Mathews, Chandimal tons put SL in control of Afghanistan Test

COLOMBO: Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews put on a record 232-run fourth-wicket partnership Saturday to leave Sri Lanka in firm control on day two of their one-off Test against Afghanistan in Colombo.

Sri Lanka were leading by 212 runs with four wickets in hand at stumps, with Mathews sent back on the final ball for 141 and Sadeera Samarawickrama (21) still at the crease.

“We have three more days in the game,” veteran opener Dimuth Karunaratne told reporters.

“We were planning to bat out the day tomorrow and give everyone an opportunity.”

Chandimal (107) also notched up a century in a partnership that broke a record at the Sinhalese Sports Club that had stood for 32 years.

In 1992, Arjuna Ranatunga and Asanka Gurusinha put on 230 runs for the fourth wicket there in what is fondly remembered as the Shane Warne Test match, when the spin king helped Australia secure a thrilling 16-run win.

Mathews and Chandimal came together after three wickets had fallen in the morning session and Sri Lanka were still 50 runs behind.

The senior batsmen saw off some accurate bowling by the Afghan fast bowlers on a wicket that had flattened out to the detriment of spinners.

“They know how to handle situations,” Karunaratne said of the duo.

“They knew that once the spin comes it will be easy for batting. They did pretty well.”

Mathews was the first to the century, cutting Qais Ahmad past backward point for two runs. It was his 16th Test hundred.

His anticlimactic dismissal came when he smashed a full toss from Qais to the boundary but lost balance and crashed onto the stumps to be out hit wicket.