The Kiwis, who won the first match on Wednesday by three runs, amassed 170-4 after winning the toss and then restricted the World Twenty20 finalists to 148-8 at the Premadasa stadium to clinch a victory by 22-runs. Returning fast bowler Shane Bond led the Black Caps charge with brilliant bowling figures of 3-18 in four overs, while seamer Kyle Mills and off-spinner Nathan McCullum claimed two wickets each.

Earlier, after winning the toss and electing to bat, the Kiwis were given an explosive opening stand by Brendan McCullum and Jesse Ryder. They added 84 runs in 10.4 overs with the left hander Ryder smashing three sixes and as many fours in his 37-ball innings of 52. McCullum hit a 34-ball 49 with two sixes and four boundaries.

Martin Guptill (32) and Jacob Oram (17*) further boosted the total with a 43-run stand for the fourth wicket in 27 balls, before Guptill was bowled by Lasith Malinga off the final ball of the innings. Sanath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka with figures of 2-22 off his 4 overs.

Sri Lanka, chasing a target of almost nine runs an over, got off to the worst possible start when they were reduced to 2-2 off the first seven deliveries and slid to 11-3 soon after. Bond removed the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan with his fifth ball, caught at deep square leg, before Kyle Mills dismissed Mahela Udawatte and Sanath Jayasuriya in successive overs.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara (69) and former captain Mahela Jayawardene (41) put on a brisk 67 for the fourth wicket when Nathan McCullum hit back with two wickets in his first over. Sangakkara then gave Jacob Oram a return catch after making 69 before Bond sealed New Zealand’s win with the wickets of all-rounder Gihan Rupasinghe and tailender Nuwan Kulasekara.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand 170 for 4 (Ryder 52, McCullum 49) beat Sri Lanka (Sangakkara 69, Jayawardene 41, Bond 3-18, Nathan McCullum 2-18 ) by 22 runs

Man of the Match: Jesse Ryder

Man of the Series: Jesse Ryder

New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first and was in trouble early in the innings with both their openers gone within the first 5 overs. But Ross Taylor fought hard to take New Zealand to a respectable total of 141 in their 20 overs.

Taylor made 60 off just 45 balls with Guptill being the second highest scorer making 29. Lasith Malinga was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka finishing with figures of 2 for 21 in his 4 overs.

Sri Lanka, in reply, was off to a flying start with Tillakaratne Dilshan continuing his dream run with the bat. He made a brilliant 57 off 28 balls which included 8 fours and 2 sixes. But the hosts lost seven wickets for 71 runs as they lost the plot completely ending up just 3 runs short of the target at 138-9.

Oram was the most successful bowler for New Zealand ending with figures of 3-33. Oram also became just the second bowler in Twenty20 internationals to pick up a hat-trick. He picked up the first of the three wickets on the last ball of his 3^rd over and then came back to bowl the last over and picked up 2 wickets off the first 2 balls. Skipper Daniel Vettori also once again reminded everyone of his worth with a niggardly spell of 2-11 in 4 overs.

The second Twenty20 match will be played at the same venue on Friday before New Zealand join India and Sri Lanka in a limited-overs tri-series starting here on September 8.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand 141 for 8 (Taylor 60, Malinga 2-21) beat Sri Lanka 137 for 9 (Dilshan 57, Oram 3-32) by three runs

Man of the Match: Daniel Vettori (New Zealand)

Bond, 34, regarded as the best New Zealand fast bowler since Richard Hadlee, was delighted to be playing again for his country after severing ties with the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“It’s been a long time coming and it’s something I never thought would happen again,” he said. “It feels like I am starting all over again.”

Bond, who last played for New Zealand in November 2007, hoped he could meet the expectations from team-mates and fans alike on his highly-anticipated return.

“I think I set myself pretty high standards and it is up to me to meet those,” he said. “I always strive to be the best bowler in the world, nothing’s changed there.” Bond’s fiery pace fetched him 79 wickets in 17 Tests, 125 from 67 one-day internationals and 12 in nine Twenty20 matches till he was banished from official cricket for his ICL connections.

He was not picked for the preceding Test series which Sri Lanka swept 2-0, and warmed up instead by playing for New Zealand’s ‘A’ team in India last month. Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori warned against expecting the premier fast bowler to deliver immediate results.

