New Zealand got themselves into a position of strength on Day 2 of the first Test in Galle as they trail Sri Lanka's first innings score by just 50 runs with six wickets to spare.

On Thursday, September 19, Sri Lanka started at 302/7, with Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya being the overnight batters. The hosts would have hoped that their lower-order batters would be able to add some crucial runs in the morning session but William O'Rourke and Ajaz Patel had other ideas. Sri Lanka's last three wickets fell for three runs on Day 2 as O'Rourke finished with figures of 5/55 in 18.5 overs.

New Zealand's left-handed openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham batted with a cautious approach and stitched up a 63-run partnership off 112 balls. Conway was dismissed for a 59-ball 17 before Latham and joined forces with Kane Williamson. The two experienced cricketers showed respect to the good balls and kept rotating strikes. They did hit some occasional boundaries but also focused on running hard between the wickets.

Jayasuriya eventually struck in the 39th over as the 73-run stand was broken. Latham was the man dismissed as he departed for a 111-ball 70, hitting six boundaries. This brought Rachin Ravindra to the crease and the southpaw upped the scoring rate by playing some mesmerising shots. He eventually departed for a 48-ball 39 as Sri Lankan skipper Dhananjaya de Silva got the better of him. The all-rounder struck once again in his next over as he got the better of the former Kiwi captain for a well-compiled 104 off 55 balls. However, wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis deserves a lot of credit for this dismissal as he showed excellent game awareness and agility to take a sharp diving catch.

Sri Lanka had two new batters - Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell at the crease after Williamson departed. However, they could not apply adequate pressure as the two right-handed batters navigated through stormy waters.

At the end of the day, the visitors finished on 255/4 in 72 overs as Mitchell (41*) and Blundell (18*) added 59 runs off 105 deliveries. The second new ball is around the corner for Sri Lanka and they would love to break this partnership before that to have at least one new batter at the crease.

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