Sri Lanka Dominates as New Zealand Faces Record Test Defeat

New Zealand is nearing their heaviest test defeat after being forced to follow on in the second Test against Sri Lanka. Trailing by 514 runs, New Zealand’s batters struggled against Sri Lanka’s spin attack. Prabath Jayasuriya dominated with six wickets, bringing Sri Lanka close to a historic series win.

New Zealand teeters on the brink of their heaviest Test defeat after being forced to follow on in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. In a devastating morning session in Galle, Sri Lankan bowlers claimed eight wickets, leaving the tourists a massive 514 runs behind.

The situation only worsened for the Blackcaps as they lost opener Tom Latham before lunch in their second innings. New Zealand still needs an improbable 511 runs on a rapidly deteriorating Galle pitch to avoid an innings defeat. Their worst-ever defeat was by an innings and 324 runs against Pakistan in 2002, a record now under threat given their lackluster resistance against Sri Lanka's spin attack.

Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was instrumental in the first innings, securing six wickets for 42 runs, while debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris supported effectively with three scalps, including dismissing Latham in the second innings.

Jayasuriya is now on the verge of making history, needing just six more wickets to equal the record for the fastest to 100 Test wickets, a record held by England's George Lohmann since 1896.

Having already lost the first test by 63 runs, New Zealand now faces the prospect of a humiliating series defeat. For Sri Lanka, a series win would mark their first triumph over New Zealand since 2009.

(With inputs from agencies.)