Taylor pleased with perfect response to critics

Ross Taylor was a delighted New Zealand captain following his team's win that levelled the Test series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

After receiving heavy criticism for a 10-wicket loss in the first Test, the Kiwis fought back with a 167-run victory.

Man-of-the-Match Taylor, who hit 142 and 74, praised the character shown by his side for bouncing back from their trial by spin the previous week, when Man-of-the-Series Rangana Herath took 11 wickets.

He said: "It was tough after losing so comprehensively in Galle but the way we trained and the way we prepared for this match and the way the players stepped up, every single one of them, it was a credit to them. We'll treasure this moment for a while."

New Zealand's win halted a run of five successive Test defeats and represented their first victory in Sri Lanka for 14 years.

Besides Taylor's batting feats, the win proved to be a real team effort with valuable contributions from most of the side. The right-hander offered particular praise to Kane Williamson, who helped his skipper put on 262 for the third-wicket to lay the platform to victory.

"We got a lot of stick during the week and I was very determined to get out there and put a competitive total on the board. Kane Williamson (135) helped me out and 400 was very competitive. We fought hard over all five days," Taylor said.

"We knew if we put the ball in the right areas for long enough [on the final day] we gave ourselves a chance and we certainly did that and held our catches, there were some stunners out there."