Tim Southee is happy with the young player O’Rourke and Ravindra, despite their defeat

The crucial part of the match, in Tim Southee’s opinion, was New Zealand’s batting collapse on the third morning. They were just 50 runs short of Sri Lanka’s total as they finished their first innings at 255 for 4.

Galle is not particularly good for New Zealand. Out of the five Test losses they have suffered from playing as many games at the ground, one was by an innings, one by ten wickets and one by 202 runs. Their most recent Test at the location, which concluded with a 63-run loss to Sri Lanka on Monday, is their closest outcome here. They entered the fifth morning with an outside chance of victory—68 more runs to win, two wickets remaining.

But two players stood out above the others. Seamer Will O’Rourke was often frightening, often reaching speeds of up to 140 kph, as he sent down short deliveries on a pitch that was not particularly favourable to short bowling on his debut outing in steaming circumstances on a dry deck. It was also crucial that there weren’t any extremely loose periods for a bowler in his third Test. He made 8 for 104 in earnings. Top- or middle-order hitters were dismissed six times. The 23-year-old pleased Captain Tim Southee just enough.

“Will has had a brief Test career thus far, and he has undoubtedly made his presence known,” Tim Southee remarked following the game.

“His potential for danger was demonstrated in New Zealand. He have the abilities to have a successful career in tests. It was truly remarkable for him to attend his debut Test in the subcontinent and leave the game with an astounding eight wickets. He is a large man with an excellent head on his shoulders. Thus, Will O’Rourke has a lot to offer.

As New Zealand sought a challenging 275, 24-year-old Rachin Ravindra scored his best Test run- total to date, a convincing 92 on a dangerous fourth-innings pitch. Of course, Ravindra is hardly a stranger to the international scene after dominating the Indian ODI World Cup the previous year. Nevertheless, he is still a hitter who is still getting used to playing at the highest level. In his third Test in Asia, he particularly impressed with his cool-headed approach on day four, when he attacked length mistakes with an almost frightening intensity.

“That chase kept us in the hunt,” Tim Southee remarked. Since the wicket has been turning over a lot in the last few days, we knew it would take something extraordinary to pull off such a difficult ask. In those circumstances, that was quite the blow.

“Batting is difficult since the ball is spinning and doing various other things.” That a young kid with little experience in this region of the world could go out and get ninety-odd was encouraging for him too. He is another very talented player who has also had a brief taste of international cricket, where he performed brilliantly. He is an excellent young child with sound judgement.”

However, the middle and lower orders fell prey to finger spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis, costing them six wickets for 71 runs. Their lead had threatened to be much bigger, but in the end it was only thirty-five.

“I suppose the situation we found ourselves in during the first inning was favourable. However, just a few of the last four or five scored, and there was a chance to take a larger advantage into the first inning,” he stated. “Considering the condition of the ground and the calibre of the Sri Lankan spin bowlers, we were aware that the second new ball would present challenges.

Also Read: Despite Ravindra’s efforts, Sri Lanka wins thanks to Jayasuriya’s nine wickets

“If you consider such instances, things might have turned out differently if we had been able to continue and build a larger lead. Still, it was a fantastic Test match. We have a lot of positive things to look forward to in the coming days.”