Latham, Williamson lead New Zealand's cricketers to 255-4 against Sri Lanka in 1st test

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Half-centuries by Tom Latham and Kane Williamson led New Zealand's cricketers to 255-4 on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Replying to Sri Lanka's first innings 305, Latham and Devon Conway gave New Zealand a solid start by putting on 63 for the first wicket before the opener then added 73 for the second wicket with Williamson.

Latham looked comfortable against the spinners until he fell on 70. Attempting to sweep Prabath Jayasuriya, the ball came off his top edge and he was caught at square leg.

Williamson batted with authority and was on 55 when a lapse of concentration saw him glove a Dhananjaya de Silva delivery for wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis to take a terrific diving catch.

De Silva also bowled Rachin Ravindra for 39 when he failed to read the spinner's straight ball and shouldered arms.

An unbroken 59-run stand for the fifth wicket between Daryl Mitchell (41) and Tom Blundell (18) then took New Zealand to stumps.

Latham said: “It’s been a great day for us. Superb effort by the bowlers to get three wickets early and then the partnerships have been able to get us to that total. We put their spinners under pressure.”

Earlier, New Zealand did well to clean up the Sri Lankan tail. The last four wickets fell for three runs, fast bowler Will O’Rourke finishing with 5-55.

The morning session was ruined by rain as only 4.5 overs were possible. Play will get underway 15 minutes early on day three.

Craig Howard, Sri Lanka's spin bowling coach, said: “We felt we were in a very good position yesterday. Ideally we would have liked to get another 40 runs today. If we had bowled like we generally do, we could have been better off.”

New Zealand had a warm-up test last week against Afghanistan in India washed out after five days without a ball being bowled. Sri Lanka is coming off a three-match test series in England which the hosts won 2-1.

The teams will play a second test in Galle, beginning on Sept. 26.

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New Zealand's Kane Williamson, center, celebrates his fifty runs on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Kane Williamson, left, and teammate Rachin Ravindra run between the wickets on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Kane Williamson bats on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, third right, is congratulated by teammates for taking the catch to get New Zealand's Kane Williamson, right, out on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis, left, dives to catch New Zealand's Kane Williamson out on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Kane Williamson, foreground, reacts as he leaves the field after losing his wicket on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's William O'Rourke shows the ball in his hand as he celebrates his 5-wicket haul at the end of the Sri Lanka innings on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Bangladesh's Zakir Hasan dives to make an unsuccessful attempt to run out of India's Yashasvi Jaiswal on the first day of the first cricket test match between India and Bangladesh, in Chennai, India, Thursday, Sept.19, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

New Zealand's William O'Rourke, right, is congratulated by his captain Tim Southee for his 5-wicket haul on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Groundsmen pull the covers on as rain disrupts play on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Tom Latham, left, and teammate Devon Conway leave the ground after rain disrupted play on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's William O'Rourke shows the ball in his hand as he celebrates his 5-wicket haul at the end of the Sri Lanka innings on the second day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)