New Zealand set 275 to win after Ajaz Patel six-for

The session’s most impressive player was without a doubt Ajaz Patel, who took five wickets in just over an hour to end with figures of 6 for 90. After bowling a slightly off-colour stint with the second new ball, William O’Rourke finished with figures of 3 for 49.

On the fourth day of the first Test at Galle, New Zealand concluded the Lankan second innings during the morning session, with Sri Lanka losing six wickets for 72 runs. It indicated that they had been given a target score of 275 to win the first Test of the two-match series.

With just five overs remaining until lunch, New Zealand lost their first wicket when Devon Conway sliced one off of Asitha Fernando, which slashed in sharply from a decent length outside off. Despite some more grip and turning from an increasingly unstable surface thanks to Prabath Jayasuriya, New Zealand managed to break without any further damage, only 262 runs short of victory.

Apart from that, it was all New Zealand, with the only bright spot for Sri Lanka being Angelo Mathews’ 43rd Test fifty in an otherwise patchy innings. Play resumed after a rest day due to Sri Lanka’s presidential elections on Saturday. In front of a small audience restricted by an island-wide curfew (because of election vote counting), New Zealand did not take long to end a rapidly accumulating 72-run partnership between Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva.

Four overs before the second new ball was scheduled to be delivered, in the fourth over of the morning, Ajaz had de Silva outstumped.

Ajaz Patel had begun the session with probing lines and lengths and good use of the cross-breeze.

De Silva had came down the track and missed the flight of an outside off with one ball before he was dismissed. The Lankan captain was saved by the spin and bounce on that had tricked the keeper and first slip. However, one delivery later, he would not have the same success as he was once more defeated by the drift, dip, and turn. This time, however, he was unable to move his back foot back into the crease as Tom Blundell whipped off the bails.

Mathews was joined in the middle by Kusal Mendis, and the two quickly put on a 36-run stand. However, three overs into the second new ball, Mendis shouldered arms to one from Ajaz outside off, only for it to bounce off his elbow and onto his stumps.

Along with Ramesh Mendis, Mathews reached his third half-century of the innings, but he was removed soon after, edging an attempted forward defence off Ajaz through to first slip, where Daryl Mitchell narrowly missed a nice, low hold with his fingertips.

Ajaz needed only five balls to accomplish the accomplishment of a five-for when he trapped Ramesh in front following a mishandled sweep. A few balls later, Lahiru Kumara chipped an easy one to mid-off, giving Ajaz his sixth wicket.

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With two boundaries off Tim Southee, Prabath Jayasuriya made a heroic attempt to force some quick runs, but Mitchell Santner, bowling his first over of the day, needed just two deliveries to end his cameo, when he was caught sweeping at long on.