Sri Lanka achieved a remarkable victory over New Zealand on Saturday, triumphing in the match by an innings and 154 runs. Opting to bat first, the hosts declared their first innings at an impressive 602-5. Kamindu Mendis, who has been elevated in the batting order due to his exceptional performance in the Test series, shone with an unbeaten 182 runs off 250 balls.
Kamindu has now become the joint-second-fastest player to reach 1,000 Test runs, matching the legendary Donald Bradman's record. He is also on the cusp of breaking several longstanding batting records. Dinesh Chandimal (116), Angelo Mathews (88), and Kusal Mendis (106*) also made significant contributions to the team's massive total.
In response, New Zealand suffered a historic low against Sri Lanka, being bowled out for a mere 88 runs in their first innings at Galle. This led to them being asked to follow on, marking the first instance since April 2023 that a team has been required to do so in Test cricket.
Despite some resistance from Devon Conway (61), Tom Blundell (60), Glenn Phillips (78), and Mitchell Santner (67), New Zealand could not overcome the challenge and were eventually dismissed for 360 runs.
Updated World Test Championship 2023-25 points table
Sri Lanka has strengthened their position at No.3 in the rankings, with their points percentage rising from 50 to 55.56. Conversely, New Zealand has dropped from fourth to seventh place, with a current percentage of 37.5. England (4th), Bangladesh (5th), and South Africa (6th) have all moved up a spot in the rankings.
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