| 0.0 : Welcome to the 2nd and final Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The hosts are up and running in the World Test Championship after a good win against New Zealand. The hosts would look to make it two in two and whitewash the Kiwis. They will have to make do without the star from the last game, Akila Dananjaya who was reported for suspect bowling action. Dilruwan Perera looks likely to come in place of him. The visitors, on the other hand, will now look to get their campaign underway in this I |
| TOSS - After a huge delay, we are finally ready for the toss. Sri Lanka skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne has the coin in hand. Up it goes and lands in favour of Karunaratne. SRI LANKA OPT TO BAT! |
| Sri Lanka Playing XI - Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dilruwan Perera (IN for Akila Dananjaya), Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embuldeniya, Lahiru Kumara. |
| New Zealand Playing XI - Jeet Raval, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (WK), Colin de Grandhomme (IN for Mitchell Santner), Tim Southee, William Somerville, Ajaz Patel, Trent Boult. |
| Kudos to the groundstaff who have done exceedingly well to get the ground ready though it was raining hammer and tonks. There will be 2 sessions played, each of 30 overs. |
| Sri Lanka skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne says that there will be some movement earlier on and if they bat through the stage then it will get better. Tells they are playing 3 spinners as they expect spinners to play a big part. Informs, Akila Dananjaya misses out and Dilruwan Perera comes in. |
| New Zealand skipper Williamson says that it is important to make changes from the last game and do better. Admits that he was surprised by the way the wicket played in the last game as they expected the ball to spin but that did not happen. On the surface, Williamson tells that it looks like a good surface. On his team changes, Kane informs that Colin de Grandhomme comes in place of Mitchell Santner. |
| We are all set to begin! After a lengthy delay we are ready. Sri Lanka skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne walks out with Lahiru Thirimanne to open the innings. Trent Boult to start the proceedings with the new ball. |
| 0.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Boult starts with a good length ball outside off, there is a hint of away swing on this one. Karunaratne leaves it alone to start off his innings. |
| 0.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Hits the deck hard on off, there is hardly any movement on this one. Dimuth gets behind the ball and defends it off the front foot towards cover. |
| 0.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne blocks it off the front foot. |
| 0.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On the fourth stump line, Karunaratne does not disturb that. |
| 0.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Once again Boult tempts Dimuth to drive but Karunaratne does not fall into the trap. |
| 0.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth leaves it alone to get through the over. Maiden to begin with for New Zealand. |
| Tim Southee to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Southee starts with a good length ball on off, Thirimanne begins his innings with a solid back foot defense. |
| 1.2 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, On top of off, Thirimanne gets behind the ball and keeps it out. |
| 1.3 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Southee continues to bowl in the channel of off stump. Thirimanne keeps his focus and blocks it. |
| 1.4 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Southee misses his line and bowls one down the leg side. Lahiru goes for the flick but misses. BJ Watling behind the stumps, dives to his right and does well to save runs for his side. |
| 1.5 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Back of a length ball on off, Thirimanne defends it with a straight bat. |
| 1.6 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Maiden for Southee too to begin with. Good length ball outside off, Thirimanne leaves it alone. Sri Lanka yet to get off the mark. |
| 2.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, FOUR! Sri Lanka are underway! Length ball around off, Karunaratne picks the length early and punches it wide of point. The fielder at point dives to his right but cannot stop the ball. The ball beats him and races away to the fence. |
| 2.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Follows it up with a calm and sensible leave outside off. |
| 2.3 : T Boult to D Karunaratne, EDGED AND FOUR! Boult bowls an away swinger pitching on off, Karunaratne looks to defend but ends up edging it. He though plays it with soft hands, meaning that even though the ball takes the outside edge it goes all along the ground, between gully and point for a boundary. |
| 2.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Now calmly defends it right off the meat towards cover. |
| 2.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off, Dimuth keeps it out. |
| 2.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne has nothing to do with it and leaves it alone. 8 off the over. |
| 3.1 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Southee bowls it on the pads, Thirimanne looks to flick but gets it off the pads. It goes towards the keeper. |
| 3.2 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, On a length on middle, Thirimanne flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 3.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off and middle, Karunaratne keeps his eyes on the ball and pulls it in a controlled manner through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 3.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Length ball outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to it. |
| 3.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Dimuth keeps it out. |
| 3.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, On the 4th stump line, Karunaratne has no business with it. |
| 4.1 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Good length ball on off, Thirimanne defends it right of the middle. |
| 4.2 : T Boult to Thirimanne, On top of off, Lahiru blocks it off the front foot. |
| 4.3 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Back of a length delivery on off, Thirimanne gets on his back foot and blocks it. |
| 4.4 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Good length ball outside off, it nips back in but Thirimanne is aware of his off pole and leaves it alone. |
| 4.5 : T Boult to Thirimanne, No swing on this one as this starts on the 4th stump line and goes straight to the keeper. |
| 4.6 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Length ball on middle, Thirimanne blocks it off the front foot. |
| 5.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, EDGED AND FOUR! Another edge from Karunaratne which goes between second slip and gully. Fuller on off, Dimuth looks to defend with soft hands. The ball zips away and takes the fat outside edge of Karunaratne's bat. It dissects slip and gully and races away to the fence. |
| 5.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Hits the deck outside off, it comes in but Karunaratne shows his calm and awareness and leaves it alone. |
| 5.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball outside off, Dimuth leaves it alone. |
| 5.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Another calm leave from Karunaratne outside his off pole. |
| 5.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle and off, Dimuth flicks it but finds mid-wicket. |
| 5.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Ohh! Length ball outside off, Dimuth initially looks to play but then decides to leave in the last minute. He is late though as the ball hits the lower half of his bat. Luckily for him there is no casualty. |
| 6.1 : T Boult to Thirimanne, On the pads, Thirimanne looks to flick but the ball goes off his pad fine down the leg side. The batsmen take a single as BJ Watling cleans it up. |
| 6.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Non swinger outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to it. |
| 6.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Length ball on top of off, Dimuth defends it off the back foot towards point. |
| 6.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Just a bit too high. Good length ball pitching on off, Karunaratne strides forward to defend but the ball nips in sharply. Dimuth misses his defense and the ball hits him high on the pads. There is a huge appeal but nothing form the umpire. |
| 6.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, FOUR! Crunched away! This is how you respond to a LBW call. Good length ball outside off, Karunaratne picks it early and slams it over the point fielder for a boundary. |
| 6.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On off, Karunaratne defends it to get through the over. |
| 7.1 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Good length ball outside off, Thirimanne leaves it alone. |
| 7.2 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, On the fourth stump line, Thirimanne shoulders arms to it. |
| 7.3 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Very full on middle, Lahiru does well to get his bat down in time and keep it out. |
| 7.4 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Length delivery closer to the off pole, Thirimanne taps it towards gully. |
| 7.5 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Play and a miss! Southee bowls it full outside off, Thirimanne's eyes lit up looking at the line outside off. Lahiru goes for the drive but luckily does not get a feather on it to the keeper. |
| 7.6 : Tim Southee to Thirimanne, Full on middle, LT defends it off the middle of his bat towards mid on. |
| 8.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Away swinger full on off, Dimuth gets right behind the ball and defends it solidly towards mid off. |
| 8.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good length ball around off, Karunaratne keeps it out of his back foot. |
| 8.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Dimuth shows that he is in good form as once again he defends it right off the middle of his willow. |
| 8.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne will hardly ever go after that one. He shoulders arms to it in a typical Test match fashion. |
| 8.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good length ball on off, the Sri Lankan skipper defends it towards mid on. |
| 8.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Full on off and middle, Karunaratne flicks it through mid-wicket. The outfield was covered so it is not as slow as it would have been in other parts of the world. The ball still does not have the legs to reach the fence. The fielder cleans it up. The batters meanwhile come back for the third. |
| 9.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 9.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne pushes it to mid off. |
| 9.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Shorter around the body, first short ball this. Karunaratne ducks under it. |
| 9.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Length ball on off, Karunaratne defends it with a straight bat. |
| 9.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller and going away with the angle, Karunaratne defends it with the angle towards cover. |
| 9.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full ball outside off, DK shoulders arms to one more ball that is outside off. Classical Test match batting. |
| 10.1 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Length delivery on middle, Thirimanne flicks it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 10.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good length ball on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 10.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good fielding! Back of a length ball around off, Karunaratne hops and guides it through third man. Nicholls and Williamson go after it. Nicholls dives and pulls it before the ropes. He lays it behind to Williamson. Saves a run for his side. |
| 10.4 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Fuller on middle, Thirimanne strokes it to mid on. |
| 10.5 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Back of a length ball on off, Thirimanne defends it off the back foot. |
| 10.6 : T Boult to Thirimanne, On middle and leg, Lahiru tucks it towards square leg. |
| First change of the day. Colin de Grandhomme is into the attack. |
| 11.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Starts with a good length ball on off and middle, Dimuth defends it towards mid-wicket. |
| 11.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On a length outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 11.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth punches it off the inner half of his bat towards point. |
| 11.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On middle, Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 11.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Direct hit but no issue. Good length ball around off, Karunaratne strokes it towards point and takes a single. The fielder then scores a direct hit at the keeper's end. The ball ricochets off the stumps and goes behind allowing them to take one more. |
| 11.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Dot to finish the over. Length delivery outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms to it. |
| William Somerville is into the attack. |
| 12.1 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Floated on middle and off, Thirimanne strokes it to mid off. |
| 12.2 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Flighted on off, Lahiru defends it off the front foot. |
| 12.3 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, DROPPED! Tough chance but Thirimanne has got a lifeline here. Short and spins away just a bit. Thirimanne looks to cut but the ball stays low and kisses the inside edge of the bat. It hits BJ Watling's glove but he fails to take it. |
| 12.4 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Floated on off, Lahiru keeps it out. |
| 12.5 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Shorter on off, Thirimanne defends it with a straight bat. |
| 12.6 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Floated around off, Lahiru blocks it away. |
| 13.1 : de Grandhomme to D Karunaratne, Edged but falls short. Good length ball on off, Dimuth looks to defend but the ball shapes away and takes the outside edge. It falls short off the man at first slip. Just before this ball de Grandhomme wanted Taylor to come a little more further. |
| 13.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 13.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on middle, Karunaratne flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 13.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length ball on off, Dimuth punches it to cover-point. |
| 13.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Karunaratne has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 13.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Dimuth taps it back to the bowler. |
