New Zealand 441 (McCullum 195, Neesham 85) and 107 for 2
beat Sri Lanka 138 (Boult 3-25, Wagner 3-60) and 407 (Karunaratne 152, Boult
4-100, Southee 4-91) by eight wickets
A target of 105 appeared straightforward, but Sri Lanka
created a few nervous moments for New Zealand along the way. A fluent Tom
Latham was undone by a ripping turner from debutant offspinner Tharindu Kaushal
and Hamish Rutherford was surprised by Shaminda Eranga's extra bounce and
lobbed a catch to gully.
Sri Lanka strived hard for further inroads. Ross Taylor and
Kane Williamson, though, were resolute and secured the Test in the seventh over
after tea on the fourth day.
The visitors had begun the day 10 runs behind and with five
wickets in hand, and their best chance was if their captain Angelo Mathews
could shepherd the tail. But even he was unprepared for the bouncer from
Southee, feathering an edge to the keeper off a front-foot pull early in the
morning.
Kaushal, the night-watchman, managed a couple of pleasing
strokes through square leg and cover off the front foot before a short ball in
the off-stump corridor did him. He was caught in two minds and before he could
pull the bat away, the edge flew to Mark Craig at second slip to give Southee
his first strike of the morning.
Dhammika Prasad was reluctant to get in line for most of his
17 balls and was not ready when Southee sprung the trap with the fuller length
- twice. Ross Taylor grassed an absolute dolly, but before his face could grow
red another came his way and he caught it.
Sri Lanka did well to bat until lunch and their final-wicket
pair even forced the umpires to take a half hour's extension. The lead was 17
when Mathews was dismissed, but Eranga and Suranga Lakmal conjured 59 runs off
57 balls. Their clear-the-front-leg-and-swing tactic frustrated New Zealand as
they either watched the ball skirt past the outside edge or skim to the
cow-corner boundary. Boult broke through and earned himself and his fellow
bowlers some well-deserved rest after 196 testing overs across the two innings.
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