Scorer: Venkat Raghav | Commentator: Kanishkaa Balachandran
Presentation:
The Man of the Match is Rangana Herath: "I enjoy bowling here. I stick to the basics. I saw on (that I was the leading wicket-taker in 2012).
Taylor: "Herath put us under pressure all the while. The way schedules are these days it can't be helped (lack of warm-ups). The new ball bowlers bowled exceptionally well. The partnership between Angelo and Mahela took the game away. I'm sure there will be a couple of changes before the next Test, but we will have to see the wicket."
Mahela: "He (Herath) has taken a lot of responsibility. This morning we showed a lot of control with the ball and kept the pressure on. It's a great venue and enjoy batting here. When Dilshan is fit he will walk straight into the side, positive to see Dimuth bat. Happy with the young talent but it's a work in progress."
We've shared a lot of our views on what NZ's ideal line-up should be. Might be worth getting Todd Astle in as the second spinner. There's also Wagner in the mix. Franklin's had an ordinary game. We'll see what happens in the second Test at the P Sara Oval on Sunday.
Thanks for your company for this Test, a short one though. Cheers!
End of match: The debutant has the joy of hitting the winning runs on debut. After an evenly matched second day, the third was all Sri Lanka's. New Zealand have extended their losing streak to five now, having lost two each to West Indies and India before this. Going back to the horrors of the mid-90s where they endured another horrible slump. Bring back Flem.
It's all about the batting isn't it? We've talked about this before, but the collective loss of form is causing these defeats. Makes you wonder why there wasn't a request to keep BJ Watling for the Tests.
Luke Winslade wants heads to roll at the top: "This is getting beyond a joke now. Ross Taylor must be fast approaching as the worst NZ captain of all time...yet somehow he keeps the skippers band. Time to try someone new. NZ cricket needs to pull its head out of the sand and start playing hard ball with these inconsistent sorry examples of sportsman. From a very disappointed NZ sports fan!"
Rajneesh Gupta tweets that New Zealand's worst losing streak is 6, during 1954-55.
The team is making the right noises, but consistency must define New Zealand if they are to achieve real progress.
As they did against England earlier this year, Sri Lanka failed to hold onto a series lead at home as New Zealand's pace bowlers delivered victory in Colombo to reignite debate about the home side's frailties
Sri Lanka's marks out of 10, for the Test series against New Zealand
New Zealand's marks out of 10, for the Test series against Sri Lanka
An experienced crop of bowlers should be available but their over-coaching has forced New Zealand to turn to youth - a policy that looks to be unexpectedly working
