Vishwas Puri
The Sri Lankan left arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya stole the show with
his stunning five-wicket haul in the last innings of the match and an
overall nine wickets in the match, which led his team to an
astonishing 63-run victory against New Zealand on day 5 of the Sri
Lanka and New Zealand first test match at Galle.
The New Zealanders, who were having the upper hand in the first half
of the match, as they secured a lead of 35 runs in their first inning,
fell short of 63 runs while chasing a score of 275. Only Rachin
Ravindra could score more than 50 runs. Ravindra also became the New
Zealand player with the highest score at the venue, leaving behind
Ross Taylor’ score of 86. But unfortunately, he too lost his wicket by
a leg behind wicket to Jayasuriya. After Rachin, Jayasuriya bowled out
William ORourke to bring the innings of New Zealand to an end and
secure the victory. Apart from Prabath, the New Zealand fast bowler
William ORourke has also impressed with his 6-wicket spell in his
first innings and overall 9 wickets in the match. The New Zealand team
has now lost all five Test matches they have played at Galle. Prabath
has only played 15 test matches and has succeeded in getting 88
wickets out of them. He made his test debut for Sri Lanka in 2022
against Australia, where he clinched 12 wickets and allowed 117 runs,
which is the best bowling figure for a Sri Lankan on his debut.
Prabath got awarded as the player of the match for his performance in
the first test. The second test will start on September 26 and will be
played at the same venue. The Sri Lankan team will be trying to
whitewash the series, whereas New Zealand will try to end the series
by at least a single win in their hand.
