KEY POINTS:
Sri Lanka won the second cricket test against New Zealand by 217 runs shortly before tea on day four at the Basin Reserve here today.
Set 504 to win, New Zealand were dismissed for 286 when James Franklin was caught on the mid wicket boundary by Chamara Silva
for 44 to give Muttiah Muralitharan 10 wickets for the match for the fifth time in his last six tests.
He took six for 87 for the innings and and 10 for 118 for the match.
New Zealand won the first test in Christchurch by five wickets on December 9.
The teams now play two Twenty20 games before starting a five-match one-day series in Napier on December 28.
Set a mammoth 504 - or the task of batting more than two days to save the game - New Zealand were on borrowed time at lunch on day four after losing five wickets in an extended opening session.
New Zealand were in deep strife on 174 for seven at lunch -- a deficit of 330 -- with seemingly little chance of lasting the day and then hoping forecast bad weather arrives overnight.
Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga continued their domination of a spooked batting order to leave Daniel Vettori, on 10, and James Franklin, who is yet to score, to try and prolong the contest deep into the second session.
New Zealand resumed on 75 for two and although Mathew Sinclair and Stephen Fleming negotiated the first dozen overs, Malinga's arrival brought instant reward when his first ball to the Black Caps skipper took a thick edge before flying into Kumar Sangakkara's gloves.
Fleming departed for 27 when the score was 115 and when Sinclair exited for 37, caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip off Muralitharan, the die was cast.
Muralitharan then removed Nathan Astle (nine) and Brendon McCullum (17) in quick succession and when Chaminda Vaas trapped an out of form Jacob Oram leg before wicket for four, New Zealand had lost their last three specialist batsmen for just seven runs.
Muralitharan was the chief destroyer with four for 45 off 22 overs.
With just three wickets to claim, Sri Lanka look certain to square their two-match series after dropping the opening test in Christchurch by five wickets.
Sri Lanka have won a solitary test from 12 matches in New Zealand -- the 241-run win over Ken Rutherford's side at Napier in 1995.
- NZPA
