Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Only Test Highlights: Sri Lanka will look to continue their dominance when they take the field on the third day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Colombo. The hosts had a blast on the second day of the game with the veteran duo of Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Matthews stitching a record 232-run fourth-wicket partnership to leave Sri Lanka in firm control. Sri Lanka were leading by 212 runs with four wickets in hand at stumps, with Mathews sent back on the final ball for 141.
Chandimal (107) also notched up a century in a partnership that broke a record at the Sinhalese Sports Club that had stood for 32 years.
In 1992, Arjuna Ranatunga and Asanka Gurusinha put on 230 runs for the fourth wicket there in what is fondly remembered as the Shane Warne Test match, when the spin king helped Australia secure a thrilling 16-run win. Mathews and Chandimal came together after three wickets had fallen in the morning session and Sri Lanka were still 50 runs behind.
Chandimal got to his 15th Test hundred off Nijat Masood, clipping one past mid-on to the boundary. Naveed Zadran was rewarded for his discipline when Chandimal was caught behind as Afghanistan found a breakthrough after 62 overs.
New captain Dhananjaya de Silva got off to the worst possible start on the next ball when he was run out. He pushed one to mid-off and was trying to get off the mark, but Mathews was ball-watching and Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi threw down the stumps at the striker’s end to find de Silva well short of the crease.
Afghanistan took three wickets before lunch on the second day after Sri Lanka resumed on 80 without loss.
Nishan Madushka was the first to depart for 37 after hitting straight to Noor Ali Zadran at leg-slip off debutant Zadran. Fellow opener Karunaratne posted his 35th Test half-century in an aggressive knock that saw 12 boundaries off 72 balls.
Earlier, Afghanistan were bowled out for 198 in the final session of Friday’s first day, after being put into bat by the hosts.
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