Sri Lanka Victorious in First Test Against New Zealand
The Sri Lanka vs New Zealand first Test ended swiftly on Monday, with Sri Lanka securing a 63-run win. It took Sri Lanka just 22 balls to end the Test, with Prabath Jayasuriya capturing the last two wickets to close New Zealand's innings at 211.
New Zealand began the final day needing 68 runs to win with merely two wickets in hand on a deteriorating pitch. Rachin Ravindra's solid performance on the penultimate day, concluding on an unbeaten 91, provided a glimmer of hope. However, Jayasuriya managed to seal the game early in the day by outplaying Rachin with a delivery that even a review couldn't help refute.
Following this dismissal, Jayasuriya almost clinched William O'Rourke's wicket soon after, but to his disappointment, the review did not go in favour of Sri Lanka. Despite this setback, the host team sealed the win a couple of overs later when Jayasuriya defeated O'Rourke.
Sri Lanka's winning scores were 305 & 309, defeating New Zealand's 340 & 211. Key contributors to the victory were Dimuth Karunaratne with 83 and Ajaz Patel who claimed 6/90. Jayasuriya played a pivotal role with a 5/68, along with Ramesh Mendis who scored 3-83, securing the 63-run win for Sri Lanka.
