Christchurch, New Zealand: Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne made his maiden test century to provide dogged resistance as the tourists followed on Sunday on the third day of the first test against New Zealand.
At tea Karunaratne was 116 not out, Angelo Mathews was 12 and Sri Lanka was 201-3, still 102 runs behind New Zealand after being dismissed for 138 in its first innings and following-on 303 behind.
Sri Lanka resumed on day three at 84-0 and Kaushal Silva, was out at his overnight score of 33. Kumar Sangakkara fell for 1.
But Karunaratne and Lahiru Thirimmane stopped the slide, putting on 87 for the third wicket before Thirmanne was out caught behind off Jimmy Neesham for an ultra-patient 25 which took him more than three hours to accrue.
Sangakkara started the test on 11,988 career runs — needing 12 more to become the fifth player in history to scored 12,000 runs in tests. He was out for six in the first innings and a score of one in the second left that milestone still just five runs out of reach.
Sangakkara ends 2014 with 1,493 runs in tests at an average of 71 and 132 runs short of 3,000 runs in all forms of the game in the calendar year, during which he has averaged 50.
He was undone on Sunday by a similar ball to the one that claimed his wicket in the first innings, with Trent Boult tempting him outside off stump and he got an edge through to 'keeper B.J. Watling.
In the morning session, Southee removed opener Kaushal Silva in the first over of the day.
