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Dilshan (123 n.o.) helps Lanka declare at 259-4

Dashing opener Tilleratne Dilshan hammered a blazing century as Sri Lanka took a huge step closer towards winning the opening cricket Test match against the visiting New Zealand team at the Galle International Stadium yesterday.

Dilshan powered his way to score an unbeaten 123 runs which enabled the home side to declare their second innings at 259 for 4 by tea on the fourth day while setting their opponents an imposing victory target of 412 runs to be made from four sessions.

New Zealand of course suffered an early setback in their attempt to survive but Mark Guptil and Ross Taylor saw them through the rest of the evening before reaching 30 for 1 when bad light halted play at 5.00 p.m. with 13 overs still remaining.

This was a repeat performance from Dilshan who also made a swashbuckling 92 in the first innings after been promoted to open the innings for the first time in a test match. This time the situation was tailor made for him as Sri Lanka had earlier built up a lead of 153 runs by dismissing the visitors for 299 in the first innings.

The aggressive right hander simply carried on from where he left on the opening day of the match by unleashing a series of strokes that completely took the game away from the Kiwis. Dilshan also joined a select band of players to have made a century and a ninety in a test match for his country.

Earlier Duleep Mendis scored 111 and 94 against England at Lords in 1984, Aravinda de Silva made 96 and 123 against New Zealand in Auckland in 1991 and Kumar Sangakkara had the satisfaction of compiling 92 and 152 against England at the Asgiriya Stadium in 2007.

Even then Dilshan will be quite disappointed for been dismissed for 92 in the first innings because he could have ended up with twin centuries in this match easily.

Nevertheless this was a fantastic batting performance from a dynamic player who seems to have cemented his place as the opening batsman of the Sri Lankan team.

Once he had seen the opening he simply launched into the New Zealand attack with a vengeance and raced to his ninth test century from 115 deliveries inclusive of one six and nine boundaries.

He went on to add three more fours to his tally and was associated in an unfinished fifth wicket stand of 54 runs from just 45 deliveries with Prasanna Jayawardena.

But it was the 101 runs second wicket partnership between skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne Dislahn that really set the pace for Sri Lanka’s impressive second innings total.

This pair went about their task in a professional manner and consolidated the position after losing Tharanga Paranavithana quite early.

Left hander Sangakkara certainly made amends for his first innings failure by scoring a 65 ball 46 with the help of seven boundaries. Former captain Mahela Jayawardena joined Dilshan and the pair put on a further 54 runs for the third wicket in 52 minutes before Thilan Samaraweera added the finishing touches in a spectacular manner.

The elegant middle order batsman nearly set the Stadium ablaze with a 15 ball 20 inclusive of two massive sixes in one over off Jeetan Patel and another boundary. Earlier New Zealand extended their first innings to a further 11 overs before been dismissed for 299 runs.

Muttiah Muralitharan added one more to his tally and completed 100 wickets at the Galle International Stadium having performed the same feat at two other venues namely the SSC grounds (160 wickets) and at the Asgiriya Stadium (117 wickets).

Galle, Friday.

SRI LANKA
1ST INNINGS 452
NEW ZEALAND
1ST INNINGS
(overnight 281-8)
J. Oram c sub b Muralitharan			12
D. Vettori b Thushara				42
I. O’Brien c P. Jayawardene b Muralitharan	 9
C. Martin not out				 2
Extras: (b6, lb5, w1, nb11)			23
Total (all out, 116 overs)			299
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-80, 3-129, 4-180, 5-188, 6-195, 7-223, 8-259, 9-290, 10-299.
Bowling: Kulasekara 10-2-41-1 (nb1), Thushara 23-2-81-4 (nb6, w1), 
Mendis 39-8-85-1 (nb4), Muralitharan 42-10-73-4, Paranavitana 2-0-8-0.

SRI LANKA
2nd innings
T. Paranavitana c Taylor b O’Brien	 5
T. Dilshan not out			123
K. Sangakkara run out			46
M. Jayawardene c and b Patel		27
T. Samaraweera c Taylor b Vettori	20
P. Jayawardene not out			30
Extras: (b5, lb3)			 8
Total (for 4 wkts decl,49 overs)	259
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-120, 3-174, 4-205.
Bowling: Martin 5-1-25-0, O’Brien 8-1-45-1, Oram 5-0-31-0, Vettori 19-3-81-1, Patel 12-0-69-1.

NEW ZEALAND
2ND INNINGS
M. Guptill not out				17
D. Flynn c M. Jayawardene b Kulasekara		 0
R. Taylor not out				 8
Extras: (b4, lb1)				 5
Total (for one wkt, 13 overs)			30
Fall of wicket: 1-1 (Flynn).
Bowling: Kulasekara 3-0-10-1, Thushara 2-2-0-0, Mendis 4-1-9-0, Muralitharan 4-2-6-0.
 

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