The Sri Lanka national cricket team completed a whitewashed 2-0 victory over the New Zealand national cricket team in the two-match Test series. Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka boosted their chances of reaching the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 after back-to-back wins.
Sri Lanka posted a massive total of 602 runs in their first innings after winning the toss. Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal smashed centuries. New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Phillips took three wickets but conceded 141 runs, while captain Tim Southee picked up one wicket.
New Zealand struggled to score against the Sri Lankan bowlers. The visiting team was bowled out for just 88 runs in their first innings. Sri Lankan bowler Jayasuriya took five wickets and Nishan Peiris provided support with three wickets. Mitchell Santner was New Zealand’s top scorer with 29 runs.
Sri Lanka imposed the continuation of New Zealand’s collapse. However, the visitors showed more fight in their second innings. Devon Conway (61 off 62), Tom Blundell (60 off 64) and Glenn Phillips (78 off 99) all scored half-centuries. Santner (67) showed fight on the final day before being eliminated for 360.
However, Sri Lanka concluded the match in the second session of the fourth day of play at the Galle International Stadium in Galle. Nishan Peiris took a six-wicket haul as the home team secured an innings and 154-run win on Sunday, September 29.
Updated ICC World Test Championship points table revealed
Sri Lanka has maintained its third position in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 standings. The Sri Lankan team has a points percentage (PCT) of 55.55 in the current cycle. Meanwhile, New Zealand has fallen from fourth to seventh place, with its PCT falling from 42.85 to 37.5 after recent losses.
Sri Lanka still have a chance to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) final with four Test matches left. Meanwhile, the ongoing second Test between India and Bangladesh is likely heading towards a draw due to rain and wet outfields. This result could affect the final WTC classification.
Here is the ICC World Test Championship table:
| No | Equipment | Juice | Cattle | Lost | Draw | Needles | Deductions | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 86 | 2 | 71.67 |
| 2 | Australia | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 90 | 10 | 62.50 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 55.55 |
| 4 | England | 16 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 81 | 19 | 42.19 |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 3 | 39.29 |
| 6 | South Africa | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 38.89 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 37.5 |
| 8 | Pakistan | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 19.05 |
| 9 | West Indies | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 18.52 |
(In the ICC WTC 2023-2025, teams will get 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw and 6 for a draw. For over-slow rates, teams will lose one championship point for each over-short rate. Teams will qualify on the percentage of points earned.)
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