Sri Lanka made a strategic decision on Thursday to bat first after winning the toss in the second cricket test against New Zealand as they aimed for their first series victory over the Kiwis in 15 years. This match took place in Galle, with the home team making two changes in their lineup following their 63-run triumph in the first test at the same venue. All-rounder Milan Rathnayake was brought in, replacing fast bowler Lahiru Kumara, while Nishan Peiris took the place of Ramesh Mendis. Peiris, who was making his test debut, joined Rathnayake, who was selected for his valuable all-round skills.

Meanwhile, New Zealand opted for an unchanged lineup, looking to extend their undefeated streak to seven test series against Sri Lanka. In the last six head-to-head test series, Sri Lanka has struggled against New Zealand, failing to secure a bilateral series victory since 2009 with four losses and two draws. After their defeat in the first test, New Zealand dropped from third to fourth in the World Test Championship rankings. A victory in the second test would enable the Kiwis to reclaim the third position in the rankings.

The lineups for both teams were as follows:
– Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Nishan Peiris, Prabath Jayasuriya, Milan Rathnayake.
– New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (captain), Ajaz Patel, Will O’Rourke.

The umpires for the match were Nitin Menon from India and Michael Gough from England, with Ahsan Raza from Pakistan serving as the third umpire and Javagal Srinath from India as the Match Referee. Sri Lanka and New Zealand were set to engage in an intense battle as they aimed for victory in the second test of the series.