Sri Lanka get Dilshan boost for Kiwi Test

COLOMBO: Tillakaratne Dilshan has returned to bolster Sri Lanka's batting for the second and final Test against New Zealand starting in Colombo on Sunday after recovering from a back injury.

The opener, who missed the first Test in Galle, will replace Dimuth Karunaratne, his skipper Mahela Jayawardene told reporters on the eve of the match.

Karunaratne made his Test debut in Galle and scored an unbeaten half-century in the second innings as the hosts raced to a 10-wicket victory.

Dilshan, who has so far scored 5,028 runs in 81 Tests, is also a part-time spinner.

Sri Lanka owed their victory in Galle to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who grabbed 11 wickets for his second haul of 10 or more wickets in a match this year.

New Zealand have lost five successive Tests this year, including two each in the West Indies and India, but skipper Ross Taylor said his team would try their best to end the losing streak.

New Zealand's worst run came between January 1954 and October 1955 when they lost six Tests in a row.

Taylor said his team needed to raise their batting performance, especially against spin, after scoring just 221 in the first innings and 118 in the second in Galle.

The New Zealand skipper said he was hopeful key paceman Tim Southee would recover from a thigh strain.

Southee was the most impressive New Zealand bowler in the last match, taking four quick wickets in the first innings to put the hosts under pressure. (AFP)