On to stormy Galle

The second warm-up match, played at NCC finished in a tame draw. Three days is really not enough time to secure an outright win unless one team has at least one very poor innings with the bat. That said, the SL XI took a first-innings lead into the second half of the match.

We’ve now travelled to Galle, further south and smack bang on a currently rampant coastline. We were supposed to train this morning but that has been put off due to the ground-flooding rain that hit here at about 6am. So it’s going to be a long day stuck in our hotel without the weather we were expecting. A day like today isn’t the worst thing for us though. It gives us a good chance to get another gym session in and most importantly a very good opportunity to watch more footage and study our plans for this upcoming Test series.

I finished the match back at NCC with feeling pretty good about my form. I got through 16 overs (2 for 60) and scored 18 (off 52). Not the worst game, not the greatest game but pretty good in the conditions. I could have, maybe, had another couple of wickets had things gone my way, but overall I am happy with where I am at.

I said in an interview that one of the most important things about playing over here is not fading throughout the day, getting into that third session and still bringing what you offered in the first. I came back for three overs right at the end of the third session, one with the old ball and two with the new. I felt pretty good, the legs were feeling a little heavy but I got to the crease well and felt like I had similar if not just slightly better ‘snap’ than I did first up in the morning. It was this spell where I picked up my two wickets; Dinesh Chandimal with my second delivery with the new ball and then Seekkuge Prasanna with the fifth ball. Chandimal played a beautiful innings, a great hundred, and he’s only 19. His patience and the ability to stick to his game plan was amazing for someone of his age. A very special future player for Sri Lanka; he took the gloves in the second innings too.

I’ve just been to the gym, core session and then a sweaty 20 minute cardio run. I think I’m sweating more here in Galle than we did in Colombo.

Last night we were invited to visit a NZ family here in Galle. Everywhere we go we get the full police and military escort which people stop and stare to watch as we go past. It makes the trips a lot quicker but the attentions it attracts sometimes also makes it feel a little over the top. It’s great that we’ve got the security though, don’t get me wrong, it just seems such a mission to organise a two-hour outing from the hotel.

It was a good, albeit short, evening out of the hotel meeting Kiwi’s here working and living the Sri Lankan life. Also there were a combination of other westerners that have joined together to make a tight little friend group. It was great hearing the stories how people came to live here and how they are making it work for them. Thanks Simon and Eric for putting yourselves out for us. Appreciate it a lot!

The highlight of today will be a 2pm trip to a supermarket. It doesn’t sound like much but a chance to peruse the shelves and pick up some needed supplies is something to look forward to. Again, I’m sure it will give the security guys a bit of a headache!