Sri Lanka within two wickets of victory but Rachin gives New Zealand hope

Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis dismissed three apiece as Sri Lanka moved within two wickets of victory in the first Test against New Zealand, who need 68 runs to win.

The Black Caps faced a tall order on day four as Sri Lanka resumed with a 202-run lead, but six wickets for 72 runs in the first session gave them hope of a dramatic fightback.

Ajaz Patel finished 6-90, helping himself to five wickets – including those of Dhananjaya de Silva (40) and Angelo Mathews (50) – in an exceptional 60-minute Sunday spell.

Chasing an achievable target of 275, the tourists made a solid start despite losing Devon Conway (4) to a crashing second-over delivery from Asitha Fernando, but Jayasuriya's dismissal of Kane Williamson (30) got Sri Lanka going.

New Zealand fell from 51-1 to 96-4 with Jayasuriya – who ended the day 3-66 – and Mendis (3-83) taking centre-stage for the hosts.

However, Rachin Ravindra continued to bat steadily as the wickets tumbled around him, the left-hander chipping away at New Zealand's target with 91 runs from 158 balls by stumps.

He will be desperate for support from Patel, who was without a run from 15 balls faced by the end of play, with the contest delicately poised in Galle ahead of the final day.

One more day to go in Galle where Rachin Ravindra (91*) & Ajaz Patel (0*) will resume with a further 68 runs required for victory. Catch up on the highlights in NZ via @skysportnz with scoring at https://t.co/yOYwdofZHz #SLvNZ = SLC pic.twitter.com/55hqzCw3vE

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 22, 2024

Data Debrief: Patel the potential hero?

Patel took eight wickets across Sri Lanka's two innings, with his 6-90 in the second innings his third-best return in any red-ball match, after taking all 10 versus India in December 2021 and 6-57 against Bangladesh last year.

The diminutive spinner has a chance to be the hero of this opening Test on Monday, if he can just stick around long enough to support Ravindra in the Black Caps' chase.

Only three times in his red-ball career has Patel scored over double figures with the bat, hitting 35 runs versus Pakistan last year, 20 in England in 2021 and 14 against Sri Lanka at this same venue five years ago.