New Zealand cling on to hopes of win

New Zealand 305 and 92-1 Sri Lanka 298

New Zealand take a lead of 99 runs over Sri Lanka into the final day of the second Test here and could yet force a result from a match and series which had looked certain to be drawn. Should they add another 150 by early afternoon today, there is the prospect of their bowlers taking on a Sri Lanka batting line-up which has looked shaky.

New Zealand had reached 92 for 1 in their second innings at stumps, with Mark Richardson on 51 not out, after the hosts had been bowled out for 298 just after tea, seven fewer than the tourists managed. It took a determined captain's innings of 93 from Hashan Tillakaratne to hold together the Sri Lanka innings after Marvan Atapattu had to retire hurt, a day after being carried off the pitch wearing a surgical collar following a collision with Daniel Vettori.

Fourth day; New Zealand won toss

NEW ZEALAND – First Innings 305 (J D P Oram 74, D L Vettori 55, M H Richardson 55).

SRI LANKA – First Innings (Overnight: 94 for 2)
S T Jayasuriya c Fleming b Wiseman 82
H P Tillakaratne b Wiseman 93
R S Kaluwitharana c Tuffey b Bond 20
H D P Dharmasena c Fleming b Wiseman 5
K S Lokuarachchi c Tuffey b Oram 20
W P U J C Vaas b Oram 22
M S Atapattu ret hurt 2
R A P Nissanka b Wiseman 6
M Muralitharan not out 2
Extras (b6 lb11 nb4) 21
Total (97.3 overs) 298

Fall (cont): 3-126 4-169 5-189 6-234 7-264 8-285 9-298

Bowling: Tuffey 20-6-45-1; Bond 25-6-78-1; Oram 20-2-54-3; Wiseman 32.3-4-104-4.

NEW ZEALAND – Second Innings
M H Richardson not out 51
M J Horne c Tillakaratne b Muralithara 27
S P Fleming not out 10
Extras (lb4) 4
Total (for 1, 30.5 overs) 92

Fall: 1-65.

To bat: M S Sinclair, S B Styris, J D P Oram, R G Hart, P J Wiseman, D L Vettori, D R Tuffey, S E Bond.

Bowling: Vaas 4-2-15-0; Nissanka 5-2-10-0; Dharmasena 4-0-16-0; Lokuarachchi 7-1-15-0; Muralitharan 7.5-1-19-1; Jayasuriya 3-0-13-0.

Umpires: D J Harper (Aus) and S J A Taufel (Aus).