Former captain Dinesh Chandimal said Sri Lanka had exceeded their expectations by scoring 340/6 on the first day of the first Test against ...
Former captain Dinesh Chandimal said Sri Lanka had exceeded their expectations by scoring 340/6 on the first day of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on Saturday.
Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva were mainly responsible for putting the tourists in a strong position, scoring 85 and 79 respectively – but De Silva had to retire hurt after what appeared to be a hip injury which could keep him out of the rest of the match.
“To be honest we were thinking 280-plus would be a good first innings score so this is surprising everyone in our team,” said Chandimal.
“As a team we have got great confidence after today’s play. We are looking forward to put them under pressure tomorrow if we can score another 30 or 40 runs.”
Chandimal said a chat with former South African batting great Hashim Amla on his previous visit to South Africa in 2016 had helped him prepare to deal with the bounce and pace of pitches there.
Amla, watching the interview in his capacity as a commentator for SuperSport television, said he had not passed on any great secrets.
“It was basic stuff,” said Amla. “He batted very well today, he left well and he judged the length well.”
Chandimal praised De Silva, who...
