Sri Lanka were just five wickets away from a crushing second Test and series victory over New Zealand on Saturday, with the tourists 199-5 at stumps on the third day, having followed on after collapsing to 88 all out in their first innings.

Tom Blundell was not out on 47 and Glenn Phillips on 32 when bad light forced an early end to play in Galle after debutant off-spinner Nishan Peiris took three top-order wickets.

"Obviously the first innings wasn't ideal. It was a bitter pill to swallow," said Blundell afterwards.

"Things were happening very quick. Sri Lanka are a very good team and their spinners bowled really well."

Sri Lanka declared Friday on a mammoth 602-5 for their first innings, then spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took 6-42 for his ninth five-wicket haul as the visitors failed to get to three figures.

Jayasuriya will need to dismiss all five remaining New Zealand batsmen to equal the record for fastest bowler to 100 Test wickets, held since 1896 by England's George Lohmann who reached the milestone in his 16th Test.

"I love bowling in Galle," he said. "But that milestone looks out of reach now.

"Obviously when you have runs on the board you can dictate terms like we did today," he added. "We will be delighted with a series win."

Resuming at a precarious 22-2 in their first innings, New Zealand's batsmen barely put up a fight and their highest partnership was the 20 added by last pair Mitchell Santner, who top scored with 29, and William O'Rourke (two).

Captain de Silva took five catches at first slip to tie the record for most in a Test innings by a non-wicketkeeper, a milestone shared with 15 others.