| 14.1 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Floated on off, Thirimanne pushes it to mid off. |
| 14.2 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Short and spinning away, Thirimanne strokes it with the spin towards point. |
| 14.3 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, Short again on off, Thirimanne defends it off the back foot. |
| 14.4 : W Somerville to Thirimanne, OUT! Caught! Soft dismissal for Thirimanne. Similiar to the way Dimuth got out in the first innings of the first Test. Somerville tosses it up on off, the ball comes slower than Thirimanne expected. He is early in his push and he ends up chipping it straight to cover. New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson there takes a simple catch. |
| Drinks Break! New Zealand have just managed to get a breakthrough. Dimuth Karunaratne has looked strong in the middle though. He holds the key here for Sri Lanka. New Zealand will now look to keep chipping away with the wickets. |
| Kusal Mendis walks out at number 3. |
| 14.5 : W Somerville to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis starts his innings off the front foot. |
| 14.6 : W Somerville to Mendis, Flighted on off, Mendis bends his back and keeps it out. |
| 15.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Length ball outside off, Karunaratne cuts it through point for a single. |
| 15.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Good length ball outside off, it swings away just a bit. Mendis reads it and leaves it alone. |
| 15.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Fuller on middle, Mendis flicks to mid-wicket. |
| 15.4 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Full again on middle and leg, Kusal defends it to mid on. |
| 15.5 : de Grandhomme to K Mendis, Edged but safe! Also very well stopped by Southee. Good length ball around off, Mendis looks to defend but the ball moves away and takes the outside edge of Kusal's willow. It goes on a bounce to the right of Southee at second slip. Tim dives and does really well to save runs for his side. |
| 15.6 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Back of a length ball on off, Mendis keeps it out to get through the over. |
| 16.1 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 16.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Karunaratne drives it to mid off. |
| 16.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Floated delivery on off, the skipper keeps it out. |
| 16.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Loopy delivery on middle, Karunaratne flicks it towards short leg. |
| 16.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up delivery on off, Karunaratne blocks it well. |
| 16.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery on off, Dimuth drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 17.1 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Fuller on off, Mendis looks to flick but the ball takes the leading edge towards cover. |
| 17.2 : de Grandhomme to K Mendis, Good length ball on off, Kusal looks to defend but gets a thick outside edge which goes on a bounce towards slip. |
| 17.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Outside off and this time Mendis calmly leaves it. |
| 17.4 : de Grandhomme to K Mendis, EDGED AND FOUR! Good length ball swinging away from the batter. Mendis looks to defend but once again gets a thick outside edge. The ball goes between slip and gully and to the fence. Kusal continues to struggle with getting proper timing. |
| 17.5 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Now calmly leaves it alone. |
| 17.6 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 18.1 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, FOUR! Smart batting this from the Sri Lankan skipper. Short and spinning away. Dimuth waits and then opens his face of the bat towards the third man region for a boundary. |
| 0.0 : Not a good sign. The groundstaff are seen moving around the boundary line. |
| 18.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Follows it up with a calm front foot defense. |
| 18.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted on the stumps, Karunaratne defends it off the front foot. |
| 18.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Karunaratne comes down the track and milks it towards long on for one. |
| 18.5 : W Somerville to K Mendis, Short and turning in to the batter. Mendis gets on his back foot and pulls it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 18.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Floats one on off, Karunaratne taps it back towards Somerville. |
| 19.1 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Fuller on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Back of a length ball on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Fuller on off, Mendis strokes it towards mid off. The fielder there dives to his right and saves a certain boundary. |
| 19.4 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis leaves it alone. |
| 19.5 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Misfield! Full on middle and off, Kusal strokes it to the right of mid on. Jeet Raval there moves to that side but cannot get down in time. The ball goes past him allowing them to take couple. |
| 19.6 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, On middle, Mendis flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 20.1 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Short outside off, Dimuth cuts it against the spin towards point for one. |
| 20.2 : W Somerville to Mendis, Shorter on the pads, Kusal tucks it behind square on the leg side. |
| 20.3 : W Somerville to Mendis, On the pads, Mendis flicks it to the on side for a single. |
| 20.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted on off, Karunaratne pushes it to cover for a run. |
| 20.5 : W Somerville to Mendis, FOUR! Short and rightfully punished. It is on the leg side, a rare loose delivery from Somerville. Mendis is not gonna miss out on that. He gets on his back foot and swivels it to pull through the vacant square leg region for a boundary. |
| 20.6 : W Somerville to Mendis, Follows it up with a calm defense to get through the over. |
| Tim Southee is back on! |
| 21.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Starts his new spell with a good length ball outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 21.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, One more delivery outside off. This is closer to the off pole but Karunaratne shoulders arms to it. |
| 21.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, On the fourth stump line, Dimuth leaves it alone. |
| 21.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to it. |
| 21.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full around off, Karunaratne drives it off the inner half of his bat straight to mid on. |
| 21.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, The line and length is the same but this time Karunaratne drives it to mid off. |
| 22.1 : W Somerville to Mendis, Shorter on middle, Mendis tucks it to square leg. |
| 22.2 : W Somerville to Mendis, Flights one on off, Kusal bends his back and blocks it. |
| 22.3 : W Somerville to Mendis, Short around off, Mendis waits for it and then runs it down towards backward point. The fielder from deep point cleans it up. Two taken. That also brings up the 50 for Sri Lanka. |
| 22.4 : W Somerville to K Mendis, FOUR! Uppish but just wide. Short on middle and leg, Mendis goes on his back foot and initially looks to sweep. He sees the ball is short so he pulls it wide of backward square leg for a boundary. The fielder dived but had no chance. |
| 22.5 : W Somerville to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 22.6 : W Somerville to Mendis, Once again short, Mendis pulls it towards square leg and keeps the strike. |
| 23.1 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball on off and middle, Mendis glances it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 23.2 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Beauty! Southee steams in and pitches it around off. Mendis looks to defend but the ball zips back in viciously. It cuts Mendis in half and just about misses the off pole. |
| 23.3 : Tim Southee to K Mendis, Mendis continues to find the gaps here. Length ball around off, Kusal cuts it through point and gets a couple. |
| 23.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Mendis defends it towards point and calls for a single. Dimuth though is quick to refuse it and rightfully so as that would have been nothing but just a suicidal run. |
| 23.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length delivery on off, Mendis defends it off the back foot. |
| 23.6 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis lets it carry to the keeper. |
| Ajaz Patel is introduced into the attack. |
| 24.1 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Starts with a flighted delivery on off. Karunaratne comes down the track and strokes it wide of mid on for one. |
| 24.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Short on middle. Mendis picks the length early and pulls it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 24.3 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis lunges forward and blocks it. |
| 24.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Tossed up outside off, Mendis strokes it towards cover. |
| 24.5 : A Patel to Mendis, Loopy full toss outside off, Mendis misses out on it as he hits it straight to cover. |
| 24.6 : A Patel to Mendis, On off, Kusal blocks to get through the over. |
| 25.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Length ball around off, Mendis tucks it towards mid-wicket off the inner half of his bat for a run. |
| 25.2 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Fuller on off, Mendis defends it with a straight bat. |
| 25.3 : Tim Southee to Mendis, On the stumps, Kusal defends it towards mid on off the inner half of his bat. |
| 25.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Full on off, Mendis drives it to the left of Southee. He puts his left hand out but cannot keep it cleanly as the ball goes to mid off. |
| 25.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Lethargic from Watling. Good length ball outside off, Mendis leaves it alone. Watling loses his concentration and fails to take it. The ball deflects off his gloves away from the slip. Allowing them to take a bye. |
| 25.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off, Dimuth defends it off the front foot. |
| 26.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 26.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted on off, Mendis defends it off his front foot. |
| 26.3 : A Patel to Mendis, On off, Mendis blocks it out. |
| 26.4 : A Patel to Mendis, No spin yet for Ajaz. He tosses it up on off, Kusal keeps it out. |
| 26.5 : A Patel to Mendis, FOUR! Comical effort from Raval. Shorter on off, Mendis punches it through cover-point. Raval goes chasing after it and looks to pull it back but he tumbles and the ball races away to the fence. |
| 26.6 : A Patel to Mendis, Follows the boundary with a solid block. |
| 27.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Very well controlled pull this from Karunaratne . Back of a length ball around off, Dimuth pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for a single. |
| 27.2 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Kusal keeps it out. |
| 27.3 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Outside off, KM leaves it alone. |
| 27.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball around off, Kusal taps it to gully. |
| 27.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Full on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 27.6 : Tim Southee to Mendis, On middle, Kusal glances it to the on side and keeps the strike. |
| 28.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Floats one on off, Mendis defends it classically. |
| 28.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Tossed up on middle, Kusal keeps it out. |
| 28.3 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis defends it to get through the over. |
| 28.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis defends it. |
| 28.5 : A Patel to Mendis, Shorter on off, Kusal punches it to cover. |
| 28.6 : A Patel to Mendis, Loopy ball on off, Mendis strokes it back towards the bowler to get through the over and the 1st session of the day. |
| TEA! An even first session here in Colombo. Just in case you are wondering that how is it Tea and first session then let me remind you that rain delayed the start by more than 3 hours. |
| New Zealand have managed to get one wicket and have been successful in not allowing Sri Lanka any easy runs. Somerville has been the only bowler so far in the wickets column. The hosts, on the other hand, will be happy having lost just a wicket. Mendis and their skipper, Karunaratne have looked good out in the middle and have managed to put the bad balls away. The duo has added 42 runs and will look to continue their good work. Join us in a while for the last session of the day as it promises to |
| ... Day 1, Session 3 ... |
| No! no! no!!! The covers are on and we will have a further delay. It is not raining at the moment but looks like it is a precautionary measure. The whole ground is not covered at the moment. It looks like the groundsmen are anticipating it to pour. |
| Yippiee!! The covers are off and we are all set to restart. Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis walk out to resume their innings. Tim Southee to bowl the first over of the new session. Just FYI, the session is extended till 1830 local (No, we are not joking). That will be a serious challenge to the light. |
| 29.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, FOUR! Sri Lanka are back for the new session with a bang! Overpitched ball around off, Dimuth gets on his front foot and creams his drive through extra cover for a boundary. |
| 29.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Now calmly leaves this one alone outside off. |
| 29.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length ball on the 4th stump line, Karunaratne has no business with it. |
| 29.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Tempting Karunaratne to drive by bowling outside off. Dimuth is having none of it. |
| 29.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Away from the off pole, DK shoulders arms to it. |
| 29.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller and on the 5th stump line. DK lets it carry to the keeper. |
| Colin de Grandhomme to partner Southee. |
| 30.1 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Starts his new spell with a fuller ball outside off, Mendis leaves it alone. |
| 30.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, On off and middle this time, Kusal defends it towards cover. |
| 30.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Full on off, Kusal looks to defend but it goes to the on side off the inner half of his defensive bat. |
| 30.4 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Pulls his length back and bowls outside off, Mendis punches it towards sweeper cover and gets to the other end. His first run of this session. |
| 30.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on off, Dimuth pushes it to cover. |
