GALLE: New Zealand are teetering on the brink of their heaviest defeat in tests after being forced to follow on in the second test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Following a devastating morning session in Galle where Sri Lanka claimed eight wickets, the tourists were asked to follow on, trailing by a staggering 514 runs.
Things only worsened for the Blackcaps, who lost opener Tom Latham before lunch in the second innings. New Zealand still need an improbable 511 runs on a turning Galle pitch just to avoid an innings defeat.
New Zealand's worst-ever defeat was by an innings and 324 runs against Pakistan in 2002 and it would appear a record under threat here given the little resistance New Zealand's batters have offered against Sri Lanka's masterful spin attack.
Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya dominated the first innings, taking six wickets for 42 runs, while debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris was an impressive supporting act, claiming three scalps before dismissing Latham in the second innings.
Jayasuriya is now on the cusp of 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.
The tourists, having already lost the first test by 63 runs, now find themselves on the verge of a humiliating series defeat. For Sri Lanka, a series win would mark their first triumph over New Zealand since 2009.
