Ross Taylor expects New Zealand to recover with six goals in Galle after a disappointing defeat at Galle in their second test against Sri Lanka.
Taylor, who scored the first goal with 83 goals in New Zealand’s first innings, said the team was feeling down but hoped to get back on their feet in Colombo, which was a happy hunting ground for them. When New Zealand toured Sri Lanka in 2012, it recovered from the first defeat in Galle and secured a 167-run victory in the second round. Taylor was the captain, having won players of the game for his hits of 142 and 74.
The visitors are in a similar situation this time and want to improve their performance from the first test. “We tried everything and were just not good enough,” said Taylor, looking back at the game in Galle. “It’s a new game, and I’m sure we’ve been in this situation many times, 1-0 down, and we’ve come back and played hard.
Sri Lanka kickstart their ICC World Test Championship campaign in style with a brilliant six-wicket win over New Zealand.
— ICC (@ICC) August 18, 2019
Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne led from the front with a terrific 122.
SCORECARD: https://t.co/tk1bG2fLyn pic.twitter.com/iyXTJx09Z7
“That’s all we can ask for, come back and show the fighting spirit that this team is known for and hopefully we can put pressure on this very good team in Sri Lanka.”
BJ Watling’s 77 second-round goals from Galle helped New Zealand reach the tricky 268 goal. The tourists might have imagined their chances, but the 161-minute opening partnership between captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimanne brought the matter out of control. Sri Lanka was expertly led by his captain, who scored a brilliant score of 122 in eleven games – his first test century.
“I think if you told us at the beginning of the game that we had a lead of 260, we would have definitely taken it over,” said Taylor. “The way their openers competed against each other in this second inning has taken us out of the game and we’ve been catching up from there.
“It was obviously disappointing to start the Test Championship and of course the series like that, but [P Sara Oval] is a reason we’ve had some success in the past and hopefully we can repeat some of that.”
The second test starts on Thursday, August 22, and there are 60 championship points to win. Sri Lanka is currently leading the table with 60 points.