| 30.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off, Karunaratne defends it off his back foot to get through the over. |
| 31.1 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Mendis tucks it to mid-wicket for one. |
| 0.0 : Is that a run out? No one seems excited. Replays tell why. Kusal Mendis is yards in. |
| 31.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Safely in! Brings up the 50-run stand between the two with some hiccup. Good length ball on the pads, Karunaratne flicks it towards square leg and calls for two. They run the first one hard and go for the second. The fielder gets to the ball quickly and sends it to the bowler's end. Southee takes the bails off and the umpire takes it upstairs. One replay is enough to confirm that Kusal Mendis is well in. |
| 31.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length ball outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 31.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne pushes it to mid off. |
| 31.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length ball outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 31.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, On off, Karunaratne punches it to cover. |
| 32.1 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Length delivery around off, Mendis defends it towards point and shouts a loud no. |
| 32.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Mendis defends it to mid off. |
| 32.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, OUT! Caught! Colin de Grandhomme breaks the 50-run stand. A gentle delivery just outside off, it moves away just a hint. Moves enough to trouble the batter. Kusal Mendis is drawn forward to defend but not completely committed to the cause. He still goes ahead with it and gets a thin outside edge straight to the keeper. Watling takes a sitter and once again Mendis fails to make the use of his start. |
| Angelo Mathews is the new man in. |
| 32.4 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Full on off, Mathews starts his innings with a solid front foot defense. |
| 32.5 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Good length ball outside off, Mathews watches it carry to the keeper. |
| 32.6 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Good length ball on off, Mathews blocks it off the front foot. End of a good over from Southee. A wicket maiden. |
| 33.1 : Tim Southee to D Karunaratne, A short ball, around middle, Karunaratne swivels and pulls it through square leg where the fielder fumbles but recovers quickly. Just a single. |
| 33.2 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Around off, solidly defended back to the bowler. |
| 33.3 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Another watchful shot, this time leaving the ball to the keeper. |
| 33.4 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Full and outside off, Mathews shoulders arms. |
| 33.5 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Outside off, left alone. |
| 33.6 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Landed outside off, well kept out. |
| 34.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Landed outside off, punched straight to cover. |
| 34.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Landed outside off, steered towards third man. William Somerville gives it a good chase from backward point and slides to his right to stop the ball. Two runs taken. |
| 34.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne looks to punch it through the off side but gets a thick inside edge which goes past the stumps towards square leg. A single taken. |
| 34.4 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Full and straight, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 34.5 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Outside off, left alone. |
| 34.6 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, A length ball outside off, moving away off the deck, Angelo defends watchfully. |
| Trent Boult is back for another spell. 6-2-19-0 so far. |
| 35.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good length ball around off, Karunaratne defends it to cover. |
| 35.2 : T Boult to D Karunaratne, Length ball around off, Dimuth looks to defend it with soft hands but ends up getting a thick outside edge which goes to the left of first slip. The fielder there dives and saves runs for his team. |
| 35.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, This time defends it right of the middle. |
| 35.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On the pads, Dimuth nudges it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 35.5 : T Boult to A Mathews, Good bowling this. Pitches it on middle and makes the ball to tail in. Mathews looks to flick but gets a leading edge which goes all along the ground towards point. |
| 35.6 : T Boult to Mathews, On the pads, Mathews looks to flick but once again misses. This one hits him high on the thigh pad. |
| 36.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on off, Dimuth pushes it to mid off. |
| 36.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length ball around off, Karunaratne runs it down to third man for a single. |
| 36.3 : de Grandhomme to A Mathews, Full and swinging away. Mathews pushes it off the inner half of his bat towards mid off. |
| Well the umpires are having a word with one another as it is getting dark here. And they are not happy with it and the players are walking off the field. |
| That will be STUMPS on Day 1. The day that began with disappointment has ended in similar fashion too. The start was delayed for a long, long while due to rain. But kudos to the groundstaff, they worked hard and ensured that we did get some play and did not leave empty-handed. |
| After winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bat. Karunaratne and Thirimanne took their time to start but for the latter the start never came and he departed for just 2 consuming 35 balls. Kusal Mendis and the Sri Lankan skipper then steadied the ship and added a 50-run stand. Mendis though once again failed to convert his start. That was the last set of action as the day that began with rain ended with bad light. |
| 5 bowlers were used for New Zealand for their 36.3 overs. All bowlers bowled really well and hardly gave the hosts any freebies. De Grandhomme impressed the most with the ball and rightfully got a wicket to his name. Somerville was the other one to be into the wickets column. |
| That is it from Day 1. Join us on Friday, 23rd August 2019 for Day 2 of this intriguing Test. It will be an early start so make sure you join us at 0945 Local (0415 GMT). Let us hope that unlike Day 1, the weather stays clear and we get no interruptions. See you all on Day 2. Till then, cheers! |
| ... Day 2, Session 1 ... |
| Welcome to the coverage of Day 2 of 2nd Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. It was rain that stole the show on Day 1, winning almost 2 sessions. In the little play we got, it was once again a closely fought contest. Yes Sri Lanka have lost two wickets but their star batter and skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne is still fighting it out in the middle. He is joined by the experienced Angelo Mathews. The duo hold the key here for the hosts. New Zealand, on the other hand, will be looking to break this |
| Kyle Mills down with the weather and ground report. Mills starts by saying that it is overcast. Mills then has a check on the outfield and he says that the outfield is still rock hard and credits the groundstaff for the way they have credited the work. |
| UPDATE 0945 Local (0415 GMT) - Not a good news to begin with but also not as bad as last night. It was raining overnight and earlier in the morning. It has stopped raining now though and the groundstaff are slowly peeling the covers off. The surrounding areas are the concern as they are wet. The players are out doing the warmups and we will have a delay of around 45 minutes. |
| Everything is clear and we are almost ready to start play. Remember that the Lunch will be taken at 1245 Local. |
| Kyle Mills is down with the pitch report. Mills says even though it looks wet he says the pitch is not wet. Reminds us that the wicket was hard yesterday and today it is the same. Mills though adds that it was slow in nature. Kyle reckons it is due to the density of the wicket which makes it slower. |
| We are all set to start Day 2. Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews walk out to resume their innings. Mathews is yet to get off the mark. He will be on strike. Colin de Grandhomme to finish off his incomplete over. Just a reminder he bowled 3 balls yesterday before Bad lights stopped play. |
| 36.4 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Starts the new day with a fuller ball on off. Angelo gets on his front foot and pushes it to cover. |
| 36.5 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Pulls his length back just a hint and bowls it outside off. Angelo leaves it alone. |
| 36.6 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, No ball! Seldom you see a medium pacer overstep. It is full on middle, Mathews blocks it towards mid on. |
| de Grandhomme to Mathews, Mathews is off the mark. It has taken him 18 balls to get the scoreboard ticking. It is on the pads, Mathews glances it towards fine leg and keeps the strike with a single. End of an over which technically lasted more than 8 hours. |
| Trent Boult to partner Colin de Grandhomme this morning. |
| 37.1 : T Boult to Mathews, Starts with a back of a length ball on off, Mathews defends it off his back foot. |
| 37.2 : T Boult to A Mathews, Good length ball pitching on off. It moves away just a hint. Mathews prods forward to defend it with soft hands. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to second slip on a bounce. |
| 37.3 : T Boult to Mathews, Once again bowls it on a length around off, Mathews punches it to cover. |
| 37.4 : T Boult to Mathews, Maintains the same line and length. Mathews defends it with a straight bat. |
| 37.5 : T Boult to Mathews, Fuller this time on off. Angelo pushes it to mid off. |
| 37.6 : T Boult to Mathews, Full on off, Mathews defends it with a straight bat to get through the over. |
| 38.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length ball outside off, it tails in a bit. Dimuth plants his front foot forward and looks to defend but the ball takes an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 38.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth is in no hurry to get to his fifty and leaves it alone. |
| 38.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, FIFTY FOR KARUNARATNE. His 23rd in Test cricket. The skipper continues his good form and once again leads his troops from the front. On a testing condition, Dimuth chose to bat and he is paving the path for his teammates to follow. He gets to the milestone by tapping this length ball towards the backward point region and getting to the other end. He raises his bat in appreciation and soaks in all the well deserved applause. |
| 38.4 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, On the fourth stump line, Angelo shoulders arms to it. |
| 38.5 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Back of a length on off, Mathews defends it off the back foot. |
| 38.6 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Hits the deck hard on off, Angelo keeps it out. |
| 39.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne blocks it off the back foot. |
| 39.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Fuller on the stumps, Karunaratne defends it off the front foot. |
| 39.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off and middle, Dimuth strokes it to cover-point. |
| 39.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Full on off, Karunaratne nudges it to mid on as the bat turns in his hand. |
| 39.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Full on off, Dimuth looks to drive but it goes to cover off the outer half of his bat. |
| 39.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Back of a length ball around off, Dimuth punches it towards cover and keeps the strike. |
| 40.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne defends it off the inner half of his bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 40.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on off, Karunaratne drives it to the right of cover. Southee dives and deflects the ball. Latham behind gets wrong-footed due to the deflection allowing the batsman to take two. |
| 40.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth has no business with it. |
| 40.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller around off once again, Karunaratne drives it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 40.5 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Fuller ball around off, Mathews looks to drive but it zips away a tad and goes off the leading edge towards point for one. |
| 40.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle, Karunaratne defends it properly from the middle of his bat. |
| 41.1 : T Boult to Mathews, OUT! Caught! 250th Test wicket for Trent Boult. This was not the best of balls that Boult has bowled but he will take it with both hands. Trent surprises Mathews with the length as he bangs this one shot. It is close to the body but down the leg side. Mathews goes for the pull but ends up getting a fat edge to the left of the keeper. BJ Watling moves to his left and puts a half dive to take a good catch. New Zealand needed early wicket and they have got their first one |
| 0.0 : Kusal Perera is the new man in at number 4. |
| 41.2 : T Boult to Perera, Excellent ball to welcome a new batsman. No one likes to face a yorker first up but Perera had to do just that. Kusal does well to dig it out. |
| 41.3 : T Boult to Perera, Fuller on off, Kusal looks to drive but it goes off the bottom edge towards mid off. |
| 41.4 : T Boult to Perera, On the pads, Perera looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pad. |
| 41.5 : T Boult to Perera, OUT! LBW! Second wicket in the over for Trent Boult. Kusal has completely misread that one and that has outdone him. Boult steams in and bowls it on a length on off. Kusal expects it to move away and hence he shoulders arms to this one. The ball though comes in and hits the back leg of Perera. New Zealand players put in a huge appeal and the umpire agrees. Perera and Dimuth have a discussion and they opt against the review. Good decision as that looked plumb to the naked |
| Dhananjaya de Silva walks out next. |
| 41.6 : T Boult to Silva, Hits the deck hard on off, Silva defends it to get through the over. An excellent over from Boult. He has jolted the Sri Lankan batting lineup here. |
| 42.1 : de Grandhomme to D Karunaratne, NO BALL! Colin de Grandhomme oversteps! On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth shoulders arms to this one. |
| 42.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, OHH! That was not far away from finding the outside edge. Full ball outside off, Karunaratne gets tempted to go for the drive. He goes for it but luckily for him the ball just about misses the outside edge of the Sri Lankan skipper's bat. |
| 42.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Dimuth calms his nerves and leaves it alone. |
| 42.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length ball on off, Dimuth defends it off the front foot. |
