Yesterday, Sri Lanka was able to win the first match of the Test series between the touring New Zealand team and Sri Lanka by 63 runs at the Galle International Stadium.
It is also special that after 5 years, Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand in the test matches held with New Zealand.
While the victory of the match was swinging for both sides, Rachin Ravindra was the only trump card for New Zealand’s victory at the last moment.
All New Zealand’s hopes were dashed when spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya took the wicket of Rachine Ravindra on the morning of the fifth day.
When the match was stopped on the fourth day, New Zealand had scored 207 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. Although 68 runs were needed for New Zealand’s victory, Sri Lanka’s spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya secured Sri Lanka’s victory by taking 2 wickets in a short span of 10 minutes.
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who won the toss in the first match, decided to bat and the Galle Stadium is a spinner’s paradise.
However, Sri Lanka’s first innings was limited to 305 runs and Kamidu Mendis, who played a very valuable innings for the Sri Lankan team, managed to set many records in this match.
William O’Rockie, who bowled causing a headache to the batsmen of the Sri Lankan innings, managed to take 5 wickets in the first innings of the Sri Lankan team.
New Zealand started the second innings to add a good number of runs to their scoreboard. But only Tom Letham, Kane Williamson, Darrell Mitchell, Tom Blandham were successful in their batting. The Sri Lankan bowlers managed to bowl all other New Zealand batsmen below 50 runs. There, Prabhat Jayasuriya took 4 wickets.
However, New Zealand ended their first innings with a lead of 30 runs over Sri Lanka’s first innings.
The Sri Lankan team started their second innings with great hopes of bringing victory to Sri Lanka. Dimuth Karunaratne, who was more successful in Sri Lanka’s second innings, scored 83 runs, Dinesh Chandimal scored 61 runs, and Angelo Mathews added 50 runs to the team.
Sri Lanka’s second innings was restricted to 309 runs, where New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel managed to take 6 wickets.
When New Zealand started the second innings, the advantage of victory was swinging for both sides.
New Zealand entered the field chasing a target of 275 runs and Sri Lanka’s spinner Prabhat Jayasuriya bowled giving New Zealand a big headache.
In the end, the Sri Lanka bowling fleet was able to limit the New Zealand team to 211 runs. Accordingly, Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 63 runs.
Prabhat Jayasuriya, who took 5 wickets in a Test innings for the 8th time, easily won the man of the match award.
Jayasuriya, who took 9 wickets for 204 runs, has taken 88 wickets in 15 Test matches so far. It is special that 7 of the 8 occasions when Prabhat took 5 wickets each in an innings were held in Galle.