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A focus of 105 seemed direct, yet Sri Lanka made a couple of anxious minutes for New Zealand along the way. A familiar Tom Latham was fixed by a tearing turner from debutant offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and Hamish Rutherford was astounded by Shaminda Eranga's additional skip and hurled a get to crevasse.
Sri Lanka strived hard for further advances. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, however, were steadfast and secured the Test in the seventh over after tea on the fourth day.
The guests had started the day 10 runs behind and with five wickets under control, and their most obvious opportunity was if their commander Angelo Mathews could shepherd the tail. Yet even he was caught off guard for the bouncer from Southee, feathering an edge to the guardian off a front-foot pull at a young hour in the morning.
Kaushal, the night-gatekeeper, dealt with several satisfying strokes through square leg and cover off the front foot before a short ball in the off-stump passage did him. He was gotten in two personalities and before he could pull the bat away, the edge traveled to Mark Craig at second slip to give Southee his first strike of the morning.
Dhammika Prasad was hesitant to get in line for a large portion of his 17 balls and was not prepared when Southee sprung the trap with the more full length - twice. Ross Taylor grassed an outright dolly, yet before his face could become red an alternate came his direction and he got it.
Sri Lanka did well to bat until lunch and their last wicket match even constrained the umpires to take an a large portion of hour's expansion. The lead was 17 when Mathews was rejected, however Eranga and Suranga Lakmal invoked 59 runs off 57 balls. Their agreeable the-front-leg-and-swing strategy baffled New Zealand as they either viewed the ball skirt past the outside edge or skim to the dairy animals corner limit. Boult got through and earned himself and his kindred bowlers some merited rest after 196 testing overs over the two innings.
