Latham and Williamson Lead New Zealand's Fightback

William O'Rourke’s impressive five-wicket haul limited Sri Lanka to 305 during the morning session of Day 2 in Galle. In response, New Zealand made significant progress, with fifties from Tom Latham and Kane Williamson helping them reduce the deficit to just 50 runs by the end of the day. Despite losing both key players, solid contributions from Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell kept New Zealand in a strong position.

The rain-affected morning session saw Sri Lanka add only three runs to their overnight score of 302/7, as Ajaz Patel and O'Rourke quickly cleaned up the tail. However, due to the frequent rain interruptions, there was minimal action before the early lunch break. New Zealand’s innings began steadily, with a solid 63-run partnership between Latham and Devon Conway.

Latham started confidently, hitting two boundaries off Asitha Fernando, but the openers adopted a cautious approach as Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva rotated his bowlers. Ramesh Mendis eventually broke the partnership by trapping Conway lbw, a decision confirmed by a successful review from Sri Lanka.

Latham and Williamson then took control, pushing New Zealand ahead. After the drinks break, Williamson aggressively attacked Mendis, hitting him for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries, forcing the spinner to adjust his line. However, just before the tea break, Latham’s attempt to sweep Prabath Jayasuriya ended in a top-edge, caught by substitute fielder Sadeera Samarawickrama at backward short leg, ending a 73-run stand.

After tea, Williamson was joined by Ravindra, and the left-right combination worked well for New Zealand. Although Ravindra had a shaky start, he quickly found his rhythm, scoring a brisk 39 from 48 balls. During this partnership, Williamson reached his 35th Test half-century. But it was Dhananjaya de Silva who broke the partnership, bowling a clever delivery that spun from the rough, catching Williamson’s edge. Kusal Mendis took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss the former captain. Ravindra followed soon after, also falling to the Sri Lankan skipper.

Despite the quick dismissals, New Zealand recovered with a solid partnership between Mitchell and Blundell. Mitchell played aggressively, hitting a four and a six off Dhananjaya, while Blundell adopted a more cautious approach. Their unbeaten 59-run partnership took New Zealand to stumps in a strong position, trailing Sri Lanka by 50 runs.

Brief scores:  

New Zealand 255/4 (Tom Latham 70, Kane Williamson 55; Dhananjaya de Silva 2-31) trail Sri Lanka 305 (Kamindu Mendis 114, Kusal Mendis 50; William O'Rourke 5-55, Glenn Phillips 2-52, Ajaz Patel 2-60) by 50 runs.