New Delhi: Sri Lanka made a strong statement about reaching the World Test Championship 2023-25 final after they stunned New Zealand in the first Test in Galle on Monday by 63 runs. With this win Sri Lanka jumped to the third spot in the table with 50% PCT. The islanders now need a clean sweep against South Africa and a 2-0 series win Australia at home to secure their final spot. Australia occupy the second spot with 62.50% PCT. India lead the table with 71.67% PCT. New Zealand on the other hand are sitting fourth with 42.86% PCT while Bangladesh dropped down to sixth after their loss to India in the first Test last week. Bangladesh’s current PCT is 39.29%. Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s victory over the Kiwis was aided by left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya who finished with a match-haul of nine wickets including a fifer in the second innings. New Zealand resumed play on the final day needing 68 more runs to reach a victory target of 275. However they managed to add just four runs before Sri Lanka wrapped up the game in only 3.4 overs. Overnight batsman Rachin Ravindra who had kept New Zealands hopes alive with a valiant 91 on Sunday could only add one more run to his total before being trapped leg before wicket by Jayasuriya. The promising left-handers resistance ended as he misjudged a delivery trying to defend on the back foot. New Zealands failure to break the crucial 147-run third-wicket partnership between Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne in Sri Lankas second innings proved decisive. 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.