Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis put together 129 runs for the 2nd wicket for Sri Lanka, before heavy rains forced an early end to play on day 3 of the 2nd Test against Ireland in Galle.
Earlier in the day, Dimuth Karunaratne made his fastest Test ton, reaching the mark in 116 deliveries as Sri Lanka continued to score at well over 4 runs an over. The left-hander was the dominant partner early on in the day, looking to take on the bowlers as Madushka took a few overs to get going.
The Sri Lankan skipper would be disappointed in himself, as he looked good to get another big ton but fell in the over before lunch playing a hook. Curtis Campher, who was brought on in the last half an hour before lunch, used the short ball to good effect, hitting Karunaratne right on the badge of his helmet earlier in the over, which seemed to shake the batter up a bit and brought about a lapse in concentration.
Nishan Madushka meanwhile delivered on his promise, bringing up his maiden Test ton with a six over mid-wicket off part-timer Harry Tector. The right-hander took some time to settle in, but played with flair in the latter part of the 1st session to race to his century just before the break.
He looked just as good post-lunch, except for an ill-judged late cut, which was put down by Andy Balbirnie at slip off the bowling of Andy McBrine. Madushka was on 131 at that point and closed out the day on 149.
Alongside Karunaratne, he became a part of the history books, putting together the highest opening stand for Sri Lanka in Galle – 228; the previous record was 193 between Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu.
Sri Lanka will be gutted by the loss of overs, which in total have amounted to 47, with 15 lost yesterday and 32 today. At the rate they were scoring today, they would have been looking at a 30-50-run lead by the end of the day’s play, giving them a chance of forcing a result on day 4 and 5, which is looking less likely now, particularly given how well the pitch has held up so far.
