New Zealand XI vs Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews begins tour with unbeaten century

Former Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews warmed up for this month’s Test series with New Zealand by scoring an unbeaten century on day one of the three-day tour game against a New Zealand XI at Napier’s McLean Park.

Mathews – dropped  from Sri Lanka’s limited-overs teams recently – was 128 off 177 balls in his first inning since the final Test of the 0-3 loss to England in November. His hundred was the stand-out innings of Sri Lanka’s 210/9 declared, of which 106 were added by Mathews and Lahiru Kumara for the tenth wicket.

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Barring Mathews, only skipper Dinesh Chandimal (26) and Dhananjaya de Silva (44) reached double-figures. Mathews reached 50 off 96 balls and his century came off 150, with 16 fours and a six. The left-arm wrist-spinner Blake Coburn took 3/44 followed by Peter Younghusband with 2/25 and Michael Snedden with 2/29.

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At stumps, the NZ XI was 67/4 after losing Dean Robinson, Luke Georgeson, William O’Donnell and Dale Phillips.

The first Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka starts Saturday at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.