“I can see the pressure building from a distance,” said Vettori. “People are viewing him as a sort of saviour to some recent woes, but I think we need to let Shane relax and build his way back into the team.”

Vettori was confident his team would perform better in the two Twenty20 internationals on Wednesday and Friday, and the limited-overs tri-series also featuring India from September 8.

“I think the guys have a real belief in their own ability in the shorter forms of the game,” he said. “I hope we will see a turnaround in our performances.”

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be without star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who suffered a groin injury during the second Test last week and is being rested ahead of the tri-series. The hosts, World Twenty20 finalists this year, have picked veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya and fast bowler Lasith Malinga for the two matches.

Squads:

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Ian Butler, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Sanath Jayasuraiya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Kapugedara, Gihan Rupasinghe, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Kaushal Lokuarachchi.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed five wickets as the Kiwis, set an improbable victory target of 494 runs, were bowled out for 397 in their second innings just before tea on the fifth day.

“It’s a great achievement to be number two,” said Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara. “But a Test is a test when it is played against tougher opponents. We have a long way to go to improve in all forms of the game.”

“I think at the moment we are scratching the surface. If we perform consistently in the next two to three years, we can turn back and say we have done well. Herath was incredible today, bowling about 50 overs in the hot weather. He is a good companion for Muralitharan because he takes the pressure off him,” said the Sri Lankan captain.

The success leaves Sangakkara with four wins in five matches as captain since taking over from Mahela Jayawardene in the preceding home series against Pakistan.

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori tried his best but couldn’t avoid the defeat which was pretty much inevitable after they were set a target of 494. Vettori put in a spirited batting performance making 140, his fourth test century, as he led a lower order revival after the top order failed to put up any resistance.

“To score 400 in the fourth innings was pleasing but it is still disappointing to lose the match,” he said. “Some more runs from the guys at the top could have taken the game the full distance.”

The left-hander frustrated the Sri Lankans for more than four hours in which he faced 189 deliveries and hit 16 boundaries before he was last man to be dismissed. Vettori scored 272 runs and picked up 10 wickets in the series, and in the process became only the eighth batsman in history to achieve the double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets.

“We have got the talent but we are not turning that talent into big scores. I think we have been guilty of trying to force the pace too much, instead of just trying to bat on and on like the Sri Lankans. The key was to put up a fight but we were not able to do that in the series,” he said.

Vettori hoped for a better showing in the two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka on Wednesday and Friday and the tri-series featuring India starting on September 8.

“I think there is a confidence in our side in the shorter format of the game, so hopefully we will see a turnaround in the team’s fortunes,” he said.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 416 (Samaraweera 143, Jayawardene 92, Patel 4-78) and 311 for 5 dec (Sangakkara 109, Jayawardene 96) beat New Zealand 234 (Taylor 81, Herath 3-70, Muralitharan 3-71) and 397 (Vettori 140, Oram 56, Herath 5-139) by 96 runs

Man of the Match: Mahela Jayawardene

Man of the Series: Thilan Samaraweera

The hosts, who led by 182 runs in the first innings, were 157-2 in their second knock when heavy rain ended play 12.4 overs early on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Sangakkara followed his 50 in the first innings with a fluent unbeaten 64, having shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 68 with former captain Mahela Jayawardene (23 not out). Sri Lanka will resume on the fourth day with an overall lead of 339 runs with eight wickets in hand.

Earlier, Sri Lanka spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath shared six wickets between them as New Zealand was bowled out for 234 in their first innings in reply to Sri Lanka’s 416 giving the hosts a lead of 182 runs in the first innings.

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world’s most successful bowler, finished with three for 71 runs to take his record tally to 780 wickets. Left-arm spinner Herath finished with three for 70, while seamer Thilan Thushara claimed two for 37.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 416 and 157 for 2 (Sangakkara 64*, Jayawardene 23*) lead New Zealand 234 (Taylor 81, Herath 3-70, Murali 3-71) by 339 runs

The tourists, replying to Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 416, saw their entire top order wiped out as they struggled to 159-5 by stumps on the second day at the Sinhalese sports club.

Ross Taylor was unbeaten on 70 and Brendon McCullum was on 5 with the tourists still needing 58 more runs to avoid the follow-on.

