As expected, the Dambulla track offered some spin twists in the first T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. In this opening game, Sri Lanka dominated the Black Caps, with credit surely goes to the Sri Lankan spinners, who took six wickets between them, completely turning the game in their favour. From the start, they looked solid, as all Kiwi batters were sent back to the pavilion in no time. Spinner Maheesh Theekshana capitalised on the surface well, playing a major role in restricting New Zealand to 135.
Although the chase wasn’t easy due to difficult batting conditions, Sri Lanka also lost key batters like Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis early. However, skipper Charith Asalanka anchored the innings with an unbeaten 35 off 28 balls, sealing the win for Sri Lanka with six balls to spare.
With the next match set to take place at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, let’s see what we can expect from the pitch. Since, this is a short two-match series, so New Zealand will be keen to get back on track, while Sri Lanka will aim to deceive the Kiwis one more time.
Dambulla Stadium pitch report
Not much surprise can be expected, as Sri Lanka will likely offer the same pitch they used in the first game against the Kiwis. Since it’s the final game of the series, the Lankan Lions will look to capitalise on their strong suit, which is their spin attack. We can expect that fast bowlers will not find much joy from either side. The pitch will be dry, providing assistance to the spinners. However, in these heavy spinning conditions, one thing that could help the batters is stabilising the innings, just like Charith Asalanka did in the last game. Sensible batting and not taking too many risks will be key to success as batter on such pitches.
Dambulla Stadium stats
| T20Is | Details |
| City | Dambulla |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| First T20 Match | 17/02/2024 |
| Last T20 Match | 9/11/2024 |
| Matches Played | 7 |
| Matches Won by Home Side | 5 |
| Matches Won by Touring Side | 2 (33.33%) |
| Matches Won by Neutral Side | 0 (0.00%) |
| Matches Won Batting First | 4 (44.44%) |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 3 (22.22%) |
| Matches Won Winning Toss | 3 (33.33%) |
| Matches Won Losing Toss | 4 (33.33%) |
| Matches Tied | 0 (0.00%) |
| Matches with No Result | 0 (0.00%) |
| Highest Individual Innings | 70 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Afghanistan) |
| Best Bowling | 4/24 (M Pathirana, Sri Lanka) |
| Highest Team Innings | 209/5 (Afghanistan) |
| Lowest Team Innings | 89 (West Indies) |
| Highest Run Chase Achieved | 180/5 (West Indies) |
| Average Runs per Wicket | 24.04 |
| Average Runs per Over | 8.59 |
| Average Score Batting First | 118 |
