New Zealand eight down, Sri Lanka two wickets away from winning 1st Test

The first test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand has been fiercely contested, with the home side edging towards victory by the close of play on the penultimate day Sunday.

The tourists ended the day at 207-8, still 68 runs short of their 275-run target but with the pitch offering significant assistance to the spinners, Sri Lanka looks set to wrap up the game.

Top-order batsman Rachin Ravindra has been fighting a lone battle for New Zealand. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 91 at stumps and could become the first New Zealander to score a hundred in Galle.

Ravindra batted with a clear game plan, combining solid defense with an effective use of both the conventional and reverse sweeps to find scoring opportunities. He also capitalized on a rare loose delivery from part-time spinner Dhananjaya de Silva, dispatching the full toss for six.

Chasing 275 was never going to be easy for New Zealand, and Prabath Jayasuriya made life difficult for the batsmen. He claimed the crucial wicket