Sri Lanka Leads New Zealand by 202 Runs

Sri Lanka solidified their position in the first Test against New Zealand, finishing Day 3 at 237-4, leading by 202 runs. Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal were instrumental in this effort, scoring 83 and 61 respectively, with their partnership of 147 runs playing a crucial role. However, New Zealand fought back with wickets from Ajaz Patel and William O'Rourke, who dismissed key Sri Lankan batsmen and applied pressure. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews, both at 34, are now tasked with extending the lead further when play resumes on Sunday after a rest day due to presidential elections. The match has seen a decline in batting conditions on the Galle pitch, making runs increasingly challenging. New Zealand's batting faltered with Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell contributing notable scores, but they trail significantly as Sri Lanka's bowlers performed effectively in the first innings.