Sri Lanka Takes Lead with Kamindu’s Century and Kusal’s Fifty Sri Lanka Takes Lead with Kamindu’s Century and Kusal’s Fifty
Sri Lanka Takes Lead with Kamindu’s Century and Kusal’s Fifty

September 18, 2024

Sri Lanka Takes Lead with Kamindu’s Century and Kusal’s Fifty

Kamindu Mendis scored his fourth Test century, continuing his impressive start in Test cricket. Still, New Zealand fought back with some crucial late wickets on the first day in Galle.

Kamindu’s dismissal caught off his glove as the ball spitted from the rough outside the off stump would have particularly pleased the New Zealand team. However, this could give their left-handed batters some cause for concern on this tricky pitch.

His innings of 114 off 173 balls came during two critical partnerships: 72 runs with Angelo Mathews and 103 with Kusal Mendis. Throughout, New Zealand applied solid plans and played aggressively, preventing Sri Lanka from taking complete control of the match despite winning the toss and batting first on an unusually grassy surface.

Will O’Rourke stood out as the best bowler, taking three wickets, including both Sri Lankan openers within the first hour of play. Glenn Phillips also impressed as a spinner, finishing with figures of 2 for 52. Although Mitchell Santner didn’t take any wickets, it was more due to bad luck than a lack of effort.

At stumps, Ramesh Mendis was unbeaten on 14 off 42 balls, joined by Prabath Jayasuriya, but the day truly belonged to Kamindu. His partnership with Kusal Mendis, who scored 50 off 68 balls, provided the perfect support for Kamindu’s steady innings.

Kamindu Mendis Shines as Sri Lanka Stabilizes After Early Wickets

One missed opportunity by New Zealand—failing to catch a miscue from Kamindu when he was 21—could haunt them, especially since Kamindu rarely made mistakes and efficiently handled everything New Zealand threw at him.

A standout aspect of his innings was how effectively he used his feet against the spinners, preventing them from settling into a rhythm. This approach made his sweeps more strategic than frequent, allowing him to find gaps in the field and maintain a steady flow of runs.

Kamindu Mendis’s partnership with Angelo Mathews provided crucial stability for Sri Lanka after slipping to 106 for 4. Mathews struggled during his innings, scoring just 36 off 116 balls, which slowed down the scoring more than the hosts would have liked. However, when Mathews was dismissed, edging a ball from O’Rourke, it marked the beginning of Sri Lanka’s best phase of the day.

With the ball softening and Kamindu well settled, Kusal Mendis unleashed his natural aggression, putting pressure on a tiring New Zealand attack. Their partnership was eventually broken by a bizarre dismissal: Kusal pulled a loose delivery from Phillips, only for it to deflect off a fielder’s glove and loop to midwicket. Kusal was stunned, but Sri Lanka had built a strong position by then.

New Zealand had started the day strongly, with O’Rourke delivering an impressive opening spell full of pace and movement. He claimed the wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka. He even forced Mathews to retire hurt after a sharp delivery hit his forefinger. Fortunately, Mathews returned later to continue his innings.

After lunch, New Zealand’s persistence paid off as they took three more wickets. Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed early, caught sharply at midwicket, and Mathews fell just before tea. In between, Dhananjaya de Silva was bowled by a beautiful delivery from Phillips that slipped through bat and pad.

On another day, this might have meant a successful outing for New Zealand. Still, thanks to Kamindu’s efforts, Sri Lanka ended the day on a high note, taking the honors after a hard-fought opening day.

Ponting Named Head Coach of Punjab Kings

Ricky Ponting has been named the head coach of Punjab Kings (PBKS) starting from IPL 2025, just over two months after he departs from Delhi Capitals, where he spent seven years.

According to iplwin365, Ponting has signed a four-year contract with the franchise with multiple owners. He will have the final say on the remaining coaching staff. However, it’s unclear who from last year’s coaching team will stay on, which included Trevor Bayliss (head coach), Sanjay Bangar (head of cricket development), Charl Langeveldt (fast-bowling coach), and Sunil Joshi (spin-bowling coach).

“I am grateful to Punjab Kings for presenting me with the opportunity to be the new head coach,” Ponting said. “I am excited to take up the new challenge. I had great conversations with the owners and the management about the way forward. I was truly pleased to see the alignment of our visions for the team. We all want to repay the fans who have stayed with the franchise over the years, and we promise they will see a much different Punjab Kings going forward.”

Ricky Ponting will be the third head coach for Punjab Kings in four seasons, following a disappointing ninth-place finish in IPL 2024. The team hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2014, when it was runners-up. Ponting’s first task will be identifying players for retention as the franchises await the IPL’s final retention rules.

Punjab Kings Look to Retain Key Players Under New Coach Ricky Ponting

Critical performers for the Kings last season included Harshal Patel, who secured the purple cap for the second time, along with uncapped Indians Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. The squad also features left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, and legspinner Rahul Chahar. Additionally, they have a strong lineup of overseas players, including England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.

Ricky Ponting will be the third head coach for Punjab Kings in four seasons, following a disappointing ninth-place finish in IPL 2024. The team hasn’t qualified for the playoffs since 2014, when it was runners-up. Ponting’s first task will be identifying players for retention as the franchises await the IPL’s final retention rules.

Critical performers for the Kings last season included Harshal Patel, who secured the purple cap for the second time, along with uncapped Indians Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. The squad also features left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma, and legspinner Rahul Chahar. Additionally, they have a strong lineup of overseas players, including England’s Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, and South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada.


author
Katarzyna Nowak

Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for IPLWin365 (IPL365 News), she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.