| 42.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Dimuth lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 42.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On the pads, Dimuth flicks it but cannot go past mid-wicket. |
| 43.1 : T Boult to Silva, On the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it to the on side and gets off the mark. |
| 43.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Fuller on the pads, Karunaratne glances it to the on side and gets to the other end. |
| 43.3 : T Boult to Silva, Length ball around off, Dhananjaya punches it to cover. |
| 43.4 : Boult to Silva, UPPISH AND FOUR! Good length ball on off and middle, the ball sticks onto the surface. Dhananjaya goes for the drive but does so uppishly. It goes wide to the right of Boult. He stretches his right arm out but cannot get close to the ball. The ball races away through mid on for a boundary. |
| 43.5 : T Boult to Silva, Follows the nervy boundary with a calm front foot defense. |
| 43.6 : T Boult to Silva, Hits the deck hard on top of the stumps. De Silva blocks it to get through the over. |
| 44.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Length ball around off, Dimuth defends it calmly off his front foot. |
| 44.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne defends it off the front foot. |
| 44.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off on a length, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 44.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Length ball around off, Dimuth punches it to point. |
| 44.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Fuller on middle, Karunaratne pushes it to mid on. |
| 44.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Another maiden from Colin de Grandhomme. The last ball is full on middle and off, Dimuth flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 45.1 : T Boult to Silva, On top of off, Dhananjaya defends it with a straight bat towards mid on. |
| 45.2 : T Boult to Silva, Full ball on off, de Silva strokes it to mid on. |
| 45.3 : T Boult to Silva, Fuller around off, Dhananjaya looks to drive it on the up but it goes towards square leg off the inner half of his bat. |
| 45.4 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball outside off, de Silva shoulders arms to it. |
| 45.5 : T Boult to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 45.6 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball on off, Silva keeps it out. |
| 46.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Close! Full outside off, Dimuth goes for the drive but misses. The ball was not far away from his outside edge. |
| 46.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off on a length, Karunaratne comes down the track and then leaves it alone. |
| 46.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, No ball! Third one from Colin de Grandhomme. He bowls it full on off, Karunaratne defends it off his front foot. |
| de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Dimuth plays it to point. |
| 46.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On middle, DK flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 46.5 : de Grandhomme to D Karunaratne, Short ball on off, Dimuth pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 46.6 : de Grandhomme to Silva, EDGED AND FOUR! Unlucky for the bowler. You have to feel sorry for the bowler. It is a very good ball. Full and swinging in around off, Dhananjaya de Silva goes for the drive but gets a thick inside edge. The ball just about misses the leg pole and races away to the fine leg fence. De Silva was unable to find the gaps but this time he has found one in an unlikely way. |
| 47.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On the pads, Karunaratne flicks it to the on side and gives the strike to Dhananjaya. |
| 47.2 : T Boult to Silva, Play and miss. Fuller outside off, de Silva goes for the drive but misses. |
| 47.3 : T Boult to Silva, Fuller on off, Dhananjaya drives it off the inner half of his bat towards mid on. |
| 47.4 : Boult to Silva, IN THE AIR...AND DROPPED! Boult cannot blame anyone else as he is the culprit himself. Everyone is shocked as Boult is one of the best fielders going around. Back of a length ball on off, Dhananjaya goes for the flick but ends up getting a leading edge. He ends up ballooning it to side of the pitch on the leg side. Boult calls for it as the fielder from mid-wicket also comes in. Trent looks to take it with his fingers pointing towards the sky. It looks like an easy catch bu |
| 47.5 : T Boult to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya goes for the drive but misses. |
| 47.6 : T Boult to Silva, Full ball on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot to get through the over he shouldn't have got through. |
| 48.1 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On a good length and outside off, Karunaratne offers no shot. |
| 48.2 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full and outside off, the skipper drives it to mid off. |
| 48.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Good length delivery outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 48.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on middle, Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 48.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne shoulders arms to this one. |
| 48.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne looks to defend but gets a leading edge. It goes towards point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 49.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On the pads, Karunaratne flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 49.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, On the pads, Dimuth looks to flick but the ball goes off his thigh pads towards the leg side for a leg bye. |
| 49.3 : T Boult to de Silva, Short ball around off, de Silva pulls it towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 49.4 : T Boult to Karunaratne, The batsman has punched that ball through the offside. |
| 49.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Brilliant from Latham! Full on middle, Karunaratne flicks it through mid-wicket. Tom Latham runs in from deep mid-wicket and pulls it back before the ropes with a dive, saving a run in the process. With this 3, Karunaratne completes 12,000 runs in First Class cricket. |
| 49.6 : T Boult to de Silva, Short around off, de Silva pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 50.1 : de Grandhomme to Silva, On the fourth stump line, de Silva has nothing to do with it and leaves it alone. |
| 50.2 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Fuller on middle, de Silva flicks it to mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 50.3 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Full on middle, Karunaratne pushes it to mid on. |
| 50.4 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Once again de Grandhomme serves it full on off, Dimuth drives it towards mid on as the bat turns in his hand. |
| 50.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Dimuth plants his front foot out and defends it classically. |
| 50.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, On the fourth stump line, Dimuth shoulders arms to it to get through drinks. |
| Drinks Break! The first hour has clearly belonged to New Zealand. They have scalped 2 wickets both falling to Boult. The smiling assassin should have had 3 but he put down a sitter. For Sri Lanka, it has been a testing hour but their skipper is paving the way for his side and has looked solid once again. |
| Tim Southee replaces his pace bowling partner, Trent Boult. 12-4-22-0, his figures so far. |
| 51.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Starts with a full ball on off, de Silva defends it off the front foot. |
| 51.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, Back of a length ball on off, de Silva defends it off the back foot. |
| 51.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Full on off, de Silva gets on his front foot and defends it. |
| 51.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Pulls his length back and bowls it on off, de Silva punches it to cover for one. |
| 51.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne watches it carry to the keeper. |
| 51.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length ball outside off, it comes back in. Karunaratne goes for the flick but misses. The ball hits him high on his thigh pad and hence no appeal. |
| 52.1 : de Grandhomme to Silva, FOUR! Third boundary for Dhananjaya de Silva. A rare loose delivery from Colin. He strays this down the leg side, Dhananjaya just flikcs it with ease through fine leg for a boundary. |
| 52.2 : de Grandhomme to Silva, De Grandhomme corrects his line and bowls it full on off. De Silva defends it off the front foot. |
| 52.3 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Another full ball on the stumps, Dhananjaya keeps it out. |
| 52.4 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Pulls his length back and serves it on off, Dhananjaya punches it to cover-point for a run. |
| 52.5 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Outside off, tempting Dimuth to drive. Karunaratne is having none of it and leaves it alone. |
| 52.6 : de Grandhomme to Karunaratne, Once again leaves the ball that is away from the stumps. |
| 53.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Bouncer around off, De Silva hops and pulls it towards mid-wicket. It falls in no man's land. The batsmen take a couple as the fielder from deep mops it up. |
| 53.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, Full on off, de Silva defends it back to the bowler. |
| 53.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Length delivery on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 53.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Short now, de Silva pulls it in a controlled manner towards deep mid-wicket for two. |
| 53.5 : Tim Southee to de Silva, Fuller on off, de Silva defends it off the outer half of his bat towards point. |
| 53.6 : Tim Southee to Silva, Non swinging ball outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| Spinner into the attack for the first time today. Ajaz Patel is on now. |
| 54.1 : A Patel to Karunaratne, DROPPED! Had Williamson taken that, it would have been a blinder. Tossed up around off, Karunartane comes down the track and flicks it uppishly to the right of short mid-wicket. Kane Williamson there stretches and gets his hands on the ball but he fails to bask it in. Would have been an absolute stunner had he held onto it. |
| 54.2 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Fighted outside off, Karunaratne looks to defend but the ball spins in and hits him on the pad outside off. There is a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. |
| 54.3 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, DK blocks it. |
| 54.4 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Short and quick around off, Karunaratne looks to play it late but it hits him on the thigh pad. |
| 54.5 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Once again Diimuth comes down the track but this time he strokes it to cover for one. |
| 54.6 : A Patel to Silva, Shorter on off, de Silva taps it towards third man against the spin for a single. |
| 55.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, On a good length on off, Karunaratne taps it towards point for a single. |
| 55.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, Full and outside off, Dhananjaya drives it towards mid off for a quick single. |
| 55.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length delivery on off, Dimuth blocks it off the back foot. |
| 55.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full and outside off, Karunaratne drives it through covers. The batsmen take a run. |
| 55.5 : Tim Southee to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya lets it go. |
| 55.6 : Tim Southee to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 56.1 : A Patel to D Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Dimuth comes down the track and takes it as a full toss. Karunaratne milks it long on for one. |
| 56.2 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 56.3 : Patel to Silva, Inside edge to the rescue. Tossed up on off, de Silva prods forward to defend but the ball spins in and hits the pad. There is a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. Replays later on confirm there was a thick inside edge. |
| 56.4 : A Patel to Silva, Short and spinning away, de Silva waits and defends it late under his eyes. |
| 56.5 : A Patel to Silva, Floats one on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 56.6 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted on off, de Silva blocks it to get through the over. |
| 57.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 57.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Fuller on off, Karunaratne pushes it to mid off. |
| 57.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, OUT! Edged and taken! Massive wicket for New Zealand. It is the Sri Lankan skipper and their best batter, Dimuth Karunaratne. Full ball outside off, Dimuth has been leaving those but on occasions when he has gone for the drive he has missed and been lucky but the lady luck has evaded him. He goes for the drive but ends up getting a thick outside edge which goes to the left of the wicket keeper. BJ Watling moves across to that side and takes a simple catch. End o |
| Niroshan Dickwella is the new man in. |
| 57.4 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Very full outside off, Dickwella initially looks to go after it but then leaves it alone. |
| 57.5 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, On the fifth stump line, Dickwella shoulders arms to it. |
| 57.6 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, OUT! Caught! Second wicket in the over for Southee. Just like Boult did earlier in the day, Southee too has turned the game in just one over. Fuller delivery pitching on off, the ball tails away after hitting the deck. Dickwella goes for the drive but ends up getting a thick outside edge straight to the keeper. Watling makes no mistake. Dickwella walks without troubling the scorers. Sri Lanka lose wickets in cluster once again. By the looks of it another middle or |
| Dilruwan Perera is the new batsman in. |
| 58.1 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off, Dhananjaya comes down the track and plays it to mid off. |
| 58.2 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted delivery on off, de Silva defends it off the front foot. |
| 58.3 : A Patel to Silva, Floated delivery on middle, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 58.4 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off, Dhananjaya comes forward and drives it towards mid off for a run. |
| 58.5 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted delivery on middle, Perera defends it out. |
| 58.6 : A Patel to Perera, Loopy delivery outside off, Perera looks to defend but misses it. |
| 59.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, TOP EDGE AND FOUR! Short ball on middle and off, Dhananjaya goes for the pull but gets a top edge which flies fine down the leg side. It is on a no man's land and goes away to the fence. |
