(BBC) Sri Lanka completed a 2-0 series win over New Zealand despite a defiant century by Daniel Vettori in Colombo yesterday.
The Kiwis began the final day on 182-6, chasing a target of 494, and hoping for rain and heroics from Vettori.
There was a weather hold-up after lunch, by which time Jacon Oram had been dismissed for 56.
But the rain relented and although Vettori made 140, he was last to go as Sri Lanka won by 96 runs, the 783rd Test victim for Muttiah Muralitharan.
The spinner took 3-85 but on this occasion was out-bowled by slow left-armer Rangana Herath, who sent down 48 overs for figures of 5-139 – the third time he had taken five wickets in a Test innings.
Vettori and Oram were together for the tourists at the start of play but they were lucky to survive a hostile early spell from pace bowler Dammika Prasad.
In the same over, he saw Vettori edge between first and second slip and then hit Oram on the pads, only for the umpire to reject a confident lbw appeal. Muralitharan had to go off with a groin problem midway through his 21st over but Sri Lanka eventually ended a stand of 124 between the two batsmen when Oram was caught at cover off Tillakratne Dilshan.
The post-lunch session was delayed for 35 minutes by the weather but Muralitharan was able to return and he made a second breakthrough when Jeetan Patel (12) was caught at short leg. New Zealand’s resistance was not over, however, and Iain O’Brien joined his captain in a 69-run partnership for the eighth wicket, which used up an hour and a quarter.
Vettori reached his fourth Test hundred by hitting Muralitharan over mid-on for four and went on to make his highest Test score.
But he lost O’Brien when he edged a ball from Herath to the ‘keeper and walked before the umpire could raise the finger. And with only last man Chris Martin for company, Vettori eventually succumbed after a 189-ball innings, which included 16 fours, when he tried a sweep shot and was caught by Herath running in from deep mid-wicket.
“I think the key for us was to show a bit of fight, probably put up a performance that is related to our skill,” Vettori said.
“To score 400 in the fourth innings is pleasing but still disappointing. If we hadn’t lost Jacob just before lunch it would have been an interesting next couple of sessions.”
Kumar Sangakkara said: “It’s good to walk away with the win but still as I always say, lots of areas to improve.
“The time Dan and Jacob batted, they batted really, really well.”
The skipper was full of praise for Herath and said: “He has been fantastic and the effort he put in bowling almost 50 overs was just incredible.
“To come in as support for Muralitharan and then for him to become our number one spinner in this Test match with his performance, I think it bodes very well for our future.
“It goes to show that even if Muralitharan is not available for some games for us, we’ve got the bench strength in our spin department to win matches.”
The series whitewash for the Sri Lankans puts them only two points behind number one side South Africa in the Test rankings.
India are one point behind in third, with Australia in fourth spot only six points behind the South Africans.