The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 started on July 1 and will conclude on July 21 in Sri Lanka.

As many as five teams will compete in a total of 24 matches across three weeks in the fifth edition of the Lanka Premier League.

Some of the world's top T20 batters including the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Glenn Phillips, Kusal Mendis, Tim Seifert, Ibrahim Zadran, Pathum Nissanka and Towhid Hridoy are featuring in the Sri Lankan T20 League.

New Zealand’s experienced T20 batter Mark Chapman smashed the first fifty of LPL 2024. Representing Dambulla Sixers, Mark Chapman slammed an unbeaten 91 off 61 balls against defending champions Kandy Falcons in the opening match of the ongoing T20 tournament. 

Chapman’s scintillating fifty along with Chamindu Wickramasinghe’s 62 not out off 42 balls propelled Dambulla Sixers to 179/4 in their 20 overs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele.

In reply, Dinesh Chandimal (65), Dasun Shanaka (46 not out) and Angelo Mathews (37 not out) helped Kandy Falcons chase down the target in 17.2 overs to register a comprehensive six-wicket win.

Kandy Falcons (earlier B-Love Kandy) captain Wanindu Hasaranga finished with the most runs in the Lanka Premier League last season. The Sri Lanka T20 cricket team skipper scored 279 runs in 10 matches at an average of 34.87 and a strike rate of 189.79. 

Colombo Strikers�?former batter Babar Azam was the second-highest run-scorer in LPL 2023 with 261 runs in eight matches. 

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s talented batter Avishka Fernando holds the record for the most runs in Lanka Premier League history. 

Having represented the likes of Dambulla Aura (now Dambulla Sixers) and Jaffna Kings, Avishka Fernando has accumulated 1,170 runs in 40 games at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 133.71.

With that being said, let’s have a look at the players with the most runs in Lanka Premier League 2024.  

Most runs in Lanka Premier League 2024

Pos	Player	Team	Matches	Runs
1	Avishka Fernando	Jaffna Kings	4	210
2	Pathum Nissanka	Jaffna Kings	4	178
3	Mark Chapman	Dambulla Sixers	3	154
4	Tim Seifert	Galle Marvels	3	126
5	Kusal Perera	Dambulla Sixers	3	118
6	Dinesh Chandimal	Kandy Falcons	3	115
7	Charith Asalanka	Jaffna Kings	4	110
8	Niroshan Dickwella	Galle Marvels	3	109
9	Alex Hales	Galle Marvels	3	102
10	Glenn Phillips	Colombo Strikers	3	96

Photo credit: Alamy

On March 24, 2014, the Netherlands cricket team topped an unfortunate record list of lowest totals in T20 World Cup after they were bundled out for 39 against Sri Lanka in Chattogram, Bangladesh.

Put into bat by Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal, the Netherlands lost wickets at regular intervals as four batters were dismissed for a duck. For the Dutch, Tom Cooper was the highest run-scorer as he managed 16 runs off 18 balls, the only batter to get into double digits.

Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis were the pick of the bowlers as they bagged three wickets each.

Prior to the Netherlands�?batting misfortune at the 2014 T20 World Cup, the Ireland cricket team held the record for lowest total in the T20 World Cup.

Chasing a modest target of 139, the Irish batters were bowled out for 68 against West Indies in Providence in 2010.

In the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, the Netherlands once again put in a disappointing batting performance as they were skittled out for 44 against Sri Lanka in a bowling-friendly Sharjah pitch. 

As a result with scores of 39 and 44, the Netherlands now hold the record for registering the two lowest totals in T20 World Cup history.

Meanwhile, a vaunted West Indies batting line-up led by captain Kieron Pollard collapsed like a pack of cards as they were bundled out for 55 against England in a T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 encounter at the Dubai International Stadium.

The Windies�?55 is the lowest total by an ICC full-member nation in the T20 World Cup. Previously, New Zealand held the record for the lowest total by a full-member nation in a T20 World Cup after they were dismissed for 60 by Sri Lanka in Chattogram, Bangladesh in 2014.

