Vettori fights in vain as Sri Lanka seal series

Aug 30, 2009

With 312 to get and four wickets in hand on the final day, it was only fitting that captain Daniel Vettori led the battle for New Zealand•AFP

Dammika Prasad improved his performance from the first innings and was extremely unlucky on a few occasions•AFP

Sri Lanka were held up as they looked to go for the kill after lunch, with showers playing spoilsport•AFP

Vettori reached his hundred but New Zealand still had an uphill task•AFP

The in-form Thilan Samaraweera picked up the Man-of-the-Series award for scoring 347 runs•Associated Press

He had Jacob Oram at the other end, who lent excellent support•AFP

Sri Lanka were left frustrated, as the sixth-wicket partnership yielded 124, with both Oram and Vettori getting to fifties in the morning session•AFP

But Vettori refused to give up after play resumed•Associated Press

His ninth-wicket stand of 69 with Iain O'Brien took New Zealand closer but O'Brien's fall to Herath made the possibility of a series leveller remote•AFP

For Kumar Sangakkara, it was his second straight series win as captain •Associated Press

But Tillakaratne Dilshan struck just before lunch, removing Oram for 56•Associated Press

The hosts, though, continued to inch closer as Jeetan Patel was sent back by Muttiah Muralitharan•AFP

Sri Lanka wrapped up the match before tea, winning by 96 runs•AFP