Bangladesh fell to six, Sri Lanka rose to three
Today is a special day for Sri Lanka. Prabat Jayasuriya took New Zealand's last wicket to give the Lankans victory in the Galle Test cricket news, cricket update
Today is a special day for Sri Lanka. Prabat Jayasuriya took New Zealand's last wicket to give the Lankans victory in the Galle Test just as Anudha Kumara was swearing in Dishanaye as the country's new president.
The 63-run win not only sealed Sri Lanka's lead in the two-match Test series, but also put them back in the race to reach the final of the ICC World Test Championship. Two consecutive Test wins this month have essentially brought the Lankans back into contention. Dhananjaya de Silva's side, who won the Oval Test against England earlier in the month, won the Galle Test against New Zealand today.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 1st Test
Sri Lanka has risen to third in the points table with two consecutive wins. And yesterday Bangladesh dropped to six after losing by 280 runs in the Chennai Test against India. But Nazmul Hussain's team, which came fourth after thrashing Pakistan, was hearing the call of the final of the 2023-25 cycle at Lord's.
The Test Championship is not calculated by points; Points are determined by percentage. India, who are at the top of the list, have consolidated their top spot after yesterday's win. Currently India's points rate is 71.67.
Rohit Sharma's team has progressed a lot on the way to reach the final in the third consecutive cycle of the World Test Championship. Their point rate difference with second placed Australia is 9.17. India still has three remaining series (9 matches) including Bangladesh series, Australia's remaining two (7 matches).
Sri Lanka's points rate is 50.00 with 4 wins and 3 losses. This team was ranked seventh with a rate of 33.33 points on the first day of the month. Like India, Sri Lanka still has three series remaining (5 matches). The last series is again against Australia who are second in their own soil. Before that, Pat Cummins' side will face India at home in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India have won the last two series in Australia. If India gets a hat-trick to win the Test series 'Down Under' and if Sri Lanka defeats Australia on home soil, the 'All-Asian Final' will be seen in the Test Championship for the first time.
Bangladesh have won 3 and lost 4 of the 7 matches played so far in the 2023-25 Test Championship cycle; The percentage of points is 39.29. There are still 5 matches left. If they win all the matches and do not lose any points due to discipline, Bangladesh's points percentage will increase to 64.58. Nazmul's team has to look at various equations to reach the final.