Lowest scores in T20 World Cup

Team	Score	Opposition	Ground	Match Date
Netherlands	39	Sri Lanka	Chattogram	March 24, 2014
Netherlands	44	Sri Lanka	Sharjah	October 22, 2021
West Indies	55	England	Dubai (DSC)	October 23, 2021
Afghanistan	56	South Africa	Tarouba	June 27, 2024
Scotland	60	Afghanistan	Sharjah	October 25, 2021
New Zealand	60	Sri Lanka	Chattogram	March 31, 2014
Ireland	68	West Indies	Providence	April 30, 2010
Hong Kong	69	Nepal	Chattogram	March 16, 2014
Bangladesh	70	New Zealand	Kolkata	March 26, 2016
Afghanistan	72	Bangladesh	Dhaka	March 16, 2014
Kenya	73	New Zealand	Durban	September 12, 2007

Featured photo: Twitter/SriLankaCricket

The JSCA International Stadium Complex, previously known as the Jharkhand States Cricket Association International Cricket Stadium, is a world-class sporting venue located in the city of Ranchi, Jharkhand in India.

The stadium staged its first international match in 2013, an One-Day International (ODI) between India and England. Since then, the venue has hosted five ODIs, two Tests and as many T20Is. It has also hosted seven Indian T20 League matches so far.

The JSCA International Stadium Complex has a seating capacity of around 40,000 and also comprises 76 corporate boxes. The venue has an indoor cricket centre consisting of three pitches. 

JSCA International Stadium Complex is the home ground of the Jharkhand cricket team and has hosted several domestic T20 matches since its establishment in 2010. Here, we look at the ODI records at this venue.

Interestingly, the Indian cricket team has a mixed record at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in the ODI format, winning two and suffering two defeats. One match was abandoned.

JSCA International Stadium Complex ODI records

Highest total: The Australian cricket team holds the record for posting the highest ODI team total at JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. Put into bat, Australia rode on Usman Khawaja’s scintillating ton (104 runs off 113 balls) along with contributions from captain Aaron Finch (93) and Glenn Maxwell (47) to post 313/5 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, India were bowled out for 281 in 48.2 overs. Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson picked three wickets each to help Australia secure a 32-run victory. For India, captain Virat Kohli smashed 123 runs off just 95 balls.

Lowest total: England’s 155 against hosts India is the lowest ODI total at this venue. Electing to field first, India rode on an all-round bowling performance to bundle out England for 155 in 42.2 overs. India’s left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets while Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin scalped two wickets each. In response, Virat Kohli’s 77 off 79 balls and Gautam Gambhir’s 33 off 35 balls powered India to a seven-wicket win.

Highest individual score: Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and Virat Kohli of India own the record for the highest individual ODI score at this ground. During the fifth ODI of Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 2014, Angelo Mathews slammed an unbeaten 116-ball 139 to help the visitors post a competitive total of 286/8 in 50 overs. However, India rode on Virat Kohli’s match-winning hundred (139 not out off 126 balls) to chase down the total in 48.4 overs and win the match by three wickets. Interestingly, the hosts whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in the five-match ODI series.

Best bowling figures: Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis has the best bowling figures at JSCA International Stadium Complex in the ODI format. The right-arm off-spinner picked four wickets for 73 runs in his 9.4 overs against India in an ODI match in 2014. However, Ajantha Mendis�?four-wicket haul went in vain as India won the match by three wickets.

Most runs: Former India captain Virat Kohli has scored the most runs at this venue in the 50-over  format. The right-handed batter has amassed 384 runs in five matches at a staggering average of 192 and an impressive strike rate of 109.40. He has hit two hundreds and one fifty at this ground in Ranchi.

Most wickets: India’s star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has picked the most wickets at JSCA International Stadium Complex in ODI cricket. The off-spinner has scalped six wickets in three matches at this venue at an average of 25 and an economy of 5.17. India fast bowler Mohammed Shami is second on the list with five wickets in three games.

Highest partnership: Australia’s swashbuckling batters Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja have the highest partnership at this ground in the ODI format. The duo recorded a scintillating 193-run stand for the opening wicket against India in 2019. Australia rode on their stunning partnership to register a 32-victory in the match.