| 59.2 : Tim Southee to de Silva, Short again, this one does not rise onto the batsman. De Silva pulls it to mid-wicket. |
| 59.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Fuller on off, de Silva defends it off the front foot. |
| The third man has come very fine now. Like the first slip has gone deep, that is how fine it is. |
| 59.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Back of a length ball on off, de Silva pulls it towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 59.5 : Tim Southee to Perera, Beauty! Full on off, drives the batsman forward to defend. The ball then tails away and beats the batsman comprehensively. |
| 59.6 : Tim Southee to D Perera, Excellent fielding! It is the skipper, Kane Williamson. Fuller on off, Perera looks to defend but it finds the outside edge and goes to the left of backward point. Williamson there dives to that side and saves runs for his side. 100 marks for the effort. |
| 60.1 : A Patel to Silva, Peach! Ajaz bowls it slower through the air on off, de Silva looks to defend but the ball spins and grips away and beats the outside edge all ends up. |
| 60.2 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on off, de Silva defends it off the front foot this time. |
| 60.3 : A Patel to Silva, Flights one on off, Dhananjaya keeps it out. |
| 60.4 : A Patel to Silva, On the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it to square leg. |
| 60.5 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on off, Silva looks to defend but does so off the inner half of his bat. |
| 60.6 : A Patel to Silva, On the stumps, Dhananjaya keeps it out to get through the over. |
| 61.1 : Tim Southee to Perera, Bouncer! It is closer to the body, Perera ducks under it. |
| 61.2 : Tim Southee to Perera, Fuller on off, Dilruwan keeps it out. |
| 61.3 : Tim Southee to Perera, On the stumps, Dilruwan does well to block that away. |
| 61.4 : Tim Southee to Perera, Two bouncers sandwiched between two full balls. This is smart bowling. It is around off, DP sits under it. |
| 61.5 : Tim Southee to Perera, Back of a length ball around the body, Perera looks to defend but the ball hits him on flush on the glove and then onto his thigh pad. |
| 61.6 : Tim Southee to Perera, Length delivery outside off, Dilruwan runs it down to backward point and gets off the mark. He shall keep the strike too. |
| The physio is out in the middle, having a check on Dilruwan's finger. Cause of concern for Sri Lanka as the blow he has couped is on his bowling finger. |
| 62.1 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted on off, Dilruwan defends it off the front foot. |
| 62.2 : A Patel to Perera, Shorter on middle, Perera strokes it to mid on. |
| 62.3 : A Patel to D Perera, Flights one on off, Perera drives it nicely but straight to the man at cover. |
| 62.4 : A Patel to Perera, Floated on the stumps, Perera plants his front foot forward and blocks it. |
| 62.5 : A Patel to Perera, Shorter on off, Dilruwan punches it to cover. |
| 62.6 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted on off, DP does well to defend it and fight out another over. |
| 63.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Short ball on off, Dhananjaya pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 63.2 : Tim Southee to Perera, Good length delivery on middle, Perera defends it off the back foot. |
| 63.3 : Tim Southee to Perera, Full on middle, Perera drives it through mid on. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 63.4 : Tim Southee to Perera, Bowls a bouncer, Dilruwan does well to duck under it. |
| 63.5 : Tim Southee to Perera, Bowls a bouncer again, Perera ducks underneath it. |
| 63.6 : Tim Southee to Perera, On a good length and outside off, Perera leaves it alone. |
| 64.1 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off, Dhananjaya comes down the track and strokes it to long off for one. |
| 64.2 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted on off, Perera keeps it out. |
| 64.3 : A Patel to D Perera, Tossed up and spinning away. It pitches on middle and off, Dilruwan looks to defend but gets a thick outside edge. Perera played it with soft hands and hence it falls short of the man at first slip. |
| 64.4 : A Patel to Perera, Flights one on off, Perera keeps it out. |
| 64.5 : A Patel to Perera, On the pads, Dilruwan flicks it towards mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 64.6 : A Patel to Perera, On off, Dilruwan keeps it out. |
| 65.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Shorter on off, de Silva punches it to the off side for one. |
| 65.2 : Tim Southee to Perera, Good length ball on off, Perera defends it with a straight bat. |
| 65.3 : Tim Southee to Perera, Very well bowled short one. It is around off, Perera hops and keeps his bat hanging. Unluckily for Southee, Dilruwan does not glove it. |
| 65.4 : Tim Southee to Perera, On the pads, Perera flicks it to square leg. |
| 65.5 : Tim Southee to Perera, Very well defended. It is short on the body, Perera hops and does well to keep it out. |
| 65.6 : Tim Southee to Perera, Good length ball outside off, DP leaves it alone. |
| It has started to rain and the umpires have smartly called for Lunch as well. The officials have been really on the mark with their decisions in this Test. |
| A session which clearly belonged to the visitors. New Zealand did not give away any free runs and that built the pressure in the process. One would have thought the spinners will be the key but it has been the pacers that have done the damage. Boult and Southee were excellent picking up two wickets apiece in the day. The latter showed his stamina as well as he bowled a long spell to finish the session. |
| Nothing much to talk about Sri Lanka's batting in this session. Apart from skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva the rest have failed to deliver. The much talked about middle order batting once again showed signs of crumbling. Dhananjaya de Silva is still out in the middle and has showed good fight. Yes, he was lucky when he was put down by Boult but other than that he has looked solid so far. The hosts will be eyeing at least 250, whereas the visitors will be looking to restrict t |
| ... Day 2, Session 2 .... |
| UPDATE 1320 Local (0750 GMT) - Not a good news. It is still raining in Colombo and now the whole ground has once again gone under covers. It is not a heavy rain so that's a positive. But this will be a long delay as even once the rain stops it will take more than 40 minutes for us to start again. |
| UPDATE 1400 Local (0830 GMT) - Seems like rain is the one winning this Test match as it continues to torture us with its presence. |
| UPDATE - 3.35 pm local (1005 GMT) - Nothing to update. Nothing, really. The rain has won the day and it is STUMPS ON DAY 2. It has been raining incessantly and the umpires have said that enough is enough, abandoning play for the day. |
| Just 29.3 overs possible on Day 2 then, which means that this Test is more or less going in one direction. NOWHERE. With 3 days left and all 4 innings still to be completed, it would need a miracle to get a result from here. Sri Lanka would want Dhananjaya and Perera to get some runs under their belt and then go through the motions till Monday, weather permitting. |
| As far as the Kiwis are concerned, they will aim to get the Lankans out as quickly as possible and try and outscore them before Sunday and then aim to bowl them out on Monday to make the series 1-1. Looks farfetched. Join us on Saturday at 9.45 am local (0415 GMT) for all the action from Day 3. (Hoping that there will be plenty). ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 3, Morning Session ... |
| Welcome to the coverage of the 2nd Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. We are into Day 3 and Sri Lanka continue to bat. No, they have not batted 150 overs or more they have just batted for just 66 overs so far. In one session we got on Day 2, it was the Kiwis who dominated. They have put Sri Lanka on the back foot and will look to wrap up the tail as quickly as possible. Dhananjaya de Silva holds the key for the hosts and the onus will be on him if they are to reach close to 250. The day loo |
| PITCH REPORT - Kyle Mills is down with the pitch report. Mills reminds us only 66 overs have been bowled and hence the pitch is relatively new. Informs the curator has not been able to work on the pitch as it has been under cover. Further adds that due to this reason the footmarks are still fresh. Mills thinks as the game progresses, the spinners will come more into play. |
| Trent Boult is caught down for a little interview with Ramiz Raja. Boult tells that they cannot control the weather but hopes that they can do well whenever there is a window of play. Trent says if they can get themselves ahead of the game then they can manage to win this. On being asked if the rotation of strike irritates him, Trent admits that the Sri Lankan players know the ground and conditions better. Adds that it is difficult as a seamer to bowl in these conditions as there is very little |
| We are all set for the start of Day 3. The New Zealand players are in a huddle before they take their positions in the field. Dilruwan Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva walk out to resume their innings. Ajaz Patel to bowl the first over of the day. |
| 66.1 : A Patel to Silva, Starts with a shorter ball on leg, Dhananjaya makes room and strokes it to cover point. |
| 66.2 : A Patel to Silva, Another one short on off, de Silva defends it with the spin towards cover. |
| 66.3 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off. First one that is full. Dhananjaya bends and keeps it out. |
| 66.4 : A Patel to Silva, Flights one on off, de Silva cautiously keeps it out. |
| 66.5 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on the pads, de Silva defends it with a straight bat. |
| 66.6 : A Patel to Silva, Maiden to start the day. Ajaz gives this one air and bowls it on off, Dhananjaya looks to defend but gets beaten comprehensively by the spin. |
| Trent Boult to partner Ajaz Patel. |
| 67.1 : T Boult to Perera, Bouncer! Boult starts with a bouncer. It is around the body, Dilruwan ducks under it. |
| 67.2 : T Boult to Perera, Back of a length on off, Perera gets on his back foot and defends it with calmness. |
| 67.3 : T Boult to Perera, FOUR! First runs of the day. After two short balls, Boult bowls one fuller on off, Dilruwan looks to defend but the ball goes off the outer half of his bat through the vacant gully region for a boundary. |
| 67.4 : T Boult to D Perera, Good length ball on off, Dilruwan defends it with the outer half once again. |
| 67.5 : T Boult to Perera, Back of a length once again. Perera hops and keeps it down. |
| 67.6 : T Boult to Perera, Bouncer! The over ends the way it started. It is around the body, Perera ducks under it to get through the over. |
| 68.1 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off, Dhananjaya defends it towards point. |
| 68.2 : A Patel to Silva, Shorter on off, de Silva blocks it away. |
| 68.3 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted on middle and off, Dhananjaya looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 68.4 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on off, de Silva defends it properly onto the ground. |
| 68.5 : A Patel to Silva, Ajaz bowls it short, de Silva defends it to mid off. |
| 68.6 : A Patel to Silva, FOUR! Nicely played! Brings up the 150 for Sri Lanka. Slightly wide and touch short outside off. Dhananjaya waits and then runs it down to third man with the spin through the vacant third man region for a boundary. The timing on that shot was pure. First runs for de Silva today. |
| 69.1 : T Boult to Perera, Good length ball on the pads, Perera flicks it wide of short leg, towards mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 69.2 : T Boult to Perera, Another one around the pads, Dilruwan glances it towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 69.3 : T Boult to Silva, Length ball outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| 69.4 : T Boult to Silva, On the pads, de Silva glances it to square leg for one. |
| 69.5 : T Boult to Perera, Fuller on off, Dilruwan pushes it to cover. |
| 69.6 : T Boult to Perera, Back of a length ball on off, DP defends it to get through one more over. |
| 70.1 : A Patel to Silva, Good intentions from Dhananjaya. Tossed up ball on middle, de Silva comes down the track and hits it hard but straight to mid on. |
| 70.2 : A Patel to Silva, Follows it up with a calm front foot defense. |
| 70.3 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted on off, de Silva strokes it to mid off. |
| 70.4 : A Patel to Silva, Shorter on off, de Silva gets on his back foot and keeps it out. |
| 70.5 : A Patel to de Silva, Tossed up on middle, de Silva comes down the track and strokes it to mid off. |
| 70.6 : A Patel to Silva, FOUR! Excellent shot! Sri Lanka have been too defensive in their approach but this shot was like breaking that chain here. Floated on off, Dhananjaya comes down the track and lofts it over covers for a boundary. |
| 71.1 : T Boult to Perera, Bowls a bouncer on leg, Perera does well to duck under it. |
| 71.2 : T Boult to Perera, Boult again bowls a bouncer, Perera ducks underneath it. |
| 71.3 : T Boult to Perera, Good length delivery on off, Dilruwan defends it to mid off. |
| 71.4 : T Boult to Perera, Full toss on off, Dilruwan drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 71.5 : T Boult to Perera, On a good length on off, Perera keeps it out. |
| 71.6 : T Boult to Perera, Good length delivery on middle, Perera defends it out. |
| 72.1 : A Patel to Silva, FOUR! Nicely played! Tossed up on off, Dhananjaya makes room and guides it towards third man for a boundary. |
| 72.2 : A Patel to de Silva, FOUR! Consecutive boundaries for Dhananjaya de Silva. Short delivery on off, de Silva cuts it hard through point for a boundary. |
| 72.3 : A Patel to Silva, FIFTY FOR DHANANJAYA DE SILVA! His 6th in Test cricket. This has been a very fine knock from the young lad. He got a life early on, when Boult dropped him and he has made the full use of it. Shorter on off, de Silva punches it towards point and gets to the other end to get to his milestone. |
| 72.4 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted on off, Dilruwan defends it off the front foot. |
| 72.5 : A Patel to Perera, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 72.6 : A Patel to Perera, Short with very little spin on offer. Perera defends it with ease. |
| Tim Southee is into the attack. |
| 73.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Now swing first up for SDouthee. He bangs the first one slightly shorter on off, de Silva punches it to cover. |
| 73.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, On a good length on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 73.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya shoulders arms to this one. |
| 73.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Good length delivery on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 73.5 : Tim Southee to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya taps it to point. |
| 73.6 : Tim Southee to Silva, On a length on off, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 74.1 : A Patel to Perera, Flighted on off, Dilruwan defends it off the front foot. |
