The first day of the inaugural Test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium began with high expectations for the Sri Lankan team as they chose to bat first. However, their decision quickly backfired as they lost both opening batsmen early on, including the key player Pathum Nissanka, who could only manage to score 27 runs.
Sri Lanka's innings got off to a rocky start when their opener, Dimuth Karunaratne, was dismissed after scoring just 2 runs. Facing New Zealand's William O'Rourke, Karunaratne fell victim to a delivery that caught a thick edge and was easily caught by Blundell behind the stumps. Karunaratne's early exit set a concerning tone for Sri Lanka as they struggled to find their footing in the early overs.
The spotlight then shifted to Pathum Nissanka, Sri Lanka's dependable middle-order batsman who has been a pillar of their batting lineup in recent matches. Unfortunately, New Zealand's young pacer, O'Rourke, was in exceptional form, and in the sixth over of the match, he struck again, dismissing Nissanka with a superb yorker.
Nissanka's dismissal marked a pivotal moment in the game. Faced with a perfectly executed in-swinging yorker at 144 km/h, Nissanka tried to drive the ball but was outpaced. The ball crashed into the base of his middle stump, sending Nissanka back to the pavilion after scoring 27 runs off 25 deliveries.
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The 23-year-old has recorded figures of 3-51 in 14 overs. As of writing, Sri Lanka are placed at 198/5 after 62 overs of play on the opening day.
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