Sat Sep 28 13:03:57 UTC 2024: ## New Zealand Face Crushing Defeat in Galle as Sri Lanka Dominate Second Test
**GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) -** New Zealand are staring down the barrel of their heaviest ever Test defeat after being forced to follow-on in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. A disastrous morning session saw Sri Lanka claim eight wickets, leaving the tourists with a massive 514-run deficit.
Things haven’t improved for the Blackcaps, who lost opener Tom Latham before lunch in their second innings. They now face the daunting task of chasing an improbable 511 runs on a spin-friendly Galle pitch just to avoid an innings defeat.
New Zealand’s worst-ever Test loss was by an innings and 324 runs against Pakistan in 2002, and this current performance seems set to break that record. The Blackcaps’ batting has been utterly dismantled by Sri Lanka’s masterful spin attack, offering little resistance.
Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya starred in the first innings, claiming six wickets for 42 runs, while debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris impressed with three wickets before dismissing Latham in the second innings. Jayasuriya is on the verge of history, needing just six more wickets to equal the record for the fastest to 100 Test wickets, a feat currently held by England’s George Lohmann since 1896.
The current situation paints a bleak picture for New Zealand, who face a near impossible task to salvage anything from this Test match.
First Piper 