| 74.2 : A Patel to Perera, Darts one on the pads, Dilruwan glances it to the on side and gets to the other end. |
| 74.3 : A Patel to Silva, Short and spinning away. De Silva punches it towards cover for a single. |
| 74.4 : A Patel to Perera, Shorter on off, Dilruwan defends it with the spin towards cover. |
| LBW appeal taken upstairs. Dilruwan Perera has been adjudged LBW and after a chat with his partner, he has referred it. It looks plumb to the naked eye, let us see what the replays have to say. |
| 74.5 : Patel to Perera, OUT! LBW! Umpire's call it is and Dilruwan has to walk back. Excellent ball this! Short and quick on off, Dilruwan expects it to spin and so he goes onto his back foot tom play it on the off side. The ball though keeps straight and skids of the surface. Perera misses his shot and gets hit on the pad. Huge appeal follows and the umpire raises his finger. Dilruwan has a chat with Dhananjaya. After a brief chat, he opts to take it upstairs. Replays roll in and Hawk Eye shows |
| Suranga Lakmal walks out to bat. He was the key in the first innings of the first Test match and it was Lakmal's partnership with Dickwella that gave them the lead at Galle. |
| 74.6 : A Patel to S Lakmal, EDGED AND FOUR! Lakmal has come out with an aggressive approach here. Shorter around off, Lakmal throws his bat at it. The ball takes the outside edge and flies wide of the diving second slip to the the third man fence for a boundary. Lakmal starts his innings with a Strike Rate of 400. |
| 75.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, On a good length on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot. |
| 75.2 : Tim Southee to de Silva, FOUR! Nice shot. Southee bowls it short on middle, Dhananjaya pulls it through square leg for a boundary. This is good batting from Dhananjaya de Silva and his approach of counter-attacking is work. |
| 75.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Short and outside off, de Silva cuts it through point for a run. |
| 75.4 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, On a good length on off, Lakmal defends it off the back foot. |
| 75.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Bowls a short delivery outside off, Lakmal looks to fend at it but misses it. |
| 75.6 : Southee to S Lakmal, Short delivery, Lakmal looks to pull but gets a top edge. It goes towards Ross Taylor in one bounce. |
| 76.1 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on middle, Dhananjaya defends it out. |
| 76.2 : A Patel to Silva, Flighted delivery on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the back foot. |
| 76.3 : A Patel to Silva, FOUR! Excellent shot. Tossed up on middle, Dhananjaya plays a slog sweep over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 76.4 : A Patel to Silva, Floated delivery on off, Dhananjaya taps it towards point for a run. |
| 76.5 : A Patel to Lakmal, Flighted delivery on off, Lakmal defends it off the front foot. |
| 76.6 : A Patel to Lakmal, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery! Tossed up just outside off, Lakmal looks to defend but misses it due to the turn on this one. |
| 77.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Good length ball on off, Dhananjaya shuffles across and turns it to fine leg for a single. |
| 77.2 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, In the air but safe. Excellent bowling this. A very well directed short ball this. It is right around the body. Lakmal looks to defend but takes his eyes off. The ball lobs well short of the keeper. Watling comes running in but had no chance. It would not have mattered had he even got there as replay shows the ball had hit Suranga around his shoulder. |
| The physio is out on the field, having a look at Suranga Lakmal here. Looks like it is just a wincing blow. Should be fine to continue. |
| 77.3 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Another brilliant short bal. This is just a tad away from the body. Lakmal looks to defend but once again takes his eyes off the ball. This time though the ball does not hit him and goes to the keeper. |
| 77.4 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Hat-trick of short balls. This is played well by Lakmal. It is around the body, Suranga this time keeps his eyes on the ball and sways away from it. |
| 77.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Back of a length ball on the body, Suranga tucks it wide of short leg. |
| 77.6 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Another ball on the body. It is on a length, Lakmal turns it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 78.1 : A Patel to Lakmal, Flighted on middle, Lakmal glances it towards mid-wicket and gets a brace. |
| 78.2 : A Patel to Lakmal, Tossed up on off, Lakmal taps it back to the bowler. |
| 78.3 : A Patel to Lakmal, Floated on middle and leg, Lakmal bends his back and keeps it out. |
| 78.4 : A Patel to Lakmal, Shorter on off, Suranga nudges it towards cover for one. |
| 78.5 : A Patel to Silva, FOUR! Smart batting! Flighted delivery on off and middle, de Silva gets down on one knee and paddles it fine down the leg side. Taylor predicts it and runs to the leg side from first slip but he cannot stop the ball from beating him and going to the fence. |
| 78.6 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on off, de Silva pushes it to cover. |
| Once again the physio is out in the middle. Looks like Lakmal is still hurt by the Southee bouncer. His arm is being sprayed on here. |
| 79.1 : Southee to S Lakmal, In the air but in no man's land. Back of a length ball on the body, Lakmal clears his front foot and looks to hoick his pull. He ends up top edging. Watling and the fielder from deep mid-wicket come running in but the ball falls far away from them, right in between. Single taken. |
| 79.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, On the pads, Silva glances it towards short fine leg. |
| 79.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Very full on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 79.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Short ball on middle and leg, de Silva pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for a run. |
| 79.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Bouncer! Lakmal reads it early and sits under it. |
| 79.6 : Southee to Lakmal, Yorker on middle, Lakmal does really well to get his bat down in time. |
| New ball taken now. |
| Trent Boult to operate with the second new ball. |
| 80.1 : T Boult to Silva, Fuller on middle, this one tails in a bit. Dhananjaya defends it back to the bowler. |
| 80.2 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball on the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it towards deep mid-wicket and surprisingly refuses to take a single. |
| 80.3 : T Boult to Silva, On the pads, de Silva once again flicks and does not take the single. |
| 80.4 : T Boult to Silva, Nicley played. Fuller outside off, Dhananjaya gets on his front foot and drives it wide of sweeper cover. This time they run as there is two easily available. Jeet Raval in the deep runs to his right and puts in a dive to save a boundary. He is successful in his mission and saves two for his side. |
| 80.5 : T Boult to de Silva, EDGED AND FOUR! Lady Luck is with Dhananjaya de Silva here. Full ball outside off, de Silva looks to play it on the off side but ends up getting a big inside edge. The ball misses the stumps and goes to the fine leg fence for a boundary. Any other day that might have gone on to chop the stumps but not today. |
| 80.6 : T Boult to de Silva, Smart batting this. Dhananjaya has taken upon himself here. He plays the first 5 balls of the innings and then takes the single of the last one. It is full on off, Dhananjaya strokes it towards mid off and takes a quick single to keep the strike with himself. |
| 81.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, No swing on this one as it goes straight to the keeper outside off. |
| 81.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, Good length ball outside off, this one shapes away a bit. Dhananjaya leaves it alone. |
| 81.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Good shot but straight to the fielder. Full and swinging away. Dhananjaya drives it but straight to cover. |
| 81.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, Another good looking stroke and this time de Silva takes a single. Full outside off, Dhananjaya drives it through cover-point. There is a fielder in the deep so just one. Lakmal has two balls to fight here. |
| 81.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Gets through the first one easily. Good length ball outside off, shapes away a little. Lakmal lets it go to the keeper. |
| 81.6 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Negotiates the second one too. Full on off, Lakmal glances it towards deep mid-wicket but de Silva does not take the single. |
| 82.1 : T Boult to Silva, Lovely shot! Full on off, Dhananjaya gets on his front foot and drives it through covers. The outfield is a bit slow today and hence the ball does not have the legs to go to the fence. The take two as the fielder cleans it up. |
| 82.2 : T Boult to Silva, Well bowled. Good length ball outside off, this one shapes in. De Silva looks to defend but gets beaten all ends up. |
| 82.3 : T Boult to Silva, Back of a length ball on off, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 82.4 : T Boult to Silva, On the pads, de Silva tucks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 82.5 : T Boult to Silva, On top of off, de Silva defends it with a straight bat towards mid off. |
| 82.6 : T Boult to Silva, IN THE AIR AND JUST OVER! SIX! Short ball on middle and leg, Dhananjaya picks the length early, gets on his back foot and hooks it over fine leg. William Somerville in the deep is just inside the ropes. He jumps and stretches but the ball just goes over for a maximum. |
| 83.1 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Swing and a miss. Full outside off, Lakmal swings his bat at it as he wants to clear the park. He does not connect though. |
| 83.2 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Full on middle and leg, Lakmal flicks it to square leg for one. |
| 83.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Very full on middle. Just a few inches away from being a yorker. Dhananjaya glances it towards deep square leg for a single. De Silva is confident to give strike to Lakmal, as he feels Suranga can face Southee. |
| 83.4 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Ouch! Short ball on off, Lakmal hops and looks to defend. The ball kisses the outside edge and once again hits the bruised arm of Lakmal. We will have slight delay. |
| The physio is out in the middle again to have another check on Lakmal's arm. Suranga is showing his fighting character as he is ready to continue his battle. |
| 83.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, OUT! Caught! The short ball has done the trick. Excellent catch from Watling. Good aggression from Southee. He bangs another one short around the body. Lakmal looks to defend but ends up gloving it to the right of Watling. BJ was wrong footed but he corrects himself and dives on that side and takes a very good catch. The 43-run stand is broken. A crucial stand this and one must credit Lakmal for his fight. He made the Kiwis toil hard for his wicket. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is the new man in. |
| 83.6 : Tim Southee to Embuldeniya, Full on off, Embuldeniya shows sound technique as he defends his first ball off the front foot. |
| 84.1 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball on off, Dhananjaya defends it towards mid off. |
| 84.2 : T Boult to Silva, Short ball around off, Dhananjay pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket but does not take any run. |
| 84.3 : Boult to Silva, EDGED AND SIX! Into the nervous 90's now. Short ball around the body, Dhananjay looks to pull but gets a top edge which goes fine down the leg side. It does not look like it will go all the way over the ropes but to the surprise of everyone it does. |
| 84.4 : T Boult to Silva, EDGED AND FOUR! Moves to 94 now. Good length ball angling away from the right-hander. Dhananjaya looks to defend with soft hands but gets a thick outside edge. The ball goes wide of second slip on a bounce. Southee dives to his right but cannot get to the ball and it races away to the fence. |
| 84.5 : T Boult to Silva, Full on off, de Silva plays a very handsome straight drive. It goes to the right of mid off. It looks like it will beat the man there but Ajaz Patel dives and deflects the ball to mid on saving a certain boundary. |
| 84.6 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball on off, de Silva punches it to cover. 10 off the over. |
| Embuldeniya has taken a review against the LBW decision. It looks to be hitting or at least clipping the leg pole. Let's see if the replays agree with it or not. |
| 85.1 : Tim Southee to Embuldeniya, OUT! The ball is clipping the leg pole and Embuldeniya has to walk back. 4-fer for Southee. Good length ball pitching on middle. It comes back in after pitching, Lasith looks to defend but misses. The ball hits his front pad. A confident appeal follows and the umpire gives Lasith Embuldeniya his marching orders. He takes a desperate review. Replay first confirm no involvement of bat. Hawk Eye later on rolls and shows all red and Embuldeniya has to walk back. |
| 0.0 : Lahiru Kumara walks out at number 11. He just needs to give the strike to Dhananjaya de Silva who is batting on 94. |
| 85.2 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Survives the first one. Good length ball on off, Kumara does well to defend it. |
| 85.3 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Another one seen off. Dhananjaya will be a lot happy. Fuller on off, Kumara gets his bat down and keeps it out |
| 85.4 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Bouncer! Lahiru ducks under it and let's it carry to the keeper. |
| 85.5 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Back of a length ball on off, Kumara keeps it out. |
| 85.6 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Attempted yorker, but comes out as a full toss on off. Lahiru does well to guide it to point. |
| 86.1 : T Boult to Silva, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 86.2 : Boult to Silva, Excellent shot but credit to Ajaz for his effort. Length ball on middle and off, Dhananjaya comes down the track and lofts it over mid off. It looks a certain boundary but Ajaz comes running in from long off and puts in a very good dive. It looks clean but Ajaz straightaway signals boundary. The umpires still have a look and it shows his feet touched the ropes when he palmed it away. Full marks for the effort and honesty there for Ajaz. Dhananjaya moves to 98 now. |
| 86.3 : T Boult to Silva, Back of a length ball on off, de Silva defends it off his back foot. |
| 86.4 : T Boult to Silva, On the body, Silva tucks it to the on side. |
| 86.5 : T Boult to Silva, Good length ball on off, de Silva punches it towards cover. Can he sneak out a single here or even get to his 100? Surely he would not want Kumara to face the new over. |
| 86.6 : T Boult to Silva, He does manage to get the single. Poor ball this as it is on the pads, de Silva flicks it to fine leg for single. |
