Galle, Sep 23 (IANS) Prabath Jayasuriya’s 5-68 in the second innings and match total to 9-204 helped Sri Lanka take the final two New Zealand wickets and secure a commanding 63-run victory, here at Galle International Stadium on Monday.
Sri Lanka wasted no time on the final morning of the first Test in Galle, needing just 15 minutes to skittle out New Zealand and took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The win lifted Sri Lanka to third place in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, leapfrogging New Zealand. By securing the 12 WTC points from this match, Sri Lanka keeping their hopes of a place in the WTC final alive, though they still face a tough road ahead.
Jayasuriya’s eighth five-wicket haul — and his seventh in Galle — earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. His spin bowling on the final day dismantled the resistance that Rachin Ravindra and the Kiwi lower order had put up the previous day.
Ravindra, who had fought valiantly with a well-crafted 92 off 168 balls, lasted just eight deliveries on the fifth morning. Jayasuriya’s arm ball trapped him in front of the stumps, with the batter misjudging the line. A review could not save him, and with Ravindra’s departure, New Zealand’s slim hopes of a dramatic comeback faded.
Jayasuriya quickly followed up by dismissing Will O’Rourke, who had impressed with the ball earlier in the match, for a duck.
O’Rourke, who took eight wickets across both innings, tried to defend Jayasuriya’s sixth ball but missed, as the delivery snuck past his bat and crashed into the off stump. With that, Sri Lanka wrapped up the match in dominant fashion.
The second Test begins on Thursday, in Galle. With momentum firmly in Sri Lanka’s favor, New Zealand will need a swift response if they are to level the series and keep their WTC ambitions alive.
The defeat makes New Zealand’s WTC journey considerably more difficult, with challenging series against India (away) and England (home) coming up.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 305 & 309 (Kamindu Mendis 114, Dimuth Karunaratne 83; Ajaz Patel 6-90, William O’Rourke 5-55) beat New Zealand 340 & 211 (Rachin Ravindra 92, Tom Latham 70; Prabath Jayasuriya 5-68, Prabath Jayasuriya 4-136) by 63 runs
–IANS
hs/bc
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
