By Srian Obeyesekere
Dinesh Chandimal stood firm in virtual lone battle on a fighting 63 as Australia dealt Sri Lanka two harsh blows grabbing the crucial wickets of Kamindu Mendis for 15, adding just two runs to his overnight 13, and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva for 22, both by rash batting in throwing caution to the wind and throwing their wickets by poor strokes on a surface beginning to wear off before the rains came down just before lunch that prevented any further play on the third day of the first test match at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The much talked of Kamindu Mendis, fresh from being adjudged the ICCs Emerging Player of the Year 2024 following an explosive run to becoming the fastest batsman to 1000 test runs and standing in the exalted hall of fame next to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, however, did not live up to those standings in a continued lean period since the tour of New Zealand (except for a fifty) falling to the leg side bait of a Mitchell Starc fishing at an away delivery with the score 67 after 5.3 overs on resumption on the day.
For Mendis, whose survival was crucial to Sri Lanka saving the match, dwarfed by Australia’s 654, it was certainly not the way forward as much as skipper Dhananjaya de Silva well beaten in simply dancing down the wicket to left arm off spinner Matthew Kuhnemann to being stumped by Alex Carey.
Dhananjaya de Silva’s dismissal reduced Sri Lanka to 5 for 107 as what had looked like a blossoming partnership thus ended having realised 40 runs.
In that rut Dinesh Chandimal, once unwanted by selector after selector when his career was threatened after being cold shouldered from the ODI world Cup stage as well as from test duty to nearly calling it a day, but survived that acrimony by sheer grit, bravely carried the fight to defying the Aussie attack targeting particularly Nathan Lyon with some sweet boundaries. His one lapse was surviving a catch at first slip that flew past Steve Smith’s left hand.
His unfinished 63 facing 115 balls filled with 9 boundaries was a 2022 flashback to his match winning unbeaten 206 against the Aussies. With him was Kusal Mendis on 10 off 25 with one six.
Chief Scores
Australia 654/6 decl.
(Usman Khawaja 232, Steve Smith 141, Josh Inglis 104, Prabath Jayasuriya 3/193, Jeffrey Vandersay 3/182)
Sri Lanka 136/5 (42 Overs)
(Dinesh Chandimal n.o. 63, Dhananjaya de Silva 22, Kamindu Mendis 15, Kusal Mendis n.o. 10, Mitchell Starc 2/13, Matthew Kuhnemann 2/48, Nathan Lyon 1/43)