Sri Lanka were in a strong position to win the second Test match against New Zealand, needing only five more wickets to secure a series victory. The tourists, batting second after being bowled out for 88 in their first innings, were 199-5 at the close of play on the third day. Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 47 and 32 respectively when bad light forced an early end to the day's play in Galle. Debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris was the standout bowler, claiming three top-order wickets. Devon Conway, facing pressure to save both his team and his place in the side, formed a crucial 97-run partnership for the second wicket with former captain Kane Williamson. However, De Silva trapped Conway, who had scored a rapid 61 off 62 balls, in a drive that was caught by Dinesh Chandimal in a spectacular catch.
Sri Lanka dominates second Test
Kane Williamson, the world's number two batsman, was dismissed after misjudging a shot off Peiris, with Ramesh Mendis taking a spectacular catch at long-on. This followed the early wicket of Tom Latham, who was caught by Pathum Nissanka for a duck off Peiris. Williamson returned to the pavilion after scoring 46 off 58 balls.
Williamson surpasses Virat Kohli
With this Williamson surpassed Virat Kohli to become the third highest run-scorer in Test cricket amongst the active cricketers. Williamson now has 8881 runs from 102 Test matches, at an impressive average of 54.48. He has also scored 32 centuries and 35 half-centuries in his career. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has 8871 runs from 114 Test matches for India. He has an average of 48.74 and has scored 29 centuries and 30 half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka had earlier declared their first innings at a massive 602-5, with spinner Prabath Jayasuriya taking six wickets for 42 runs. Jayasuriya is now just five wickets away from equaling the record for the fastest bowler to reach 100 Test wickets, held by England's George Lohmann since 1896.
New Zealand Collapses in second innings
Resuming their first innings at a challenging 22-2, New Zealand's batsmen struggled to resist the Sri Lankan bowling attack. The highest partnership of the innings was a mere 20 runs between Mitchell Santner, who top-scored with 29, and William O'Rourke.
Captain de Silva played a crucial role, taking five catches at first slip. This feat tied the record for the most catches in a Test innings by a non-wicketkeeper, a milestone shared by 15 other players.
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