Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scored undefeated fifties to lift Sri Lanka to 262 for three against New Zealand at stumps on the first day of the second Test yesterday.
The pair shared an unbroken 147-run fourth-wicket partnership to leave Sri Lanka with a solid first innings platform on a dry pitch.
Jayawardene batted the longest, facing 210 balls for his workmanlike 79, an innings of patient accumulation that included just seven boundaries.
PHOTO: AP
Samaraweera was left unbeaten on 78 from 139 balls having hit 10 boundaries by the close.
Earlier, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori became the first left-arm spinner and second New Zealander after Richard Hadlee to take 300 Test wickets.
Vettori passed the milestone when he dismissed Tharanga Paranavitana (19) and Kumar Sangakkara (50) either side of lunch.
The left-arm spinner was New Zealand’s best bowler, finishing the day with two for 65 from 30 overs.
New Zealand’s bowlers showed greater discipline than in the first Test.
Sri Lanka had to graft for runs and scored only 146 in the first 56 overs in the morning and afternoon before Jayawardene and Samaraweera raised the tempo in the final session.
The only casualty for the hosts during a truncated 90-minute morning session was opener Paranavitana, who was caught by Ross Taylor in the slips off Vettori.
After the lunch interval, Tillakaratne Dilshan was caught and bowled by Iain O’Brien off a leading edge for 29.
Sangakkara stroked a stylish 50 from 96 balls with nine boundaries before mistiming a slog sweep and being caught at mid-wicket off Vettori.
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