Ireland’s Curtis Campher celebrates with Andrew McBrine (L) after scoring a century through the second day of the second and closing Test match between Sri Lanka and Ireland on the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka on April 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Ireland took full benefit of ideally suited batting circumstances and a drained Sri Lankan bowling assault to pile up 492 all out earlier than the hosts responded by reaching 81-0 at stumps on day two of the second Test on Tuesday (April 25).
Nishan Madushka was unbeaten on 41 in solely his third take a look at 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 dangerous mild and rain.
Earlier, Ireland reached its highest Test score by a distance, surpassing their earlier finest of 339 in opposition to Pakistan in 1998 in Dublin.
The Sri Lankan bowling seemed uninspired for one of the best half 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 quick 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 underneath scorching warmth in Galle.
Having hit 9 boundaries and 4 sixes in his 181-ball innings, he was trying to go for one more most over effective leg boundary however fell for the quick 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 Fernando earlier than Campher grew to become one of Prabath Jayasuriya’s 5 scalps within the match. He was brilliantly caught by a diving Dhananjaya de Silva at slips as Ireland misplaced their 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 5-174 in a marathon 58.3-over spell. Seamers Vishawa Fernando and Asitha Fernando claimed two wickets apiece.
