Sri Lanka and New Zealand want to make the most of the conditions in Galle and prevent a further collapse

Whoever wins the toss must bat. When it comes to playing a Test in Galle, this is less a matter of generally accepted wisdom than an eleventh commandment set in stone. While this may at first glance seem like a ploy to get the best batting conditions, in reality it is more about not having the worst.

And after that, it was actually New Zealand's batters who were able to take advantage of the most batsman-friendly conditions of the entire Test – on the second day, when the turn slowed and Sri Lanka's spinners struggled for control. But their innings, too, was marred by a late collapse, going from a fairly strong 269 for 5 to 340 all out.

But as the Test progressed, particularly on the fourth and fifth days, batting became the chore that Galle is known for. On the fourth day, 14 wickets fell and on the fifth day, two wickets fell in 15 minutes, ending the match.

“I think every run you score in the first inning is very important. And you have to make sure you get as high a total as possible because that means you have to score fewer runs in the second inning.”

“In Test cricket, setting the right tone is crucial, including with the ball. If you remember, we had a really bad day in Manchester as well, starting with the bowling. Then we recovered really well. That's the positive thing about it, whether it's bowling or batting, our recovery is really good. But setting the right tone is really important and all the players know that.”

Both teams are also aware of the areas where they need to improve, particularly in capitalising on hard-won advantages. With five wickets in hand, 50 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings total and a solid pair of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips at bat at the start of day three, New Zealand might have been eyeing a comfortable first innings lead – especially given the confidence with which they went into bat the previous day.

As it turned out, they lost their remaining five wickets for 86 runs on the third morning and lost control of the game. With 63 runs the final defeat, it was crucial passages like this that Stead knows made the difference in the end.

“I actually think we had a really good Test match and for the most part it was very even. I just think there were a few small moments where we could have done better,” he explained. “We probably should have scored more runs in the first innings and given the position we were in.”

“And then the second session, I think it was the third day that we didn’t get a wicket. [Dinesh] Chandimal and [Dimuth] Karunaratne batted very well but we were perhaps just a little slow to adjust and adapt to the situation.”

Kandamby had similar problems with his own team. Sri Lanka lost five of its top six batters (including Angelo Mathews, who retired injured) in the first 35 overs of the first day before a century from Kamindu Mendis and a fifty from Kusal Mendis revived their innings. In the second innings, after reaching 153 for the loss of just one wicket, Sri Lanka stumbled to 178 for 4. And then again they went from 286 for 6 to 309 for a total loss.

“The mindset will be the same [going into the game]but we discussed where we made mistakes, especially in batting,” revealed Kandamby. “We had a breakdown on the third or fourth day, which had happened a few times before. The senior players have to take responsibility because they played a lot of cricket in Galle. We all knew that the wicket would be helpful for the spinners.

“If we look at the stats, I think they have batted more runs than us, which is worrying. We have played some good sweep shots as well, but you can't always trust the defence on a wicket like this, so you should always be positive to score runs.”

Another area of ​​concern is the contribution from Sri Lanka's bottom order. As for the batting performance of those batting at positions 9, 10 and 11, Sri Lanka know they could be better. In both innings they contributed a total of 13 runs while Ramesh Mendis at position 8 did not contribute much more.

This was partly the reason why Sri Lanka brought in Milan Rathnayake instead of Lahiru Kumara after his impressive performance as a batsman in England, but Kandamby said it was still an area where they were actively working to improve.

“Yes, we are looking for runs from them [the tail]but more than that it's about supporting the batsman at the other end. It's only when the recognised batsman is out that we start thinking about how we can put the pressure back on the bowlers and score some runs. So if they can score 30-40 runs, to be honest, that would be good. Because if you compare it to the other Test nations, our batsmen are pretty low at 9, 10, 11.

“Whenever we practice, batting is mandatory for them. And when we are not playing in a series, they work with the coaches at the HPC (High Performance Center) to work on their technical errors.”