WELLINGTON, April 14: New Zealand ended a miserable 12 months of Test cricket when they comprehensively outplayed Sri Lanka to win the second Test by an innings and 38 runs inside four days here on Thursday and take the series 1-0.
The win was set up by the magnificent 224 from Lou Vincent which carried New Zealand to a 311-run lead on the first innings and virtually put Sri Lanka out of the game.
In the chase to keep the Test alive, Tillekeratne Dilshan tops-cored with a valiant 73 but the resistance ended with his dismissal and the first innings deficit proved to big a hurdle to overcome
The win ended a dismal run for New Zealand who have lost eight Tests – to South Africa, England and Australia — since March last year.
“We knew we had one chance towards the end of the summer to give the summer a bit of perspective and I think we’ve done that,” jubilant captain Stephen Fleming said.
“Players like Lou Vincent, who was threatening right from the first game gave a performance like this when we really needed it to give the season perspective and came through.”
Left-armer James Franklin led the second innings bowling attack with four wickets while Nathan Astle chipped in with three including the key scalp of Dilshan.
It was always going to be a difficult Test for the team batting second to win, but when Sri Lanka started the fourth day at one wicket for 10 they still harboured hopes of saving the match.
The air of confidence remained at lunch, despite losing skipper Marvan Atapattu and night watchman Farveez Maharoof and being 106 for three, but ebbed out of the innings in the middle session when they lost four wickets for 81 runs.
Franklin found a line and rhythm that was missing from his armoury in the first innings and struck in the 11th over of the day getting Atapattu to edge the ball straight to Fleming at first slip.
He bagged Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara after lunch to have Sri Lanka’s top order back in the pavilion, and wrapped up the game with the wicket of Chaminda Vaas for 38 to have figures of four for 71 of 24 overs.
Jayawardene was too slow pulling his bat from a short-pitched ball and was caught behind by Brendon McCullum for 13, while Sangakkara moved confidently to 45 before he was clean-bowled by a Franklin inswinger.
Astle then came into play with his gentle outswingers and captured Thilan Samaraweera for 17, caught by the sole slip Fleming, and after the tea adjournment he bowled both top scorer Dilshan and Upul Chandana for eight.
Shantha Kalavitigoda, on his Test debut, lasted 18 balls before he was taken in a brilliant one-handed catch by McCullum diving to his right off the bowling of Mills, and the ever consistent Astle had figures of three for 27 from 13 overs.
Mills lacked menace for much of the day but finished with two for 34, including Maharoof, the determined night watchman who reached 36 off 115 balls before nicking the ball to Astle at second slip.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 211 (T.T. Samaraweera 73; C.S. Martin 6-54).
NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings) 522 (L. Vincent 224, S.P. Fleming 88; W.P.U.J.C. Vaas 6-108).
SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 10-1):
S.T. Jayasuriya c Vincent b Martin 2
M.S. Atapattu c Fleming b Franklin 16
M.F. Maharoof c Astle b Mills 36
K.C. Sangakkara b Franklin 45
M. Jayawardene c McCullum b Franklin 13
T.T. Samaraweera c Fleming b Astle 17
T.M. Dilshan b Astle 73
S. Kalavitigoda c McCullum b Mills 1
W.P.U.J.C. Vaas b Franklin 38
U.D.U. Chandana b Astle 8
S.L. Malinga not out 0
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-10, W-2, NB-8) 24
TOTAL (all out, 92.5 overs) 273
FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-47, 3-95, 4-117, 5-137, 6-164, 7-177, 8-255, 9-267.
BOWLING: Martin 18-4-50-1 (2nb); Mills 11-4-34-2 (1nb); Vincent 1-0-2-0; Astle 13-4-27-3; Wiseman 26-7-75-0 (1w); Franklin 23.5-4-71-4 (5nb).
RESULT: New Zealand won by innings and 38 runs to clinch series 1-0.
UMPIRES: S.A. Bucknor (West Indies) and D.B. Hair (Australia).
