Sri Lanka enforce follow-on after walloping hapless Kiwis in a 9-wicket morning session that see SL take a 514-run lead.
Sri Lanka had a bash on a sunny morning, as New Zealand folded for 88, their lowest all-out Test total in reply to the hosts’ 602 on the third day.
Nishan Peiris, the offspinner making his debut, struck three times, then again in the second innings, while Dhananjaya de Silva concluded with five catches at first slip, all off the spinners. Prabath Jayasuriya finished with six for forty-two. As a result, New Zealand fell massively behind in the first innings by 514.
Tom Latham’s wicket was among the nine that fell in the morning after New Zealand was asked to follow on. Kane Williamson had to bat twice in one session as a result of this. They had tried everything in their first innings before, but nothing had worked until they got back from the overnight total of 22 for 2.
While Rachin Ravindra attempted to lap sweep, Tom Blundell attempted a punch, Glenn Phillips flayed, Daryl Mitchell slogged, and Tim Southee pushed at the ball, Williamson and Ajaz Patel went on the defensive. But no of what they did, they were all bowled out in fast succession.
Even on the second evening, there was some rough evident outside the hitters’ off stump, and the ball was already turning and helping the spinners. Jayasuriya bowled Williamson around the wicket to start the Sri Lankan day.
On the third and fourth balls of the third over of the day, the left-arm spinner forced Williamson back, but he later asked the hitter to move forward with a tossed-up, somewhat longer and slower ball. Williamson thus gave Dhananjaya a nicked off the shoulder of the bat.
Among New Zealand’s batsmen, Nightwatcher Ajaz appeared the most confident throughout his 41-ball stint, while Ravindra was busy immediately after taking the pitch. However, Peiris dismissed Ravindra in the twenty-fourth over, bowling him full on leg and then hitting the leg stump when he misplayed his attempted lap sweep.
In a historic batting collapse, New Zealand lost 6 for 27 after being 41 for 3. Following an over in which Peiris trapped Ajaz in front, Mitchell launched Jayasuriya for a boundary and a six off his first four balls. However, he was left to watch the drama play out on the other side, as Blundell and Phillips edged to Dhananjaya off Jayasuriya’s following over.
When Mitchell Santner showed there, he gave Jayasuriya a four and a six to replicate Mitchell’s dosage. When Jayasuriya put Mitchell long on 13 in the 31st over, Mitchell immediately skipped down and lofted to Angelo Mathews. After taking the wicket, Jayasuriya amassed his tenth five-for in Test matches. He then added another wicket when he got Southee to poke at slip.
Santner and Will O’Rourke smashed three boundaries when there was just one wicket left. However, Peiris hit the off stump after dropping one on a superb in-between length around off.
In the opening over of the second innings, before lunch, Peiris had Latham inside-edging to short leg, leaving New Zealand at 3 for 1.