Kamindu, spinners lead Sri Lanka to Test series win over New Zealand | cricket

Six wickets from Nishan Peiris led Sri Lanka to a 154-run innings victory in the second Test in Galle.

Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs in the second Test match and completed a 2-0 series win in Galle despite a late fightback from the tourists.

Debut off-spinner Nishan Peiris took six wickets to secure the home team’s first series win against New Zealand in 15 years.

New Zealand were all out for 360 in their second innings before tea on Sunday, the fourth day of the Test, after being asked to play on.

The 27-year-old Peiris and fellow spinner Prabath Jayasuriya shared 18 wickets in the match, with the latter taking 6-42 in the first innings and bowling out the tourists for just 88 after the hosts posted a mammoth score of 602-5 had.

New Zealand’s lower league struggled strongly after recovering to 199-5, with Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner all hitting half-centuries.

Sri Lanka sealed victory when Santner’s stubborn resistance was finally broken and Kusal Mendis was bowled out for a 67 off Peiris.

Sri Lanka could have ended the game and the series in the morning session had it not been for a number of dropped catches.

The result leaves New Zealand winless in six Test appearances in Galle, with Sunday’s 360 representing their highest innings total at the venue.

Kamindu Mendis, whose unbeaten 182 helped Sri Lanka post a massive total of 602-5 in the first innings, was named player of the match.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said Mendis had significantly strengthened his team’s batting power in the middle range.

“I think Kamindu can play the long innings at five and I can finish the game at number six,” said de Silva.

Dinesh Chandimal, who was promoted to number three, also scored a century, confirming the team’s decision to change its batting order.

Kamindu, who scored a century in the opening Test, became the fastest Asian to reach 1,000 Test runs by reaching the milestone in his 13th innings.

“I enjoy scoring goals, especially since Galle is my hometown,” said Kamindu after receiving the player of the match award.

“It is a great pleasure to score 1,000 runs so quickly but we have to improve day by day.”

New Zealand captain Tim Southee said playing two Tests in Galle, known as a spinner’s paradise, was always going to be a challenge.

“It’s difficult for a foreign team and Sri Lanka played great cricket,” Southee said after New Zealand slipped to seventh in the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings. New Zealand travel to India for a three-match Test series starting October 16.