Kamindu Mendis continued his outstanding form, scoring a magnificent 114 to propel Sri Lanka to 302-7 on the opening day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.
Choosing to bat first in the two-Test series, Sri Lanka found themselves in trouble at 106-4, but Kamindu's fourth Test century ensured the hosts surpassed the 300-run mark. Ramesh Mendis was unbeaten on 14 at stumps, with Prabath Jayasuriya yet to score at the other end at the Galle International Stadium.
Earlier, New Zealand speedster William O'Rourke (3-54) troubled the Sri Lankan top order with aggressive bowling. Dimuth Karunaratne (two) was undone by the extra bounce O'Rourke generated, while Pathum Nissanka (27) fell to a scorching yorker. Angelo Mathews (36) and Dinesh Chandimal (30) attempted to steady the ship but had to leave the field after Mathews injured his right index finger from an O'Rourke delivery. New Zealand captain Tim Southee dismissed Chandimal, and Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya de Silva (11) was caught out by Glenn Phillips on his second delivery.
Mathews returned to the crease only to be dismissed by O'Rourke just before tea. Kamindu, who entered the match with seven scores of 50 or more in 10 Test innings, was given a lifeline on 21 when Phillips dropped a catch at midwicket. The left-hander drove spinner Rachin Ravindra through cover to reach his century, earning a standing ovation from his teammates in the dressing room. He added 103 runs with Kusal Mendis, who made 50 before being dismissed in a bizarre manner in the final session.
Kusal pulled a half-tracker from Phillips straight into the body of Tom Latham at short-leg. The ball hit Latham's arm and lobbed up for Southee, positioned at midwicket, to dive forward and take the catch. Ajaz Patel ended Kamindu's impressive innings when the ball landed on footmarks and reared up. Kamindu, who had prepared for the cut shot, could only glove it to Daryl Mitchell, who moved across from slip to take the catch.