Interested in cricket betting? Click here to check out the list of top sites.

Featured photo: SAJJAD HUSSAIN / AFP

The Sri Lanka cricket board has given its revolting players an ultimatum to sign the new contract by June 3. 

According to reports, if the Sri Lankan cricketers fail to sign the contract within the stipulated deadline, then they will be put on tour contracts which means specific contracts for specific tours. 

For the unversed, 24 Sri Lanka cricketers including Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and a few other senior players had refused to sign the new contract offered by the board with lower base salaries and more performance-based incentives.

As per the new contracts offered, only six players are placed under category A with the annual pay ranging between USD 70,000 to 100,000. Interestingly, Dhananjaya de Silva will receive maximum pay while others will receive between USD 70,000 to 80,000.

Formulated by the Tom Moody and Aravinda de Silva-led Cricket Committee, the new contract has been evaluated on ive points: performance, fitness, leadership, professionalism, and future potential and adaptability.

“The performance during the last two years carries 50 points while 20 points are given for fitness. The other three attributes carry ten marks each. The allocation was done by the coach, the three selectors and the physical performance manager. The information is restricted to those involved in the grading process. But players unhappy about how they were slotted believe they have a right to know every detail of how their points were tabulated,�?a Sri Lanka daily called ‘Sunday Times�?reported.

Meanwhile, in the statement issued on behalf of the cricketers, attorney Nishan Sydney Premathiratne said the players are ‘not in agreement to sign unfair and non-transparent contracts and urge SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket) to not hold the players at gunpoint or give the players such ultimatums�?

The Sri Lankan cricket team is currently in Dhaka to play a three-match one-day series against hosts Bangladesh. The island nation lost the first ODI by 33 runs and they will look to level the series on Tuesday, May 25.

Featured photo: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

West Indies host Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series to be played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua starting in the early hours of Thursday, March 4 (3:30 AM as per IST).

Both the teams are starting to concentrate on their preparations ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup later this year.

Interestingly, it is almost a year since Sri Lanka last played any T20 matches, and that was against the Windies in Pallekele, with the hosts succumbing to a 2-0 series defeat.

In terms of the West Indies vs Sri Lanka head-to-head record in the shortest format, the stats only slightly favor the Asian nation, having won six of the 11 T20Is while Windies have secured five wins. However, the Caribbean side has won four of their last five T20I matches against Sri Lanka.

West Indies vs Sri Lanka head-to-head
West Indies	Metrics	Sri Lanka
11	Matches	11
5	Win	6
45.45	Win Percentage	54.55

Additionally, the Kieron Pollard-led West Indies have won three of their last five T20I matches, while Sri Lanka have failed to register a single win in as many matches.

Meanwhile, West Indies have won only two of their last five T20I series (3 or more matches) at home, while Sri Lanka have clinched just one T20I series win (minimum two matches) in their last five tours away from home.

West Indies at Home (last five series)

Opponent	Matches	Wins	Winner Team	Date
Ireland	3	1	Drawn	15 Jan 2020
England	3	0	England	05 March 2019
Afghanistan	3	3	West Indies	02 Jun 2017
Pakistan	4	1	PakistanÂ	26 Mar 2017
England	3	2	West Indies	09 Mar 2014

Sri Lanka in away matches (last five series)

Opponent	Matches	Wins	Winner Team	Date
IndiaÂ	3	0	India	05 Jan 2020
Australia	3	0	Australia	27 Oct 2019
Pakistan	3	3	Sri Lanka	05 Oct 2019
South Africa	3	0	South Africa	19 Mar 2019
India	3	0	India	20 Dec 2017

West Indies opener Lendl Simmons is tipped to score a fifty in the upcoming T20I series in Antigua. At the same time, Sri Lankan swashbuckling batsman Kushal Perera is the odds-on favorite to hit a half-century for the visitors.

The hosts will start as overwhelming favorites in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lindsey Parnaby

Sri Lanka and England have a varied history in cricket, with neither side having kept an enormous winning streak against each other since their first clash in 1982. With time, this rivalry has given sporting fans memorable moments to cherish in the longest format.

