Kaushal stakes case for Test recall

Sri Lanka A 360 for 3 (Silva 150*, Karunaratne 84) v New Zealand A
Scorecard

Wicketkeeper batsman Kaushal Silva strengthened his case for a Test recall on day one of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A, hitting an unbeaten 150 in Dambulla. Kaushal had already made a ton in the previous match, in addition to having been the highest run-scorer in Sri Lanka's first-class competition earlier in the year. He last played for Sri Lanka in December 2011, but after this ton - his 26th in first-class matches - Sri Lanka's selectors will be forced to consider him for the Test series against Pakistan in December.

Having been dismissed cheaply in the first four-day match, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal both made half-centuries. They scored markedly quicker than Kaushal, with Karunaratne hitting 13 fours in his 84, which came from 120 balls, while Chandimal struck 10 fours and two sixes in his 102-ball 80. Kaushal had century stands with both, adding 152 for the second wicket with Karunaratne, before embarking on a 146-run association with Chandimal.

New Zealand A's bowlers largely endured a day of toil, from which only right-arm seamers Matt Henry and Andrew Ellis emerged with economy rates less than four an over. Doug Bracewell had struck third ball to remove Kusal Perera, but was unsuccessful for 16 overs after that, while Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle sent down 33 overs of leg spin for the combined figures of 0 for 152. If it was not for Anton Devcich's part-time left-arm spin accounting for Chandimal in the third session, the day's tally may have read even worse for the visitors.

Kithuruwan Vithanage was not out alongside Kaushal at stumps, having progressed to 32 from 33 balls - employing the same aggression that had earned him a second-innings 70 in the previous match.