It’s the difference in the sides’ performances in the field that has created the gulf between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle
Madushka Balasuriya28-Sep-2024Where New Zealand succumbed, Sri Lanka soared. Nowhere was this more true than in the field. Sure, you can wax lyrical about Kamindu Mendis – sorry, we need to mention him as often as we can now – and go on about Prabath Jayasuriya’s latest big haul in Galle. But the reality is that the difference in this game has by and large been because of the sides’ performance in the field.We have already talked about New Zealand’s fielding mishaps across this second Test, with batting coach Luke Ronchi unable to reflect on Sri Lanka’s dominance on day two without harking back to the missed opportunities of the opening day.But it was only on day three that those errors were broadcast in a genuinely cold, harsh light.Related
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Dhananjaya de Silva’s catalogue of catches alone might be enough to put New Zealand’s efforts to shame. Low near the ankles? Check. Plucked overhead? Check. Caught on the rebound? Check. Swiftly by his side? Done. So effective was his catching that it was almost contagious, as Pathum Nissanka later grabbed two smart chances at short leg, not to mention Dinesh Chandimal’s excellent running grab over his shoulder.”I thought it was just one of those days where they caught very well,” Tom Blundell offered at the end of Saturday’s play. “I thought the way that they caught and the way that they fielded was pretty outstanding most of the time.”To compound matters, New Zealand decided to put their own bizarro spin on things. Within 105 minutes on Saturday morning, any faint hopes of rescuing a result almost entirely evaporated as New Zealand, for all intents and purposes, lost the plot.
“We went into that first innings with the same mindset [as in the second innings] as a batting unit. It just didn’t really work out, I guess”Tom Blundell
While batting in Galle day three onwards is usually not the most straightforward affair, the extent of New Zealand’s capitulation was startling. Their 88 all out was the fourth-lowest total at the ground and the second-lowest by a side in the second innings in Galle. It was also New Zealand’s 19th-lowest Test total ever, but the innings deficit of 514 was only second to the 570 they conceded to Pakistan 22 years ago.Such was the extent of the trauma, you wouldn’t be surprised to learn of some of their batters falling into the black hole, finding the fourth dimension cube, screaming into the void but in vain, as the growing helplessness of the inevitable outcome slowly engulfs them. Think Matthew McConaughey in but tears.Batter after batter after batter poked, prodded, and edged, time and again. You might as well have removed the scoreboard entirely and just replaced it with a neon sign broadcasting “c de Silva b Jayasuriya”. Five times that happened over the course of the innings, the joint-highest for a bowler-fielder pairing in a Test innings.Kane Williamson and Devon Conway gave us a glimpse of what could have been for New Zealand•AFP/Getty Images”Obviously the first innings wasn’t ideal,” Blundell said. “You know, things happen pretty quickly over here and if you look at the Sri Lankan outfit, they’re a very good team. The way their spinners operate, they’re very good in their conditions.”We went into that first innings with the same mindset as a batting unit. It just didn’t really work out, I guess.”Not only did it not work out, so insufficient was New Zealand’s effort, that in the end it was No. 9 Mitchell Santner, with a 51-ball 29, that offered the most resistance. His stand of 20 with last man Will O’Rourke was the highest of the innings.At this point, those that had driven down to Galle to enjoy a weekend of Test cricket were already planning out their newly freed-up Sundays. That was until New Zealand finally woke up. A 97-run second-wicket stand between Kane Williamson and Devon Conway, off just 108 deliveries, headlined New Zealand’s second offering and you might just about have a glimpse into what might have been.Sure, they lost wickets in a clump after that too, but a yet-to-be-dislodged partnership of 78 off 84 deliveries between Blundell and Glenn Phillips lends even more credence to this one simple fact: New Zealand are better than this, it’s just a shame we haven’t been privy to it.