As far as the head-to-head record is concerned, England have won 15 of their 34 encounters with Sri Lanka while the erstwhile cricket giants have claimed eight victories.

Here are three memorable finishes from the past Sri Lanka - England Test matches.

2014 England vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: Odds-defying draw at Lord’s

Sri Lanka, who had registered wins in the ODI and T20I series, began the Test series by bowling first. Unbeknownst to them, Joe Root marshalled the England batting at the Lord’s cricket ground and became the third-youngest player to hit a double century at the iconic venue.

Youngest to score 200 at Lord's:

Don Bradman 21y 304d
Graeme Smith 22y 180d
Joe Root 23y 164d

*Age at start of match

�?Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) June 13, 2014

As a fightback, Shaminda Eranga reworked his performance in the first innings and reduced 46/0 to 69/3 when the hosts returned to bat in the second innings. He found support in Rangana Herath, who claimed four wickets and helped the visitors attain a target of 390 to chase.

They say the best is saved for the last, and the final day of the 1st Test had plenty of scenarios that made the fixture a memorable encounter in Tests at Lord’s. Sri Lanka needed to bat for three sessions to draw the match and began the final session after putting up 159/3 in 56 overs.

 

England scalped six wickets in that session and were in high spirits when umpire Paul Reiffel signalled Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Pradeep out. A smart DRS call from Pradeep overturned the lbw decision on the game’s penultimate ball and helped the Lankan Lions pull off one of the landmark results ever registered at the Mecca of cricket.

2014 England vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test: Last-over thriller

If the drama at the Lord’s wasn’t enough, the second England-Sri Lanka Test at Headingley is by far one of the most significant fixtures played between the cricket giants.

Stuart Broad’s hat-trick and Liam Plunkett’s maiden five-wicket haul reduced Sri Lanka to 257 all out on day one, thus giving England a much-needed breather into the series after their debacle at Lord’s.

 

Riding on Sam Robson’s 127, England posted a first-innings total of 365, but their confidence levels started dropping after visiting captain Angelo Mathews powered Sri Lanka from 268/4 to 457. Stitching a 149-run partnership with Rangana Herath, Mathews helped Lanka set 350 runs for England to chase.

In his first (and only) Test on English soil, Dhammika Prasad bagged four of the first five wickets that saw England finish day four at 57/5. England hit 26 runs before going early into lunch on day five, with Joe Root facing a whopping 108 deliveries for his score of 31.

#OnThisDay in 2014, Sri Lanka won a Test with a ball to spare in Headingley

James Anderson's 55-ball vigil was ended by Shaminda Eranga on the penultimate ball of the match.

took the series 1-0 after having saved the first game at Lord's in similar circumstances pic.twitter.com/6z3nSEuZdH

�?ICC (@ICC) June 24, 2020

There onwards, the hosts had to depend on Moenn Ali to script a miracle at. His maiden Test century went in vain as Shaminda Eranga, a hero in the first Test, dismissed James Anderson with the penultimate ball of the match and gift Sri Lanka their first-ever Test series win in England. Anderson survived the first four balls of the final over before giving away his wicket at backward square.

2018 Sri Lanka vs England 3rd Test: Redemption for 2014 tour

Four years on from a disheartening tour at home, England exacted revenge on Sri Lanka by winning all series in their 2018 visit to the island country. As far as the third Test match is concerned, the Three Lions registered their smallest victory over Sri Lanka in terms of runs (42).

England’s call to bat first was a relatively fair decision, as they fended off a five-wicket haul by off-spinner Lakshan Sandakan to put up 336 on the scoreboard. Adil Rashid took five wickets on day two as the Sri Lankan batting order collapsed to 240 all out within 65.5 overs.

 

When the visitors came out to bat, they slammed 11 boundaries in their score of 230, which was a slight mellow performance considering they already piled up pressure on Sri Lanka to chase 327 runs, to avoid a whitewash result.

