SL vs NZ, 1st Test: Prabath Jayasuriya’s five-wicket haul spins Sri Lanka to victory over New Zealand in tight game
Prabath Jayasuriya finished with match haul of nine wickets as Sri Lanka won the game by 63 runs.
Galle: Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya delivered a stellar five-wicket haul within the 2nd innings and nine wickets overall, to guide Sri Lanka to a sixty three-run victory over New Zealand within the first Test on Monday. New Zealand resumed play on the final day needing 68 more runs to reach a victory target of 275. Nonetheless it, they managed if you happen to will have to add just four runs earlier than Sri Lanka wrapped up the game in best three.four overs.
Overnight batsman Rachin Ravindra, who had kept New Zealand’s hopes alive with a valiant 91 on Sunday, may per chance best add an extra run to his total earlier than being trapped leg earlier than wicket by Jayasuriya. The promising left-hander’s resistance ended as he misjudged a delivery in search of to defend on the back foot.
In Jayasuriya’s next over, he bowled last man William O’Rourke for a duck, sealing Sri Lanka’s victory in a tightly contested match and the 32-year-old spinner’s eighth five-wicket haul in tests. Despite the indisputable fact that Ravindra narrowly missed out on a demanding-earned century, his score of ninety two is now the right by a New Zealand batter in Galle, surpassing Ross Taylor’s 86. Notably, no Black Cap has scored a century in Galle, where they've got now lost all five matches played.
Sri Lanka’s win moved them up to 3rd place within the World Test Championship standings, on the back of India and Australia. Meanwhile, New Zealand dropped to fourth after starting the series in third position. Playing their first test since March, a couple of Black Cap players put in strong performances, specifically pacer O’Rourke who took eight wickets in his first test in Asia and just his third match overall.
On the back of O’Rourke’s 5/55 the Kiwis managed to secure a first-rate-innings lead, a significant thing on a Galle pitch that becomes a growing collection of demanding to bat on because the game progresses. Nonetheless it, New Zealand’s failure to interrupt the critical 147-run third-wicket partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne in Sri Lanka’s 2nd innings proved decisive.
Both experienced batters scored 1/2 of-centuries, with Angelo Mathews also contributing a significant 50, helping Sri Lanka set a tough target of 275. On a deteriorating pitch, that total proved an excessive amount of for the visitors. The teams will remain in Galle for the 2nd Test, which begins on Thursday.
Sri Lanka shall be hoping to win its first Test series against New Zealand since 2009. Since then, the edges have met in six series, with New Zealand winning four and two ending in draws.
What's Your Reaction?
