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

Press Release, Source: IANS