickly, hitting 33 fours and a six. Sri Lanka finished the day at 386 for 4, with plenty of batting left to come.
Ireland, who lost the toss and only took one wicket in the first session, struggled in the hot conditions. While their bowlers tried their best, legspinner Ben White and left-arm spinner George Dockrell were expensive, although Dockrell did manage to break the partnership by getting Mendis out lbw. Mark Adair claimed the wicket of Karunaratne with the second new ball.
Offspinner Andy McBrine was the most effective of the Irish bowlers, bowling 27 overs and conceding 107 runs. Although he started poorly, he recovered well and frequently picked up singles as the Irish team relaxed their fields. The spinners bowled the majority of Ireland’s overs on the first day.
Sri Lanka vs Ireland Highlights today, Sunday 16-4-2023. 1st Test, Ireland tour of Sri Lanka 2023, Galle International Stadium.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat! Sri Lanka team: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kusal Mendis 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis 9 Prabath Jayasuriya 10 Vishwa Fernando 11 Asitha Fernando Ireland team: 1 Murray Commins, 2 James McCollum, 3 Andy Balbirnie (c), 4 Harry Tector, 5 PJ Moor, 6 Curtis Campher, 7 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 8 Mark Adair, 9 Andy McBrine, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Ben White
Head to Head In Test’s: 0 Sri Lanka Won: 0 Ireland Won: 0 Sri Lanka Test Rankings: 7th Ireland Test Rankings: 12th
Form guide (last five completed Tests, most recent first) Sri Lanka LLWLW Ireland LLLL
Match Timings: 4:30 AM | 10:00 AM Local Umpires – Adrian Holdstock, Kumar Dharmasena TV Umpire – Paul Reiffel Match Referee – Javagal Srinath Reserve Umpire – Prageeth Rambukwella Match number – Test no. 2502
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