After an opening stand of 71, Sri Lanka lost all 10 wickets for 62 further runs to return advantage to New Zealand at tea on the third day of the second test.
The visitors' total of 133 left the hosts chasing 189 for victory. New Zealand were 33 for two at tea, losing openers Tom Latham and Martin Guptill. Kane Williamson (10) and Ross Taylor (18) were the not out batsmen.
Sri Lanka's collapse included seven for 48 after lunch. New Zealand employed a short-pitched bowling strategy with captain Brendon McCullum stacking his fielders behind the wicket and sweeping the boundaries to pick up the spoils.
Tim Southee was the best of the bowlers, finishing with four for 26 from 12.3 overs. The haul took him to 163 test wickets and into fifth place on New Zealand's all-time list in front of Danny Morrison (160).
The visiting batsmen held an aversion to hitting along the ground and a predilection for scooping in the air. That's where six of the dismissals originated; three came from out-and-out skilful bowling and there was a run out shambles.
It should be stressed, the wickets did not seem to fall because of the pitch, unless decent bounce and carry is a groundsman sin. Accurate short deliveries ruled the session.
The match has turned into a duel which should be over inside four days one way or t'other.
Sri Lanka initially asserted their dominance on the third morning, extending their overall lead to 140 runs.
The visitors went to lunch at 85 for three after dismissing the hosts for 237, five runs and six balls into the day.
The Sri Lankans were presented with the best of the batting conditions for their second innings. History suggested New Zealand would struggle to chase any target in excess of 212.
That's the highest fourth innings chase at the ground in 20 completed tests. The statistic might need tempering with the fact this is the first test contested on Patumahoe clay.
New Zealand's highest successful chase at the venue was 160 for six against India in 2002.
In the wickets before lunch, Doug Bracewell banged a ball in short to Karunaratne who fended it off his face on 27. It ballooned behind the wicket where Southee pounced from second slip, snaffling it before wicketkeeper B-J Watling.
Two balls later Bracewell employed a similar tactic, angling across left-hander Udara Jayasundera from over the wicket. The New Zealanders appealed on the assumption the ball had brushed his gloves.
Umpire Paul Reiffel ruled 'not out' but his television colleague Richard Kettleborough disagreed, despite what appeared limited evidence via Hotspot and Snicko. A minor deviation was apparent on the visual close-up.
Dinesh Chandimal was the last wicket to go. Neil Wagner forced him to play around the corner to leg gully. Martin Guptill took a sharp catch low to his left.
- By Andrew Alderson at Seddon Park
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