Sri Lanka eyes series sweep against Kiwis

Sri Lanka is just five wickets away from sealing a monumental series sweep against New Zealand after reducing the visitors to 199 for five in their second innings on Saturday.

New Zealand, with a daunting 315 runs still needed to avoid an innings defeat, face an uphill battle. The match, poised to end inside three days, was prolonged only due to bad light, forcing umpires to call off play with 20 overs remaining. Day three was nothing short of manic, with the Kiwis losing 13 wickets, including a morning collapse of nine wickets.

New Zealand’s first innings imploded for a mere 88 runs — its lowest-ever total against Sri Lanka — thanks to a six-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.

“It has been a fabulous Test match for us,” Jayasuriya said. "All credit to the batters. When they put on 600-plus runs on the board it is really tough when the opposition know the game has slipped away from them.

“We need five more wickets and I am sure we will wrap things up quickly,” he added. "In the second innings, they changed their approach and attacked us. I like when the opposition play aggressively. You will end up conceding runs but then there is a big possibility of you picking up wickets as well.

Having claimed nine wickets in the first test, Jayasuriya again proved unplayable on a deteriorating surface tailor-made for spinners. The Sri Lankan fielders were equally sharp, with captain Dhananjaya de Silva taking five excellent catches in the first innings.

New Zealand’s attempt to stonewall Sri Lanka’s disciplined spin attack in the first innings backfired. But in the second innings, they opted for a more aggressive approach, which initially paid off.