Ireland took full benefit of preferrred batting circumstances and a drained Sri Lankan bowling assault to pile up 492 all out earlier than the host responded by reaching 81 for no loss at Stumps on day two of the second check on Tuesday.
Nishan Madushka was unbeaten on 41 in solely his third Test match, and Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Kurunaratne remained not out on 39 when play was suspended half-hour earlier than the scheduled shut attributable to unhealthy mild and rain.
Earlier, Ireland reached its highest Test rating by a distance, surpassing its earlier better of 339 in opposition to Pakistan in 1998 in Dublin.
The Sri Lankan bowling regarded uninspired for the very best a part of the day and was despatched on a leather-based hunt by Paul Stirling (103) and Curtis Campher (111) who scored their maiden centuries.
They joined Kevin O’Brien and Lorcan Tucker as Irish Test centurions within the nation’s brief Test cricket historical past.
Although they misplaced Tucker for 80 early within the day, bowled by Vishwa Fernando, the Irish counter-attack continued with Stirling and Campher dominating the morning session. Stirling then fell quickly after hitting his ton, half an hour earlier than lunch break.
Stirling had resumed his innings on 74, having retired out on day one following a cramp. He hit a six over level off seamer Asitha Fernando to deliver up his century below scorching warmth in Galle.
Having hit 9 boundaries and 4 sixes in his 181-ball innings, he was trying to go for an additional most over the fine-leg boundary however fell for the brief ball, hitting Asitha Fernando straight to Dhananjaya de Silva on the boundary. Stirling and Campher shared a partnership of 64 for the sixth wicket and Ireland took lunch at 399 for six.
Campher and Andy McBrine additional compounded Sri Lanka’s distress by including 89 for the seventh wicket. McBrine departed for 35, caught by Dushan Hemantha off Vishwa earlier than Campher turned one among Prabath Jayasuriya’s 5 scalps within the match. He was brilliantly caught by a diving Dhananjaya at slips as Ireland misplaced its eighth wicket on 476.
Campher’s inning lasted over 5 hours and had 15 boundaries and two sixes. Jayasuriya is now simply two wickets away from turning into the quickest to 50 Test wickets. He is enjoying his seventh match and claimed 5 for 174 in a marathon 58.3-over spell. Seamers Vishwa and Asitha claimed two wickets apiece.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com