Craig Howard pointed out that Sri Lanka’s spinners needed time to settle into their rhythm in Galle, having not played a Test match there in over a year. One of the team's key spinners had also been absent from long-format cricket for several months, which likely contributed to their inaccuracies on the second day of the Test against New Zealand.
While Howard recognized the necessity for improvement, he stressed that the spinners needed to find their form. "If we had bowled as we planned, our position would be significantly better," he remarked. "By keeping our line and length consistent for longer durations, we would have made it more challenging for New Zealand’s batsmen to rotate the strike and limit their boundary scoring. Our focus is usually on controlling the run rate, which we failed to achieve today."
Despite a Galle pitch that offered substantial turn, Sri Lanka’s lead spinners, Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya, each claimed only one wicket on Thursday, with Jayasuriya giving away 99 runs in his 31 overs. "Prabath was slightly off his game. He takes pride in his performance, and with an impressive average of 22 in Galle, I’m confident he will rebound and make a significant impact in this Test," Howard commented.
In contrast, Ramesh's performance was more expensive, as he recorded an economy rate of over four runs per over across his 17 overs. "Ramesh Mendis hasn't played a red-ball match in several months. He missed the England tour and wasn’t in the previous Lanka Premier League, so he’s likely been a bit out of sync with his line and length," Howard explained.
New Zealand's batsmen demonstrated strong shot-making abilities, creating a specific challenge for the spinners. However, Howard believes that if the spinners can improve their accuracy, the match dynamics could shift in Sri Lanka’s favour. "Controlling line and length is crucial. If we can achieve that, the pitch offers plenty of assistance. The game can turn quickly in the later stages, and we could find ourselves just a wicket or two away from taking a first-innings lead. Ideally, we aim to wrap up their innings quickly and set ourselves up with a feasible target to chase."