Galle, Sep 26 (FN Bureau) Dinesh Chandimal’s century (116) headlined Sri Lanka’s dominance against New Zealand on Day 1 of the second Test in Galle.Angelo Mathews (78) and Kamindu Mendis (51) notched up half-centuries, while Dimuth Karunaratne (46) provided a handy contribution as Sri Lanka ended the first day on 306 for 3.Sri Lanka built two key partnerships, with Karunaratne and Chandimal forging a 122-run stand at the top. New Zealand managed to pick up only one wicket in each session, despite the pitch appearing dry early on.Fielding errors compounded their issues, with three dropped catches off William O’Rourke’s bowling and a missed stumping by Tom Blundell.Post Tea, Sri Lanka accelerated, with Matthews and Chandimal targeting Ajaz Patel. Chandimal eventually fell to Glenn Phillips after missing a heave across the line, bringing the in-form Kamindu Mendis to the crease. Mendis quickly found his rhythm, notching boundaries off Tim Southee.
New Zealand took the second new ball, but Sri Lanka continued their attacking approach. Daryl Mitchell dropped his second catch of the day, spilling Mendis at slip, and Tom Latham followed by dropping Matthews.Kamindu Mendis took advantage, hammering Ajaz for two boundaries and a six before reverse-sweeping Mitchell Santner to bring up his fifty.Earlier, Pathum Nissanka fell early, caught behind off a new-ball delivery. Chandimal and Karunaratne brought up a century partnership before Karunaratne was run out for 46 after a mix-up with Chandimal. Chandimal went on to dominate the afternoon, reaching his 16th Test ton, while Matthews survived a caught-behind call after O’Rourke overstepped.Brief Scores:Sri Lanka 306/3 (Dinesh Chandimal 116, Angelo Mathews 78*; Glenn Phillips 1-33) vs New Zealand.