New Zealand’s fate was decided by being all out for 88 runs in the first innings. Since then, a whitewash by Sri Lanka was a matter of time. The Kiwis had to do something incredible to win from that situation. That was not done, resulting in Kane Williamson’s team losing to the Lankans by an innings and 154 runs.

Sri Lanka made a mountain of 602 runs in the first innings. Kamindu Mendis scored 182 runs despite not getting a double century. Dinesh Chandimal and Kushal Mendis made this run by the hosts Sri Lanka.

After that, the two Lankan spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Nishan Peiris crushed New Zealand. Jayasuriya took 6 wickets for 42 runs. Peiris took 3 wickets with 33 runs.

New Zealand had to start the second innings from 514 runs behind. The record for the highest run in the third innings is theirs, the team scored 680 against India in 2014. Then the team also has an innings of 671 runs against Sri Lanka in 1991. Kiwis needed such an innings to draw the match.

But this time no one could become Brendon McCullum of 2014 or Martin Crowe of 1991. Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tom Blundell got fifties, but returned to the dressing room after finding wickets. Jayasuriya was New Zealand’s main killer in the first innings, with Peiris in the supporting role. Today the roles of the two changed, the visitors lost 6 wickets to Peiris, Prabath took 3 wickets.

New Zealand ended up scoring 360 runs in blue due to the spin poison of the two. As a result, Sri Lanka won the match by an innings and 154 runs. As a result, Sri Lanka won the series 2-0 and kept their hopes of playing in the final of the Test Championship alive.