Sri Lanka lost their faint hopes of a comeback as they were reduced to 82/5 by the 27th over of the run chase, and needed some inspiration from Kusal Mendis and Roshen Silva. However, Mendis�?dismissal signalled the beginning of celebrations for England as they bowled out Sri Lanka for 284 and sealed their first 3-0 whitewash away from home since 1963.

Let's put events into sequence before we go on a questioning spree:

1. Sri Lanka win 10 and lose 22 matches in T20Is in the period before the tour of Pakistan and after the 2016 World T20.

2. Sri Lanka drop Angelo Mathews in August 2019 for the New Zealand series, retaining Lasith Malinga as captain.

3. Sri Lanka take a second-string T20I side to Pakistan and win 3-0.

4. Sri Lanka recall Mathews to T20I team for India series in 2020.

The absurdity isn't quite evident from the sequence of events above because it doesn't link Sri Lanka to Mathews and Mathews to T20s yet. But one plain look at it says two things - one, Sri Lanka's second-string side did better than their main team and two, Mathews was dropped and recalled with zero holes to plug in the line-up.

The second-string team put together owing to security concerns did better than the main team and beat a Pakistan side which has the best win/loss ratio in the format since the last World T20.

As such, the recall of Mathews makes no sense. Now, this is level one of absurdity and a glance at Mathews and his T20 record is a straight jump to level 5.

In 72 T20Is for Sri Lanka, Mathews has 1055 runs at an average of 27.05 and a strike rate below 120 with just five half-centuries. In all T20s, Mathews has walked out 153 times, making 2435 runs at an average of 25.63 and a strike rate of 120.48 with just four additional half-centuries in more than 81 additional games.

Now, Mathews last played for Sri Lanka in the format against South Africa in 2018 and recorded a duck. He was dropped since for the New Zealand series in August. But incidentally, since August 2018, Mathews has never played a single T20 even at franchise level. Recurring injuries being one major reason and the hesitation to play T20 cricket for lower franchises being another.

Now, that didn't deter him from putting a base price of Rs 2 crore for himself in the just-concluded Indian T20 League auction. Unsurprisingly, he had no takers. Sri Lanka watched it too. After the New Zealand series for which he was dropped and before the India tour now, Mathews played zero T20s and Sri Lanka won four and lost five games, a reasonable record compared to the past few years.

Read | Indian T20 League auctions: Are Cummins, Maxwell really worth the money?

Yet, Mathews was recalled.

Probably he did well in ODIs? Unfortunately no. He played zero ODIs in this time frame.

Probably, the Lankan middle-order batsmen did poorly? No, Oshada Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella and Dasun Shanaka actually had a pretty good time.

Why was Mathews recalled then in a format he has never really had any success in? Why did Mathews enroll himself in the Indian T20 League auction at the highest base price when he had played zero T20s in the lead up to the year? Why did Sri Lanka drop Mathews in the first place if they didn't like the younger crop of players?

No, none of these questions have answers. Not just us, even Sri Lanka are unlikely to have answers.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibgyangshu Sarkar

Ten Sri Lankan players, including T20 skipper Lasith Malinga and ODI captain Dimuth Karunaratne, pulled out of an upcoming tour of Pakistan citing security concerns, officials said Monday.

Following a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus during a Test match in Lahore in March 2009, a majority of international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country.

The Sri Lankan cricket board said national players were briefed on security arrangements for the six-match limited over series, and given the freedom to decide if they wanted to travel. 

Following the briefing, 10 players "chose to stay away" from the series of three One-Day Internationals and three T20 games, scheduled to begin on September 27 in Karachi, the governing body said.

The other eight who opted out were Thisara Perera, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Suranga Lakmal and Dinesh Chandimal.

Official sources said Karunaratne was most likely to be replaced by 30-year-old Lahiru Thirimanne as ODI skipper, while the T20 team is expected to be guided by Dasun Shanaka who celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday.

The tour has been seen as another step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan after years of isolation.

- Tight security -

Shortly before the announcement, batsman Danushka Gunathilaka told reporters that "about 70 percent of players agree (on touring Pakistan) while 30 percent are not happy".

"But, from what they told us, I think there will be very tight security."

