A 22-member Test squad is currently practising at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium targeting the upcoming tour of South Africa which will be held in late December. A 2-day practice match commenced yesterday between Dimuth Karunratne’s XI and Dinesh Chandimal’s XI,
in the bio-secure environment.
At the end of first day of the match, Dinesh Chandimal’s XI racked up 318 runs thanks to a brilliant century from Kusal Mendis.
Dimuth Karunaratne’s XI started their innings today with the openers Minod Bhanuka and Captain Karunaratne himself opening the innings but Bhanuka did not last at the middle courtesy of Suranga Lakmal’s bowling.
Read: Mendis smashes a century in the practice match
Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne then steadied the innings with half-centuries each before retiring out to keep the other batsmen busy. Both players scored at ease at a healthy strike rate – Karunaratne 78 off 94 balls and Thirimanne 62 off 88 balls.
Middle order batsman Dhananajaya de Silva too made a significant contribution with his unbeaten 43, before the game was ended on a draw.
Suranga Lakmal was the star for bowling side as he picked up 2 wickets out of the 3 fallen in the innings.
Also Read: Sri Lanka to take 22 players to South Africa
The Sri Lanka squad is set to leave the country for the South Africa Test series right after the conclusion of the Lanka Premier League, which will be closing up on 16th December. The Sri Lanka squad is also scheduled to play a 2-day practice match after arriving on South Africa.
Stay logged in on ThePapare.com for the updates, news, videos and photos in Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa in December/January.
Brief Scores
Dinesh Chandimal’s XI – 318/10 (68.2) | K Mendis 100 (Rtd), S Gunathilake 58 (Rtd), D Chandimal 57, D Perera – 3 wkts, D Chameera 2 wkts, Kasun Rajitha 2 wkts
Dimuth Karunaratne’s XI – 231/5 (52) | D Karunaratne 78 (Rtd), Lahiru Thirimanne 62 (Rtd), D de Silva 43*, S Lakmal 2 wkts
