2nd Test, Day 4: Madushka, Mendis double tons, Mathews century put Sri Lanka in commanding position

Galle, April 27 (IANS) Double centuries from Nishan Madushka and Kusal Mendis followed by a 15th Test hundred for Angelo Mathews saw Sri Lanka post 704/3 declared in 151 overs against Ireland on day four of the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on Thursday.

After taking a 212-run lead in the match, Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis took a wicket each to leave Ireland at 54/2 in 22 overs, trailing Sri Lanka by 158 runs, with just one day left in the match.

Resuming from 357/1 after rain forced early stumps on day three, Madushka and Mendis piled on Ireland's misery, putting on a 268-run partnership. In hot conditions, the Ireland bowlers searched in vain for a breakthrough in the morning session, with mistakes from the Sri Lanka batters few and far between.

Madushka converted his maiden Test ton to a double shortly before lunch while Mendis made his first double hundred too later in the day. The breakthrough for Ireland came right before the second new ball was taken when Andy McBrine had Madushka trapped lbw for 205.

Mathews had scored just 12 from his first 31 balls before unleashing a lofted shot down the ground for four off the bowling of Curtis Campher. Campher's next over saw Kusal step up his aggression too, hitting three fours and a six in the over.

That maximum, the ninth of his innings, broke Kumar Sangakkara's record for most sixes in an innings for Sri Lanka. By the time Graham Hume removed Kusal, the batter had hit 11 sixes, the joint-second most by a batter in Test innings.

A good catch on the long-on boundary by Matthew Humphreys completed the dismissal, which was Hume's maiden Test wicket as Kusal departed with 245 runs off 291 balls. Dinesh Chandimal came out looking to keep the momentum going for the hosts, but his innings ended prematurely when he injured his shoulder while diving to make his ground.

Sri Lanka finally declared their innings immediately after Mathews reached his century, with the score reading 704/3, and a first-innings lead of 212. Mathews' unbeaten 100 came from 114 balls with six fours and four sixes.

It meant that each of Sri Lanka's top four had made a hundred in the innings, only the third such instance in Test history. It was first achieved in 2007 by India against Bangladesh in Mirpur when Dinesh Karthik, Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar made hundreds.

Pakistan repeated the feat in 2019 against Sri Lanka in Karachi to turn a Test on its head. Bowled out for 191 in the first innings and conceded a lead, Pakistan came back into the Test in the third innings with a massive total of 555/3 declared, as Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam made centuries.

Left with 22 overs to face in the day, Ireland lost an early wicket as bounce and turn from Ramesh saw the ball deflect off the gloves of James McCollum onto the stumps as the opener tried to defend.

PJ Moor looked to follow suit with Sri Lanka's batters by taking the attack to the bowlers and slammed a six apiece off the bowling of Ramesh and Jayasuriya, but the latter struck back to remove him for 19. Andrew Balbirnie and Harry Tector safely made it to the end of the day's play without any further damage, leaving the Test interestingly poised.

Brief Scores: Ireland 492 and 54/2 in 22 overs (PJ Moor 19; Prabath Jayasuriya 1-28) trail Sri Lanka 704-3 declared in 151 overs (Kusal Mendis 245, Nishan Madushka 205; Graham Hume 1-87) by 158 runs

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