COLOMBO: Sri Lanka spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath shared six wickets as New Zealand conceded a first innings lead of 182 runs in the second Test here on Friday.

The tourists, replying to Sri Lanka's first innings score of 416, were bowled out for 234 shortly before lunch on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

The hosts were 2-0 in their second innings in the lone over they faced before the break with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paravitana having scored one run each.

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world's most successful bowler, finished with three for 71 runs to take his record tally to 780 wickets.

Left-arm spinner Herath chipped in with three for 70, while seamer Thilan Thushara claimed two for 37.

Sri Lanka lead the two-match series after winning the first Test in Galle last week by 202 runs.

New Zealand added 24 runs to their overnight score of 159-5 when the overnight pair of Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum were dismissed in successive overs.

McCullum, who made 18, edged Muralitharan to the slip region where Mahela Jayawardene picked up his 150th Test catch.

Taylor, who survived at least three close appeals for leg-before during his knock of 81, was finally removed by Herath to a catch by wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram added 43 for the eighth wicket to save their team from the follow-on when off-spinner Dilshan, replacing Muralitharan, struck with the fourth delivery.

Vettori, on 23, played tentatively forward and the ball went off the bat and pad to forward short-leg, where Chamara Kapugedera took the low catch at the second attempt.

Oram went soon after for 24 when he top-edged an ambitions reverse sweep off Herath for Kapugedera to take his second catch in the innings.

Muralitharan ended the innings by trapping Iain O'Brien leg-before for four.