GALLE - Sri Lanka secured a commanding series win over New Zealand with a crushing innings and 154-run victory in the second Test at Galle, completing a 2-0 clean sweep.
Debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris played a pivotal role, claiming six wickets in the second innings on Sunday. New Zealand, following on after being dismissed for a paltry 88 in the first innings, managed to post 360 in their second innings before tea on day four. However, it was not enough to prevent a comprehensive defeat, as Sri Lanka’s spin duo, Peiris and Prabath Jayasuriya, claimed 18 wickets between them across both innings.
Jayasuriya had earlier taken 6-42 in the first innings, dismantling the tourists after Sri Lanka declared at a mammoth 602-5. ”The batting unit really rose to the challenge,” said Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva. “Once we bowled them out for under 100 in the first innings, it was always going to be difficult for them to recover.”
New Zealand showed some fight in the lower order, with Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner all registering half-centuries. Phillips top-scored with a resilient 78, while Blundell contributed 60. Peiris, who had taken three wickets on Saturday, trapped Blundell lbw early on day four, breaking a crucial 95-run partnership with Phillips.
Santner and Phillips continued to resist, adding 64 for the seventh wicket, before Peiris secured his maiden five-wicket haul by dismissing Phillips, who mistimed a shot to long-on. Santner, who fought valiantly with a gritty 67, added a 53-run stand for the ninth wicket with Ajaz Patel before Jayasuriya bowled Patel for 22.
Peiris wrapped up the match by dismissing Santner, stumped by Kusal Mendis. ”It’s tough playing in Galle, and Sri Lanka are a strong team here,” said New Zealand captain Tim Southee. “We struggled to get the breakthroughs, and it was hard to fight back from there.”
Sri Lanka could have sealed the win earlier in the day, but a series of dropped catches delayed the inevitable. Kamindu Mendis spilled two chances, while Peiris also missed an opportunity off his own bowling.This series win marks Sri Lanka’s first against New Zealand since 2009, when they secured a 2-0 victory at home. The visitors remain winless in six Test matches at Galle, with their second innings total of 360 being their highest score at the venue.
Scores in Brief
SRI LANKA 602-5d (Kamindu 182, Chandimal 116, Kusal 106*, Mathews 88, Phillips 3-141) beat NEW ZEALAND 88 (Jayasuriya 6-42, Peiris 3-33) and 360 (Phillips 78, Santner 67, Conway 61, Blundell 60, Peiris 6-170, Jayasuriya 3-139) by an innings and 154 runs.