This will be Sri Lanka's second tour of Pakistan since the 2009 attack.

The Sri Lankans returned to Pakistan for a Twenty20 international in Lahore in October 2017 with a squad led by Thisara Perera who has decided to stay out of the tour this time.

Sri Lanka are also to play two Test matches against Pakistan, but the dates and the venue are yet to be announced.

Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Harin Fernando has rejected playing the longer versions of the game in Pakistan and suggested the Tests be played in the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan have played many of their home series.

Series schedule:

27 Sep �?1st ODI, Karachi 

29 Sep �?2nd ODI, Karachi 

2 Oct �?3rd ODI, Karachi 

5 Oct �?1st T20I, Lahore 

7 Oct �?2nd T20I, Lahore 

9 Oct �?3rd T20I, Lahore

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Geoff Caddick

New Zealand held their nerve to clinch a hard-fought and comprehensive victory against Sri Lanka in fading light in the second Test on Monday and level the two-match series 1-1.

Victory was achieved with an hour left on day five when Lasith Embuldeniya edged a short delivery from Trent Boult to Kane Williamson at gully.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 122 runs after New Zealand declared their second innings on 431 for six with a first innings lead of 185.

The game went to the last hour of day five at Colombo's P. Sara Oval, and although 19.4 overs remained when tail-ender Embuldeniya was the last man dismissed, umpires could have called off play at any time with the light fast deteriorating.

New Zealand's bowlers were hurrying through their deliveries knowing too well that they were racing against time.

The first four days' play had been severely affected by rain, wet ground conditions and bad light, but surprisingly the final day stayed clear despite a 30-minute delayed start.

Sri Lanka had given away the initiative to New Zealand after losing five wickets for 32 runs before lunch, but a terrific fightback by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella kept their hopes of salvaging a draw.

Dickwella, who wasn't able to keep wicket having sustained a cut on his left little finger, showed plenty of character during a 51-run knock that lasted for three-and-a-half hours.

It was his 13th half-century in Test cricket.

There was little support from the rest of Sri Lanka's batsmen, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne's 21 being the second-highest score.

Suranga Lakmal and Dickwella had batted for over an hour, but the stand was broken when Lakmal gloved one to close-in fielder Tom Latham after tea.

Sri Lanka were still counting on Dickwella when he fell for his famous sweep shot. 

The 26-year-old relies heavily on the shot to score his runs, but on this occasion, he had stayed away from taking undue risks.

Ajaz Patel switched ends and came on from the Air Force Flats side, and as Dickwella shaped to play the sweep shot, Latham at short leg moved to his left and positioned himself in the perfect place to snap up the chance.

Dickwella could hardly believe his luck before walking off dejected.

'Very happy'

Latham's close in fielding was brilliant and so was his batting, particularly his battles with Sri Lankan spinners.

The opening batsman was named Man of the Match for his 154, a seven-hour vigil in which he faced 251 deliveries and was involved in two hundred plus run stands.

Tim Southee, Boult, Patel and William Somerville claimed two wickets each while Colin de Grandhomme claimed the big wicket of Angelo Mathews.

"The experience we had in Galle was good, although we lost the game, for us to build up and to make improvements for this game," New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson told reporters.

"There were some superb individual performances. To score at a fast rate on day four was important because of the amount of time that we had lost in this game."

Williamson praised the bowlers, adding that Sri Lanka were "an extremely tough team to beat". 

"We were close in Galle but not close enough. It was nice to touch on key areas and win this match and very happy with the result," he added.

Williamson's Sri Lankan counterpart Dimuth Karunaratne criticised his team's approach, saying they were "too defensive" and played into New Zealand's hands.

"We could have shown more intent. Dickwella batted well but he received little support from the rest of us," he said.

Karunaratne is known for his rescue missions but the opener was forced to bat after the fall of the fifth wicket as he had stayed away from the field due to quadriceps strain on day three. 

"Had I opened the innings, it would have helped me to hold one end up and you never know," he added.

"We could have stitched a couple of partnerships. All in all it was a very disappointing effort from our boys."

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Lakruwan Wanniarachchi