Black Caps wrap up series

2005-04-14 08:46

Wellington - 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 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, Tillakaratne Dilshan topscored with a valiant 73 but the resistance ended with his dismissal and the first innings deficit proved to big a hurdle to overcome

Left-armer James Franklin led the 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 Stephen Fleming at first slip.

He bagged Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara after lunch to have Sri Lanka's top order back in the pavillion, 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.

Nathan 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 consistant 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.

- AFP