Thilan Thushara opened the door and left Mendis and Muralitharan to do the rest as Sri Lanka wrapped a facile 202 run victory over New Zealand in the first Test in Galle.
sl celebrate
Sri Lanka were pretty much luxuriating over lunch at the heap of wickets in the morning that virtually made New Zealand's final fall a matter of time.
Thushara picked up the wicket of Martin Guptill for eighteen runs and the ill Tim McInstosh and thereafter, left the spinners to make little of the New Zealand efforts. It was not long before Ross Taylor fell to the seemingly innocuous Mahela Jayawardene, leaving the door wide open for an early Sri Lankan victory.
dan vettori1
By lunch, New Zealand were 125 for five and going nowhere. It was the New Zealand captain, Daniel Vettori, who brought some respectability to the fifth day's proceedings. Apart from Brendon McCullum and Jeetan Patel, hopes appeared to rest heavily on Jesse Ryder and it was the fall of his wicket that the back of New Zealand was truly broken, Muttiah Muralitharan's one of three wickets for the innings.
Vettori's sixty-seven only delayed matters but Sri Lanka were not be denied as they wrapped up the first Test in commanding fashion, by 202 runs.
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