New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori became only the eighth player ever to achieve the double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets as Sri Lanka groped for runs in the second Test on Wednesday.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori became only the eighth player ever to achieve the double of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets as Sri Lanka groped for runs in the second Test on Wednesday.
The left-arm spinner, who has scored 3,329 runs, claimed his 300th wicket when he had his Sri Lankan counterpart Kumar Sangakkara caught at mid-wicket in the afternoon session of the first day's play.
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Sangakkara had anchored the Sri Lankan attack with his 32nd half-century as the hosts carried their lunch score of 62-1 to 146-3 by tea at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Mahela Jayawardene was unbeaten on 31 and Thilan Samaraweera was on 15 with Sri Lanka adding only 84 runs in 35 overs during the extended two-and-a-half hour session.
Vettori (30) joins a select band of all-rounders that includes Kapil Dev of India, Ian Botham of England, Richard Hadlee of New Zealand, Imran Khan of Pakistan, Shane Warne of Australia, Shaun Pollock of South Africa and Sri Lankan Chaminda Vaas.
He is already the most successful left-arm spinner in history, having surpassed Englishman Derek Underwood's tally of 297 wickets in the first Test in Galle last week.
Sri Lanka elected to take first strike on a firm wicket that Vettori said "looked like a road" at the toss, after the start was delayed by 30 minutes due to a wet outfield caused by early morning rain.
Vettori, who began the match with 298 wickets, had left-handed opener Tharanga Paranavitana (19) edging his second delivery to Ross Taylor in the slips.
Sri Lanka suffered a crucial blow in the third over after lunch when Tillakaratne Dilshan, who hit 92 and 123 not out in the first Test, was dismissed for a unusually lacklustre 29.
Seamer Iain O'Brien, who had dropped a return catch off the previous delivery, made no mistake a second time as Dilshan mis-timed a drive and looped the ball back to the bowler.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene had put on 40 for the third wicket when Vettori was rewarded a second time during an unchanged 17-over spell 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 Lanka made three changes from the team that won the first Test in Galle by 202 runs, leaving out all-rounder Angelo Mathews, spinner Ajantha Mendis and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara.
They were replaced by batsman Chamara Kapugedera, seamer Dammika Prasad and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
The Kiwis kept the same team that lost in Galle.
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