Dinesh Chandimal's Ton Vs New Zealand: Sri Lanka batsman Dinesh Chandimal has scored his 16th Test international century on Thursday, September 26, as the Sri Lanka veteran has put the hosts in a commanding position on Day 1 of the 2nd Test against New Zealand.
With the ton, he has now ended his two-year drought of a test ton/double ton against a full-time Test playing nation, with his last century dating back to May 2022 against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium Mirpur in Dhaka, and last double ton against Australia back in July 2022 at Galle International Stadium in Galle.
Also, New Zealand are now the latest side to concede a century to Dinesh Chandimal, as the Sri Lankan has now scored a Test ton against 9th different opposition.
Here's a breakdown of Dinesh Chandimal's Test tons:
- 5 vs Bangladesh
- 2 vs India
- 2 vs Australia
- 2 vs West Indies
- 1 vs England
- 1 vs Afghanistan
- 1 vs Ireland
- 1 vs Pakistan
- 1 vs New Zealand
Dinesh Chandimal's Poor Form In Red-Ball Cricket Since 2023
The 34-year-old, who made his Test debut back in 2011 against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test match in Durban, was a young prodigy tipped to be a future great. 13 years later, the Sri Lankan batsman has not entirely lived up to the billing as poor form and inconsistency were the major factors in him not reaching his potential, and was hence, dropped from the nation's white-ball set-up in 2022.
Ever since the Test series against New Zealand back in March - April 2023, the Sri Lankan batsman has failed to register an average of above or equal to 40 in any of the series.
During this period, he has notched up tons against Ireland and Afghanistan, who are not full-time Test playing nations. Therefore, those tons won't be counted in his WTC 2023-25 cycle.
Let's have a look at Dinesh Chandimal's Test performances since the start of 2023:
Sri Lanka's Tour of New Zealand 2023
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test | 39 | 42 |
| New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test | 37 | 62 |
Total Runs: 180
Innings: 4
Average: 45.00
Ireland's Tour of Sri Lanka 2023
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| Sri Lanka Vs Ireland, 1st Test | 102* | - |
| Sri Lanka Vs Ireland, 2nd Test | 13 | - |
Total Runs: 115
Innings: 2
Average: 115.00
Pakistan's Tour of Sri Lanka 2023
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan, 1st Test | 1 | 28 |
| Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan, 2nd Test | 34 | 1 |
Total Runs: 64
Innings: 4
Average: 16.00
Afghanistan's Tour of Sri Lanka 2024
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| Sri Lanka Vs Afganistan, One-off Test | 107 | - |
Total Runs: 107
Innings: 1
Average: 107.00
Sri Lanka's Tour of Bangladesh 2024
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test | 9 | 0 |
| Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test | 59 | 9 |
Total Runs: 77
Innings: 4
Average: 19.25
Sri Lanka's Tour of England 2024
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| England Vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test | 17 | 79 |
| England Vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test | 23 | 58 |
| England Vs Sri Lanka, 3rd Test | 0 | - |
Total Runs: 177
Innings: 5
Average: 35.40
New Zealand's Tour of Sri Lanka 2023
| Fixture | Score in 1st Innings | Score in 2nd InningsĀ |
| Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand, 1st Test | 30 | 61 |
| Sri Lanka Vs New Zealand, 2nd Test* | 116 | Y.T.B |
Note: "*" denotes active/ongoing Test match, and Y.T.B denotes Yet To Bat