Jayasuriya spins Sri Lanka to victory over NZ in 1st test

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya delivered a stellar five-wicket haul in the second innings and nine wickets overall, to lead Sri Lanka to a 63-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test.

New Zealand resumed play on the final day needing 68 more runs to reach a victory target of 275 but only added four runs before Sri Lanka wrapped up the game in 3.4 overs on Monday.

Overnight batsman Rachin Ravindra, who had kept New Zealand’s hopes alive with a valiant 91 on Sunday, could only add one run to his total before being trapped leg before wicket by Jayasuriya. The promising left-hander’s resistance ended as he misjudged a delivery trying to defend on the back foot.

In Jayasuriya’s next over, he bowled last man William O’Rourke for a duck, sealing Sri Lanka’s victory in a tightly contested match and the 32-year-old spinner's eighth five-wicket haul in tests.

“I love playing here in Galle,” said man of the match Jayasuriya, who now has 88 wickets in 15 matches for Sri Lanka . “There is so much assistance for spin on this wicket, all what you need is to do is to just keep pitching the ball in the right areas and the wicket will do the rest.”

“If you keep doing that wickets will come.”

Although Ravindra narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, his score of 92 is now the highest by a New Zealand batter in Galle, surpassing Ross Taylor’s 86. Notably, no Black Cap has scored a century in Galle, where they have now lost all five matches played.

Sri Lanka’s win moved them up to third place in the World Test Championship standings, behind India and Australia. Meanwhile, New Zealand dropped to fourth after starting the series in third position.

Playing their first test since March, several Black Cap players put in strong performances, especially pacer O'Rourke who took eight wickets in his first test in Asia and just his third match overall.

“He has really impressed in his brief career, New Zealand captain Tim Southee said of O'Rourke. “The great thing is to come to a place like Galle and put up that performance. He has never played in conditions like these before and he is a good prospect for us moving forward.”

On the back of O'Rourke's 5-55 the Kiwis managed to secure a first-innings lead, a significant thing on a Galle pitch that becomes increasingly difficult to bat on as the game progresses.

But New Zealand’s failure to break the crucial 147-run third-wicket partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne in Sri Lanka’s second innings proved decisive.

Both experienced batters scored half-centuries, with Angelo Mathews also contributing a vital 50, helping Sri Lanka set a challenging target of 275. On a deteriorating pitch, that total proved too much for the visitors.

The teams will remain in Galle for the second test, which begins on Thursday.

Sri Lanka will be hoping to win its first test series against New Zealand since 2009. Since then, the sides have met in six series with New Zealand winning four and two ending in draws.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

New Zealand's Ajaz Patel, holding his bat, walks in front of Sri Lanka's players as they leave the field after Sri Lanka won the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra reacts as he leaves the field after losing his wicket to Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's players form a huddle before the start of the game on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra reacts as he leaves the field after losing his wicket to Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya displays the ball to celebrate his five-wicket haul in the second innings after Sri Lanka won the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's William O'Rourke, his fifth in the second innings, after Sri Lanka won the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

New Zealand's William O'Rourke, right, is bowled out by Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya resulting in Sri Lanka's win in the first cricket test match against New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya, right, celebrates the wicket of New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra on the fifth and final day of the first cricket test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Galle, Sri Lanka, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)

ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — The big surprise of the World Cup slalom season scored his second win Sunday adding to his fast-rising reputation before the Winter Olympics.

Paco Rassat raced to the fastest time in the second run to rise from fourth place, and push two Norwegians down the podium steps after they had been fastest in the morning run.

United States-born Atle Lie McGrath was edged out by 0.18 seconds and first-run leader Henrik Kristoffersen dropped to third, trailing 0.20 behind Rassat.

The 27-year-old Frenchman had a career-best result of ninth in World Cup races before this Olympic season started.

Rassat now has two wins, a third place and two sixth places this season and shapes as a medal contender for the Milano Cortina Olympics. The men’s slalom is on Feb. 16 at Bormio.

“To win on this crazy hill at Adelboden, It’s something really unbelievable," Rassat told Swiss broadcaster RTS, describing his season as “a magnificent surprise.”

Rassat also took the lead in the seasonlong World Cup slalom standings, ahead of his France teammate Clément Noël, the defending Olympic champion. Noël tied for eighth Sunday.

McGrath was runner-up in the Adelboden slalom for the third time in four years.

“It’s kind of crazy,” said McGrath, whose father Felix skied for the U.S. at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. “I’m of course super happy, it’s such a challenging slope and mentally it’s one of the toughest places to perform because of this amazing crowd.”

Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden observed a minute’s silence before racing for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day. Crans-Montana hosts men’s and women’s World Cup races in three weeks’ time.

The World Cup overall standings leader, four-time title holder Marco Odermatt, does not ski slalom and his huge lead was cut a little by Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who placed fourth. Pinheiro Braathen was second to Odermatt in the classic giant slalom Saturday.

The men’s World Cup circuit stays in central Switzerland for the storied Lauberhorn meeting at Wengen, for a super-G on Friday, the classic downhill Saturday and a slalom Sunday.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

France's Paco Rassat speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

France's Paco Rassat reacts at the finish line during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Finland's Eduard Hallberg speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Adelboden, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)