Samaraweera, who made 159 in the first Test at Galle which Sri Lanka won by 202 runs, hit 143 on way to becoming the second batsman after England captain Andrew Strauss to complete 1,000 runs this year. The right-hander has so far scored 1,058 runs in eight Tests in 2009 with two double centuries among his four three-figure knocks. Strauss, in comparison, has 1,071 runs from 12 matches.

Samaraweera, who turns 33 next month, has had an extraordinary year in which he hit two successive double-centuries against Pakistan before being laid low by gunshots during a militant attack. He was hospitalised for two weeks after he suffered a bullet injury in the left thigh when gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore on March 3.

Samaraweera proved the prized scalp for New Zealand after Sri Lanka resumed at their overnight score of 262-3. Former captain Mahela Jayawardene missed a second successive ton against the Kiwis when he edged a ball from O’Brien to McCullum after making 92.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand 159 for 5 (Taylor 70*, McCullum 5*, Thushara 2-37) trail Sri Lanka 416 (Samaraweera 143, Mahela Jayawardene 92, Sangakkara 50, Patel 4-78) by 257 runs.

The left-arm spinner, who has scored 3,329 runs, claimed his 300th wicket when he dismissed his Sri Lankan counterpart Kumar Sangakkara in the afternoon session of the first day’s play.

Vettori, 30, joined a select band of all-rounder’s including Kapil Dev (India), Ian Botham (England), Richard Hadlee (New Zealand), Imran Khan (Pakistan), Shane Warne (Australia), Shaun Pollock (South Africa) and Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka).

He is already the most successful left-arm spinner in history, having surpassed England’s Derek Underwood’s tally of 297 wickets in the first Test in Galle last week.

“I still see myself as a bowler rather than an all-rounder,” said Vettori, playing his 94th Test. “As a spin bowler, I did not think a feat like this will happen, so it’s a very special feeling.”

Jayawardene and Samaraweera, though, made sure that that was the only moment of happiness for the Kiwis as they batted with a lot of maturity to take Sri Lanka to 262 for 3 at the end of Day 1. Jayawardene was unbeaten on 79 and Samaraweera was on 78, having shared a fourth-wicket stand of 147 after tight bowling by the Black Caps had kept the Sri Lankans on a tight leash.

“We were ideally looking at five wickets, but Mahela and Thilan are seasoned players and are at the top of their game,” Vettori said. “I hope our batsmen will take a leaf out of their book and put up a big score too.”

Vettori, who began the match with 298 wickets, got his first wicket of the day when he had left-handed opener Tharanga Paranavitana (19) edging his second delivery to Ross Taylor in the slips.

The hero of the last match, Tillakaratne Dilshan, looked completely out of sorts in this match in his lackluster innings of 29. Once Dilshan was dismissed, Sangakkara and Jayawardene then put on 40 runs for the third wicket before Vettori dismissed Sangakkara to reach the milestone.

Sangakkara, who made 50, pulled a short ball to mid-wicket where Jacob Oram took the catch and ran to his teammates to join in the celebrations for their captain.

Sri Lankan coach Trevor Bayliss said he was delighted at the total so far. “When we lost three early wickets, I thought 300 was possible, but now it looks like 400,” he said. “Mahela and Thilan really did the job for us.”

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 262 for 3 (Mahela Jayawardene 79*, Samaraweera 78*, Vettori 2-65) v New Zealand

The Kiwis, set an improbable target of 413 runs, collapsed to 210 all-out in their second innings before tea on the fifth and final day at the Galle International Stadium.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed 3-88 to take his world record tally to 777 wickets, while left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara and spinner Ajantha Mendis picked up two scalps each.

Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori battled bravely for two-and-a-half hours to make 67, his 20th Test fifty, leading a brief resistance by the lower order after the Kiwis were reduced to 86-5.

The Black caps, who had 13 of their 15 players affected by a stomach bug and viral fever, were hoping the weather might do them a favour as it had not been too good throughout the test match — only for clear skies to break over the coastal town for the first time since the Test began.

Jesse Ryder, one of the player’s worst affected by the virus, showed a lot of courage and defended his wicket for almost an hour to add 48 for the sixth wicket with his captain before he was caught behind off Muralitharan for 22 soon after lunch.