| 87.1 : Tim Southee to Silva, Fuller on off, de Silva pushes it to mid off. |
| 87.2 : Tim Southee to Silva, Almost chopped on. Good length ball closer to the off pole, Dhananjaya looks to play a risky late cut. He gets an inside edge and luckily it goes to the keeper and not onto the stumps. |
| 87.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Full on off, de Silva drives it straight to cover. |
| 87.4 : Tim Southee to Silva, FOUR! 100 FOR DHANANJAYA DE SILVA! Take a bow, son! This has been a fabulous knock. He has made Boukt pay for his mistake and single-handedly kept his side in the hunt. Fuller on off, Dhananjaya lofts it over covers and gets a boundarry which gets him to his 5th Test hundred. He raises his bat, removes his helmet lifts them and soaks in all the applause. |
| 87.5 : Tim Southee to Silva, Yorker on middle, de Silva does well to glance it to the leg side for a single. |
| 87.6 : Southee to Kumara, Hang on a minute, Lahiru showing his skills with the willow here. Full on middle, Kumara lofts it over the bowler's head and gets a couple as the fielder from long on mops it up. |
| 88.1 : T Boult to Silva, On a good length on middle, Dhananjaya looks to pull but gets a bottom edge on this one. |
| 88.2 : T Boult to Silva, Short delivery on middle, Dhananjaya pulls it to mid-wicket. |
| 88.3 : T Boult to Silva, Length delivery on middle, de Silva tucks it to the leg side. |
| 88.4 : T Boult to Silva, On a length on off, Dhananjaya guides it towards third man. |
| 88.5 : T Boult to Silva, FOUR! Poor delivery from Trent Boult. Bowls a full toss on off, Dhananjaya smashes it through covers for a boundary. |
| 88.6 : T Boult to Silva, Short delivery on middle, Dhananjaya pulls it to mid-wicket. He does not take the single. |
| 89.1 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Back of a length ball on off, Kumara defends it off the back foot. |
| 89.2 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Good length ball on off, Kumara strokes it towards cover for a single. |
| 89.3 : Tim Southee to Silva, Bouncer on off, Dhananjaya pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 89.4 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Short ball on middle and leg, Kumara takes his eyes off the ball and awkwardly keeps it out with a flat-bat. |
| 89.5 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Short again outside off, Lahiru swings his bat to pull but misses. |
| 89.6 : Tim Southee to Kumara, Full around off, Lahiru lofts it over cover. The man at cover jumps and stretches his hand out but cannot get close to it. The fielder from long off cleans it as the batsmen come back for the second. |
| 90.1 : T Boult to Silva, Length delivery on off, Dhananjaya taps it to point. |
| 90.2 : Boult to de Silva, OUT! Bowled! End of a fabulous knock. Slower ball on a length, Dhananjaya swings his bat at it. He was going for a big heave but misses. The ball crashes onto the middle stump. Maybe that was the indication from the skipper from the dressing room and hence this shit came out. SRI LANKA ALL OUT FOR 244. |
| One man, three words! DHANANJAYA DE SILVA! Dropped on 9 by Boult on Day 2 and he made the most of it. He added 73 runs with the last three batsmen, counter-attacked the Kiwi bowling and where 200 looked difficult he scored a mind-blowing knock of 109 and took Sri Lanka close to 250. |
| Not the spinners but the pace bowling duo of Southee and Boult were the star bowlers. Picking up a combined 7 wickets with the right-armer scalping 4 and the left-armer picking up 3. Ajaz Patel got one wicket today. The Kiwis will be disappointed not to rattle the tail up quickly as Sri Lanka have managed to get to 244 after finding themselves for 130/6. |
| New Zealand will now have to come out to bat for an over or two before the Lunch. The first aim for them would be to get through those couple of overs unscathed. A wicket before Lunch will be a big booster for Sri Lanka and they will be eyeing just that. What will happen? Join us in a few minutes to find out. |
| 0.1 : D Perera to Raval, Starts with a flatter delivery on off, Jeet Raval does well to defend it off the back foot. |
| 0.2 : D Perera to Raval, Tossed up on off, Raval blocks it off his front foot this time. |
| 0.3 : D Perera to Raval, Flighted on leg and middle, Raval once again defends it off the front foot. |
| 0.4 : D Perera to J Raval, Oh! Quicker on off, Raval looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The Sri Lankan players are buzzing here. |
| 0.5 : D Perera to Raval, Arm ball outside off, Raval leaves it alone. |
| 0.6 : D Perera to Raval, Shorter on off, Jeet keeps it out of his back foot to get through the first over unscathed. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva to bowl from the other end. |
| 1.1 : de Silva to Latham, Starts with a flighted delivery on off, Latham calmly begins his innings with a front foot defense. |
| 1.2 : de Silva to Latham, Tossed up outside off, Tom reads the spin properly and leaves it alone. |
| 1.3 : de Silva to Latham, Shorter on off, Latham defends it off his back foot this time. |
| 1.4 : de Silva to Latham, New Zealand are underway! Floated on the pads, Latham glances it towards mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 1.5 : de Silva to Raval, Floated on off, Jeet gets on his front foot and defends it onto the ground. |
| 1.6 : de Silva to Raval, Tossed up on off, Raval blocks it away to get to Lunch on Day 3. |
| New Zealand have managed to face out the tricky part before Lunch and go into the break with all 10-wickets intact. |
| The morning session belonged to just one man. DHANANJAYA DE SILVA! He has completely turned the game on it's head. Starting the day with the Sri Lankan scorecard reading 144/6. It looked like 200 would be an achievement for them but Dhananjaya de Silva had other ideas. Having lost Dilruwan Perera early, de Silva fought with the tail, batted smartly too. First he added 43 with Lakmal, then a small 10-run stand and then a vital 20-run stand to take the Sri Lankan total close to 250 and getting his |
| New Zealand's bowling was taken aback by the counter-attacking approach by the Lankan batsmen and would feel they gave away at least 20 runs more. Boult, Southee and Ajaz Patel were the bowler's used today and all of them managed to get a minimum of a wicket. |
| Sri Lanka have runs on the board, New Zealand have wickets in hand. Both teams would feel they have the edge heading into the break but Sri Lanka maybe the side with more positiveness. It will be interesting to see New Zealand's approach after the break as this Test is a must win for them. Not in the context of the series but also the ICC World Test Championship. Join us after the break for the second session. |
| ... Day 3, Afternoon Session ... |
| We are back for the second session. The Sri Lankan players are out on the field in their respective positions. Latham and Raval walk out to resume their innings. Pacer to start the new session as Suranga Lakmal has the ball in hand. |
| 2.1 : S Lakmal to Latham, Starts with a good length ball outside off. No swing on this one, Latham shoulders arms to it. |
| 2.2 : S Lakmal to Latham, On the pads, Latham flicks but finds square keg. He shouts a loud 'wait on' to his partner. |
| 2.3 : S Lakmal to Latham, Very good leave this from Latham. Length ball just outside the off stump. Latham is aware of his off stump and leaves it alone. |
| 2.4 : S Lakmal to Latham, Comes 'round the wicket and bowls it full on off. Latham defends it towards mid on with the angle. |
| 2.5 : S Lakmal to Latham, On the 4th stump line, Latham is in no mood to tease those. |
| 2.6 : S Lakmal to Tom Latham, Full and angling in on off. Latham pushes it to mid off. Maiden to start the new session. |
| Dilruwan Perera to partner Lakmal. |
| 3.1 : D Perera to Raval, OUT! Caught! Early blow for New Zealand. Jeet Raval goes out without troubling the scorers. Flighted delivery on off, it is an off spinner and slower through the air. Raval misreads this as he lunges forward to defend. The ball takes the outside edge and goes to first slip. Dhananjaya de Silva there takes a simple catch. A good welcome back to national fold for Diruwan. |
| 0.0 : Skipper, Kane Williamson walks out at number 3. He did not have a good 1st Test but his side needs him to perform here. |
| 3.2 : D Perera to Williamson, Floated on middle and leg, Williamson glances it to mid-wicket. |
| 3.3 : D Perera to Williamson, Skipper Kane is off the mark. Flighted delivery on the pads, Williamson glances it to the on side and gets to the other end. |
| 3.4 : D Perera to Latham, Flatter outside off, Latham was looking to play the premeditated sweep shot but then looking at he length he retracts from it. |
| 3.5 : D Perera to Latham, Short on the pads, Latham flicks it wide of short leg, towards square leg for one. |
| 3.6 : D Perera to Williamson, Nicely played. Short off spinner pitching on off. Williamson gets on his back foot and punches it with the spin through covers for a couple. Mathews there has a little chase with the ball. Two taken by the Kiwi captain. |
| 4.1 : S Lakmal to Latham, Good length ball outside off, Latham shoulders arms to it. |
| 4.2 : S Lakmal to Latham, Outside off, Latham shoulders arms to this one. |
| 4.3 : S Lakmal to Latham, On a length on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 4.4 : S Lakmal to Williamson, Length delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it to square leg. |
| 4.5 : S Lakmal to K Williamson, Full on middle, Williamson drives it to mid on where the fielder does well to stop it with a dive. |
| 4.6 : S Lakmal to Williamson, Good length delivery outside off, Kane lets it go. |
| 5.1 : D Perera to Latham, Floated very full on middle, Latham paddles it fine down the leg side for a brace. |
| 5.2 : D Perera to Latham, Flatter outside off, Latham leaves it alone. |
| Leg slip in place now. |
| 5.3 : D Perera to Tom Latham, Tossed up on off, Latahm prods forward to defend but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 5.4 : D Perera to Latham, Shorter on off, Latham punches it to the off side for a run. |
| 5.5 : D Perera to Williamson, FOUR! Poor ball and rightfully punished. It is short on the body from Dilruwan. Williamson transfers the weight onto his back foot and swipes it away through square leg for a boundary. |
| 5.6 : D Perera to Williamson, Under edge to the rescue. Once again it is short but this is not as short as the previous one. It is on middle and leg, Williamson once again looks to pull it but gets a slight edge onto his pad. |
| 6.1 : S Lakmal to Latham, Good length ball on middle, Latham turns it behind square on the leg side for a couple. |
| 6.2 : S Lakmal to Latham, Fuller outside off, Latham leaves it alone. |
| 6.3 : S Lakmal to Latham, Back of a length delivery on off, Tom defends it off the back foot. |
| 6.4 : S Lakmal to Latham, Length delivery on off, Tom punches it towards cover for one. |
| 6.5 : S Lakmal to Williamson, On top of middle, Williamson defends it straight back towards the bowler. |
| 6.6 : S Lakmal to Williamson, FOUR! Signature shot from Williamson. Fuller ball around off, Williamson plays it very late in his trademark style and taps it through the third man region for a boundary. Williamson loves that region. That shot was like a sweet poetry, always a delight to watch. |
| 7.1 : D Perera to Latham, FOUR! Two boundaries in a row for New Zealand. It is short and Latham is quick to pounce on it. Short around off, Latham gets on his back foot and whips it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 7.2 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, Latham follows the boundary with a calm front foot defense. |
| 7.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floats one outside off, Latham leaves it alone. |
| 7.4 : D Perera to Latham, Arm ball on the pads, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 7.5 : D Perera to Latham, Appeal for an LBW but nothing from the umpire. Dilruwan bowls it flatter and quicker on off. It goes with the angle, Latham looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pads. A huge appeal from the Sri Lankan players but nothing from the umpire. It looked to be going down leg. Hawk Eye later on rolls in and shows that the ball was clipping the leg pole. Would have stayed with the on-field umpire's decision. |
| 7.6 : D Perera to Latham, Floated outside off, TL does not tease that. |
| 8.1 : S Lakmal to Williamson, Fuller on middle, Williamson glances it towards square leg for a single. |
| 8.2 : S Lakmal to Latham, Beauty! Lakmal hits the deck hard around off, asking the batter to have a poke at it. The ball zips away from Tom and just misses his outside edge. |
| 8.3 : S Lakmal to Latham, Good length ball on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 8.4 : S Lakmal to Latham, Another play and miss! Bowls it on a length around off, Latham looks to defend but the ball nips away and squares Latham all ends up. |
| 8.5 : S Lakmal to Latham, Length ball on off, Tom defends it off the back foot. |
| 8.6 : S Lakmal to Latham, Fuller on off, Latham blocks it. |
| 9.1 : D Perera to Williamson, Tossed up on off, Williamson defends it out. |
| 9.2 : D Perera to Williamson, Flighted delivery on off, Williamson drives it through covers. The batsmen pick up a couple. |
| 9.3 : D Perera to Williamson, Floated delivery on middle, Williamson flicks it towards short leg. |
| 9.4 : D Perera to Williamson, Loopy delivery on middle, Williamson defends it off the back foot. |
| 9.5 : D Perera to Williamson, Tossed up delivery on middle, Kane flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 9.6 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the back foot. |
| Lahiru Kumara is into the attack. |
| 10.1 : L Kumara to Williamson, The ball is way outside the off stump, easy leave for the batsman. |
| 10.2 : L Kumara to Williamson, Huge appeal from the keeper but nothing from the bowler. Good length ball outside off, Williamson looks to play it late towards the third man region. He misses and the ball goes very closely past the outside edge towards the keeper. Dickwella goes up in a confident appeal but Lahiru does not join in. The umpire too is not interested. |
| 10.3 : L Kumara to Williamson, On the pads, Williamson flicks it to the on side and gets a single. |
| 10.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Good length ball on off, Tom keeps it out. |
| 10.5 : L Kumara to Latham, Back of a length ball on off, Latham defends it off his back foot. |
| 10.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Down the leg side. Latham looks to flick but misses. |
| 11.1 : D Perera to Williamson, Floated on off, Williamson looks to defend but gets a bottom edge onto the pads. |
| 11.2 : D Perera to Williamson, Floated on the pads, Williamson flicks it to the on side for a single. |
| 11.3 : D Perera to Williamson, Flights one on off, Williamson blocks it off the front foot. |
| 11.4 : D Perera to Williamson, On the off pole, Williamson lunges forward and keeps it out. |
| 11.5 : D Perera to Williamson, On the pads, Williamson glances it to square leg for one. |
| 11.6 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham blocks it onto the ground. |
| 12.1 : L Kumara to Williamson, Full on off, Williamson strokes it to mid off. |
