Twitter Reactions: Angelo Mathews exhibits his class to steer Sri Lanka closer to Zimbabwe's total

It was hosts Zimbabwe who stole the limelight in the first two days of the ongoing Harare Test. A composed yet robust batting display including an impressive knock from skipper Craig Erwine steered the hosts to post a comprehensive total on the board. Sikandar Raza’s lower-order knock propelled Zimbabwe to cross the 350-run mark on the scoreboard. Raza was joined by Donald Tripiano, who also gathered 41 runs to steer Zimbabwe’s batting force.

After Zimbabwe put on a gritty batting display on the first two days, visitors Sri Lanka retaliated by putting up a strong display on Day 3. Dimuth Karunaratne and Co lost the early wicket of Oshada Fernando on the previous day as Donald Tripiano bowled him over in the 12th over.

However, Sri Lanka steadied their ship by strong batting performances from Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews on Day 3. Mendis stayed in the middle and smacked 80 runs before getting dismissed by Victor Nyauchi. 24-year-old Mendis struck eight boundaries in his 163-ball innings before nicking a Victor Nyauchi delivery to Brendan Taylor at first slip.

Angelo Mathews inches closer to his century

However, Angelo Mathews ensured that the visitors don’t suffer a batting collapse as the all-rounder amassed a brilliant 92-run knock. Mathews weaved his innings around seven fours and two sixes to stabilize Sri Lanka’s batting force. He was well assisted by Dhananjaya de Silva down the order as the right-hander stitched a 42-run knock to guide his side to a total of 294/4 before the stumps. Sri Lanka bridged the gap and inched closer to Zimbabwe’s 358-run total.

Victor Nyauchi emerged as the top pick of Zimbabwe’s bowling unit as he provided his side with two crucial breakthroughs of Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis. Skipper Sean Williams also joined the bandwagon by scalping the wicket of Dinesh Chandimal.

However, no other bowler was able to make a significant impact in the match. It will be interesting to see whether Mathews reaches his ton to help Sri Lanka attain a massive lead over the hosts on Day 4. Dhananjaya Silva also stuck in the middle till the stumps in order to avoid his side’s batting tail getting exposed on Day 3.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Mathews Is Drawing This Match For SL Right Now #ZIMvSL

— Chatil Panditasekara (@ChatilPandi) January 21, 2020

Mathews playing like that he was out from the game for a year or more..so much uncertainty around his foot movements..#ZIMvSL

— Shihan Wijesinghe (@Shihan_88) January 21, 2020

MATHEWS has become overly cautious 😴 #ZIMvSL

— Guess Who (@_Hiroshana_) January 21, 2020

#ZIMvSL #1stTest | Day 3 | INJURY UPDATE: Kasuza was struck by the ball on the side of his helmet while fielding at short-leg and sustained soft tissue injury in the skull. A concussion test was negative, while a CT scan also ruled out internal injury. @BusinessTimesZW

— bernard mpofu (@mpofu_ben) January 21, 2020

What's Williams and Ndlovu's difference? #ZIMvSL

— Zwe! (@lizweC) January 21, 2020

Mathews 9️⃣2️⃣*
de SIlva 4️⃣2️⃣*

A nervous night ahead for both batsmen!

🇱🇰 close on 295/4.#ZIMvSL pic.twitter.com/jKx3GYljmi

— Cricket Afridi (@CktAfridi37) January 21, 2020

Jarvis deserves a wicket, beaten the bat many times #ZIMvSL

— Zim Undercover Agent (@undercoverzimbo) January 21, 2020

Time to get a move on lancs .. 4 an over should be easy from ere .. cant lose this anymore #ZIMvSL

— BWD (@BurgundyWontDie) January 21, 2020

The seamers seem to have run out of gas, not surprising considering how many overs they’ve bowled today, the lack of a 4th seamer has hurt @ZimCricketv #ZIMvSL

— Zim Undercover Agent (@undercoverzimbo) January 21, 2020

The curious case of Dinesh Chandimal!!

Last 8️⃣ tests (including this)

M 8️⃣
I 1️⃣3️⃣
N.O. 0️⃣
R 2️⃣2️⃣8️⃣
A 1️⃣7️⃣.5️⃣3️⃣
B 7️⃣4️⃣
50s*2️⃣

Last 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ came vs West Indies in June 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣8️⃣#ZIMvSL

— Tᴡᴇɴᴛʏ₂₀ 🏏 (@Twenty2025) January 21, 2020