The second and final Test will be played at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo from Wednesday. New Zealand will also play two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka and a limited-overs tri-series with India as the third team.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka 452 (Samaraweera 159, M Jayawardene 114, Martin 4-77) and 259 for 5 dec. (Dilshan 123) beat New Zealand 299 (McIntosh 69, Murali 4-73, Thushara 4-81) and 210 (Vettori 67, Murali 3-88) by 202 runs

Man of the Match: Tillekaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)

The tourists, set an improbable target of 413 following an unbeaten century by Tillakaratne Dilshan, managed to reach 30-1 in 13 overs by stumps on the fourth day at the Galle International Stadium. Dilshan made 123 not out as Sri Lanka declared their second innings at 259-4 at the stroke of tea.

A sharp shower during the tea break interrupted play by 40 minutes but New Zealand lost the wicket of Daniel Flynn before stumps when he was caught in the slips off Nuwan Kulasekara.

Martin Guptill was unbeaten on 17 and Ross Taylor was on eight when bad light stopped play with 14 overs remaining in the day.

To make matters worse for them, New Zealand may be without hard hitting batsman Jesse Ryder and wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum in their second innings after the duo suffered a stomach bug and were confined to their hotel rooms on Friday.

“They are very sick and I am not sure if, and at what stage, they will take part in this Test,” Black Caps manager David Currie told reporters.

Sri Lanka quite graciously accepted New Zealand’s request to field reserve wicket-keeper Reece Young on Friday since Ryder had been nominated to don the gloves if McCullum got injured. Rules do not normally allow anyone outside the playing XI from keeping wicket.

Earlier, Thilan Thushara and Muttiah Muralitharan finished with four wickets each as New Zealand, replying to Sri Lanka’s 452, were bowled out for 299 in their first innings.

Dilshan, promoted to open the innings in this Test for the first time in his career, followed a brilliant 92 in the first innings with 12 boundaries and a six in his ninth Test century off just 115 balls. He smashed all the Kiwi bowlers all around the ground.

With three more sessions to play out on a turning pitch, and New Zealand without two of their frontline batsmen, even drawing this test match seems like a distant reality for the Kiwis.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand 30 for 1 (Guptill 17*) and 299 (McIntosh 69, Murali 4-73, Thushara 4-81) need another 383 runs to beat Sri Lanka 452 and 259 for 4 dec (Dilshan 123*, Sangakkara 46*)

After heavy rains delayed the start of play by 90 minutes, Sri Lanka kept chipping away with wickets at regular intervals whittling out six wickets before bad light took the players off with New Zealand having just avoided the follow-on target.

Thilan Thushara and Muttiah Muralitharan were Sri Lanka’s bowling heroes, while Tim McIntosh, who faced 226 balls for his 69, led the resistance for the visitors. Along the way, Murali passed Shane Warne for the most maidens bowled in Test cricket (1761), and New Zealand were left to rely on their all-rounder’s to take them past the follow-on target.

It was the eighth wicket pair of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori who through their resolute batting denied Sri Lanka the follow-on. The duo, which came together with the Black Caps still needing 30 runs to avoid the follow-on in the rain-hit Test, put on a defiant stand of 36 after tea on the third day.

Ryder was eventually dismissed for 42, but skipper Vettori returned unbeaten on 33 as New Zealand ended the day at 281-8, still 171 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 452. Tailender Iain O’Brien was the other batsman at the crease on 3.

Sri Lanka still has two days to force a win at the Galle International Stadium on a wicket that has already started to spin big.

“The wicket is very slow, but it will be interesting if we can set New Zealand about 300-325 runs on the last day,” said the home team’s star spinner and world bowling record holder, Muttiah Muralitharan. “We must first take the last two wickets quickly. A lot will depend on the weather because we need to get two full days of cricket in.”

The Black Caps, led by a gutsy 69 from left-handed opener Tim McIntosh, were in a comfortable position at 180-3 when the collapse started as three wickets fell for 15 runs in the post-lunch session.

The collapse was triggered by two wickets from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara, who had Ross Taylor caught behind for 35 and bowled Brendon McCullum for one off the inside edge.

Muralitharan had two lucky breaks when he earned a leg-before verdict against the sturdy McIntosh and had Jacob Oram caught off the pad at short-leg for 12. Television replays showed Australian umpire Daryl Harper erred in both decisions.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand 281 for 8 (McIntosh 69, Vettori 33*, O’Brien 3*, Muralitharan 3-66, Thushara 3-80) trail Sri Lanka 452 by 171 runs.