Sri Lanka didn’t need long on the final morning in Galle to wrap things up, taking just 15 minutes to grab the final two New Zealand wickets and secure a 63-run win in the first Test. The result means Sri Lanka go 1-0 up in the two-match series, while also leapfrogging New Zealand up to third place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. Prabath Jayasuriya was unsurprisingly at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s charge, finishing with figures of 5 for 68 – his eighth five-wicket haul, and his seventh in Galle. He ended with match figures of 9 for 204, thus taking home the Player-of-the-Match award.
After having fought so hard the previous day, Rachin Ravindra lasted just eight deliveries into the first session of the final morning, as Jayasuriya trapped him in front with an arm ball for 92 off 168 balls. Coming around the wicket, Jayasuriya tossed one up on leg, as Ravindra was caught in the crease playing down the wrong line. He reviewed, but once it was confirmed to be pitching in line, there would be no saving him.
And any lingering hopes of a famous rearguard were then swiftly quashed, as Will O’Rourke kept out just five deliveries before the sixth slipped past his forward defence and on to off stump to hand Jayasuriya his fifth wicket of the innings.
O’Rourke wouldn’t quite be satisfied with how the game ended after an impressive showing in the game, as he finished with eight wickets to his name – the second-most across the Test, and the same as Ajaz Patel.
In terms of how this result impacts the WTC, it keeps Sri Lanka’s outside hopes of a berth in the final alive. But for New Zealand, it makes their task considerably tougher, with an away series against India and a home series England coming up in the next few months.
There will be no time to dwell on this result for either team, with just a two-day break before the second Test gets underway on Thursday – also in Galle.
Angelo Mathews ended his final Test innings today (June 21) after being dismissed during the Test match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh at Galle International Stadium.
Mathews was dismissed after scoring just 8 runs off 45 balls after being caught by Mominul Haque. The match also ended as a draw.
Mathews retires from the longest format of the game as he made 8,214 runs from 119 Tests at an average of 44.4, with 16 centuries and 49 half-centuries to his name.
In 2013, Angelo Mathews was handed the leadership of the Test side for the first time in his career. He also became historic as the youngest Sri Lanka player to become Test captain.
England will host the 10th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June-July next year.
The full fixture list of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is out now, with hosts England featuring in the opening clash against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on 12 June.
This edition marks the biggest ICC Women’s T20 World Cup yet, with 12 teams – more than ever before – vying for the coveted trophy.
Alongside the fixtures, the groups for the league stage were also revealed.
Group 1 features multiple-time champions Australia, 2024 finalists South Africa, Asian heavyweights India and Pakistan, along with two teams from the Global Qualifier.
Group 2 includes hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, Sri Lanka, former winners West Indies and the other two teams from the Global Qualifier.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, set for 30 June and 2 July at The Oval, with the grand finale taking place at Lord’s on 5 July.
The tournament spans 24 days, featuring 33 matches across seven iconic venues – Edgbaston, Hampshire Bowl, Headingley, Old Trafford, The Oval, Bristol County Ground and Lord’s.
“World Cups are always special, but this one already feels different – it has the potential to be truly game-changing,” England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt said.
“It’s going to be a huge moment for our sport and a brilliant opportunity to inspire young people and captivate fans across the country. Playing on home soil, for the biggest prize, against the best players in the world, it’s going to be unmissable. I can’t wait to be a part of it.
“The tournament will not only give fans across the nation a chance to see world-famous cricketers in action but will also affect lasting change by inspiring countless women and girls across the country to get involved with cricket.”
Tournament Director Beth Barrett-Wild said the tournament would contribute to lasting change.
“The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup provides us with an unparalleled opportunity to transform a month of sporting excellence into a movement that will rewrite the narrative about women’s cricket,” she said.
“At iconic venues across the country, we’ll see incredible, world-class athletes battling it out in out in front of hundreds of thousands of fans, who with every ball bowled and run scored, will be contributing to lasting change. It’s our opportunity to give women’s cricket, and women’s sport, the stage it deserves.”