| 12.2 : L Kumara to Williamson, Full around off, Williamson plays a very good looking cover drive. Dhananjaya de Silva there does not gather it cleanly and that allows them to take a run. |
| 12.3 : L Kumara to Latham, On the pads, Latham glances it fine down the leg side for a run. |
| 12.4 : L Kumara to Williamson, Full on off, Latham drives it straight through mid on for a couple. |
| 12.5 : L Kumara to K Williamson, OUT! Caught! Williamson departs against the run of play here. Big blow for the Kiwis. Good length ball outside off, Williamson tries to play his trademark tap towards the third man region. He ends up hitting it straight to second slip who was just a tad wide. Kusal Mendis there takes a very good catch. Smart captaincy this from Karunaratne. Sri Lanka on top here. |
| Ross Taylor walks out at number 4. |
| 12.6 : L Kumara to Taylor, Taylor is off the mark. Length ball around off, Taylor strokes it to point and keeps the strike. |
| 13.1 : D Perera to Taylor, Floated outside off, Taylor looks to drive but with very minimal footwork. It goes off the inner half of his bat towards the on side. |
| 13.2 : D Perera to Taylor, Flighted on off, Taylor taps it back to the bowler. |
| 13.3 : D Perera to Taylor, Floated on off, Taylor blocks it off the front foot. |
| 13.4 : D Perera to Taylor, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 13.5 : D Perera to Taylor, Tossed up on the stumps, Ross gets on his front foot and keeps it out. |
| 13.6 : D Perera to Taylor, Tossed up on the pads, Ross looks to drive but it goes off the inner half of his bat towards mid-wicket. |
| 14.1 : L Kumara to Latham, Length delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 14.2 : L Kumara to Taylor, On a length on off, Taylor taps it towards point for a run. |
| 14.3 : L Kumara to Latham, Full on middle, Latham flicks it through mid-wicket. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 14.4 : L Kumara to Taylor, BEATEN! On a good length and outside off, Taylor looks to drive but misses it due to the seam movement on this one. |
| 14.5 : L Kumara to Taylor, Good length delivery outside off, Taylor shoulders arms to this one. |
| 14.6 : L Kumara to Taylor, Play and a miss! On a good length and outside off, Taylor looks to cut but misses it. |
| 15.1 : D Perera to Latham, BEATEN! Tossed up just outside off, Latham looks to defend but misses it due to the turn on this one. |
| 15.2 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the back foot. |
| 15.3 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham keeps it out. |
| 15.4 : D Perera to Latham, NOT OUT! Flighted delivery on off, Latham looks to defend but gets hit on the pads. The bowler appeals for lbw but the umpire shakes his head. Hawk Eye shows that it is missing the off stump. |
| 15.5 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 15.6 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham defends it out. |
| Drinks Break! The hosts have picked two wickets and have put pressure on New Zealand straightaway. On the other hand, New Zealand need to play cautiously and try not to lose more wickets. |
| 16.1 : L Kumara to Taylor, On a good length on off, Taylor blocks it off the back foot. |
| 16.2 : L Kumara to Taylor, Good length delivery outside off, Taylor shoulders arms to this one. |
| 16.3 : L Kumara to Taylor, Short of a length delivery, Taylor pulls it through mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 16.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Outside off, Latham leaves it alone. |
| 16.5 : L Kumara to Latham, FOUR! On a good length and outside off, Latham looks to defend but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man for a boundary. |
| 16.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Good length delivery on off, Latham defends it out. |
| 17.1 : D Perera to Taylor, BEATEN! Beauty of a delivery. Tossed up on off, Taylor looks to defend but misses the outside edge by a whisker. |
| 17.2 : D Perera to Taylor, Flighted delivery on middle, Taylor sweeps it to the leg side. |
| 17.3 : D Perera to Taylor, Floated delivery on off, Taylor drives it through covers for a run. |
| 17.4 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham plays it towards point for a run. |
| 17.5 : D Perera to Taylor, Flighted delivery on middle, Taylor comes down the track and plays it towards mid on for a single. |
| 17.6 : D Perera to Latham, Loopy delivery on off, Latham punches it towards point for a run. |
| 18.1 : L Kumara to Latham, On a good length and outside off, Latham taps it towards the off side and takes a quick run. |
| 18.2 : L Kumara to Taylor, Good length delivery on off, Taylor defends it off the back foot. |
| 18.3 : L Kumara to Taylor, Full on middle, Taylor flicks it through mid-wicket. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it. The batsmen get three runs. Good running between the wickets. |
| 18.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Length delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 18.5 : L Kumara to Taylor, On a good length on off, Taylor keeps it out. |
| 18.6 : L Kumara to Taylor, Good length delivery on off, Taylor defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.1 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham blocks it off the front foot. |
| 19.2 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham keeps it out. |
| 19.3 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham nudges it towards square leg for a single. |
| 19.4 : D Perera to Taylor, Flighted delivery on off, Taylor defends it off the front foot. |
| 19.5 : D Perera to Taylor, Floated delivery on middle, Taylor keeps it out. |
| 19.6 : D Perera to Taylor, FOUR! Nice shot. Flighted delivery outside off, Taylor sweeps it through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is into the attack. |
| 20.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Starts with a flighted delivery outside off, Latham premeditates his paddle sweep and takes a single as the ball goes behind square on the leg side. |
| 20.2 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Loopy ball on middle, Taylor strokes it to mid on. |
| 20.3 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Down the leg side, Taylor sweeps it fine down the leg side for a run. |
| 20.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Play and miss. Slower through the air on off, Latham looks to defend but the ball spins away and squares Latham up. |
| 20.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flights it around off, it comes as a full toss. Latham sweeps it to deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 20.6 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, On the pads, Taylor glances it to the on side for a single. |
| 21.1 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 21.2 : D Perera to Taylor, Floated delivery on middle, Taylor nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| 21.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham flicks it to leg side. |
| 21.4 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham plays it to point. |
| 21.5 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham looks to cut but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen get three runs. |
| 21.6 : D Perera to Taylor, Flighted delivery on middle, Taylor flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 22.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated delivery on off, Latham comes down the track and plays it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 22.2 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Tossed up on off, Taylor drives it to mid off. |
| 22.3 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, FOUR! Good shot. Flighted delivery on middle, Taylor comes down the track and drives it through mid on for a boundary. |
| 22.4 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Tossed up on off, Taylor drives it to mid off. |
| 22.5 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Loopy delivery on off, Taylor drives it to mid on. |
| 22.6 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Flighted delivery on off, Taylor punches it to point. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva is back into the attack. |
| 23.1 : de Silva to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 23.2 : de Silva to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham drives it to covers. |
| 23.3 : de Silva to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the back foot. |
| 23.4 : de Silva to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 23.5 : de Silva to Tom Latham, Full on off, Latham drives it to covers. |
| 23.6 : de Silva to Latham, Loopy delivery on off, Latham punches it towards point for a run. |
| 24.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham comes down the track and blocks it well. |
| 24.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham sweeps it to square leg. |
| 24.3 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Tossed up on off, Taylor keeps it out. |
| 24.4 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, FOUR! Excellent shot. Flighted delivery on off, Taylor drives it beautifully through covers for a boundary. |
| 24.5 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Outside off, Taylor leaves it alone. |
| 24.6 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Flighted delivery on off, Taylor blocks it off the front foot. |
| 25.1 : de Silva to Latham, Floated on off, Latham prods forward and strokes it to cover for one. |
| 25.2 : de Silva to Taylor, Arm ball on the pads, Taylor tucks it to short leg. |
| 25.3 : de Silva to Taylor, On the pads, Ross flicks it to square leg for a single. |
| 25.4 : de Silva to Latham, FOUR! Glorious! Latham brings up the 50-run stand in style. Flighted delivery on off, Latham gets on his front foot and creams his drive through covers for a boundary. |
| 25.5 : de Silva to Tom Latham, Another good drive but straight to mid off. |
| 25.6 : de Silva to Latham, Short around off, Latham punches it to mid off to get through the over. Just in case you are wondering why the last ball took so long, it is because there was a miscalculation. |
| 26.1 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, Flighted on off, Ross pushes it to mid off. |
| 26.2 : L Embuldeniya to Taylor, OUT! Caught! Deja vu moment for Ross Taylor. Just like in the second innings in Galle, Taylor once again loses his patience and throws it away. Flighted around off, Taylor comes down the track making it seem like he was tired of the defensive game. He does not get to the pitch of the ball but he is so far in front that he has to go and play at it. Taylor only manages to get a thick outside edge straight to first slip. Dhananjaya de Silva just cannot do anything wro |
| The new man in is Henry Nicholls. |
| 26.3 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls sweeps it hard. The ball hits short leg and goes past him towards square leg for a single. |
| 26.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, FOUR! Latham carries his good work. Flighted on off, Latham comes down the track and slams it through mid on for a boundary. Suranga Lakmal stationed at long on chases it but he is casual in his approach and the ball beats him to the fence comprehensively. |
| 26.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flights one on off, Latham keeps it out. |
| 26.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up outside off, Tom gets down on one knee and looks to sweep but misses. |
| 27.1 : de Silva to Nicholls, Tossed up away from the off pole, Nicholls leaves it alone. |
| 27.2 : de Silva to Nicholls, Flighted on the stumps, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 27.3 : de Silva to Nicholls, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 27.4 : de Silva to Nicholls, Nicholls plants his front foot forward and once again calmly blocks it. |
| 27.5 : de Silva to Nicholls, Shorter on off, Nicholls gets on his back foot and defends it. |
| 27.6 : de Silva to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls keeps it out to get through the over. |
| 28.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Darts one down the leg side, Latham looks to flick but misses. |
| 28.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated on off, Tom comes down the track and keeps it out. |
| 28.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floats one on off, Latham once again comes down and blocks it. |
| 28.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flights one outside off, Tom goes for a big sweep but misses. |
| 28.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tom is in no hurry and he confidently keeps this out off his front foot. |
| 28.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, On the pads, Latham glances it towards square leg and keeps the strike. |
| Dilruwan Perera is back into the attack. |
| 29.1 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 29.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up delivery on middle, Latham defends it off the back foot. |
| 29.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham keeps it out. |
| 29.4 : D Perera to Latham, Loopy delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 29.5 : D Perera to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 29.6 : D Perera to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Nicholls defends it out. |
| 30.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on leg, Latham sweeps it towards fine leg for a single. |
| 30.2 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards square leg for a single. |
| 30.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham comes down the track and drives it to long on for a run. |
| 30.4 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls punches it towards mid on for a run. |
| 30.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up delivery on middle, Latham keeps it out. |
| 30.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, FOUR! 50 for Tom Latham. It is his 16th fifty in Tests. Flighted delivery on middle, Latham plays a sweep shot through square leg for a boundary. It has been an excellent innings from Tom Latham. |
| 31.1 : D Perera to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards mid-wicket where the ball falls just short of the fielder. |
| 31.2 : D Perera to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 31.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham plays a sweep through square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 31.4 : D Perera to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 31.5 : D Perera to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on off, Henry defends it off the front foot. |
| 31.6 : D Perera to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls defends it out. |
| 32.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on leg, Latham looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. |
| 32.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham defends it out. |
| 32.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 32.4 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls defends it out. |
| 32.5 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on off, Nicholls plays it towards point for a single. |
| 32.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. THAT IS TEA ON DAY 3! |
| A decent session for New Zealand. They managed to score 102 runs and lost three wickets. In fact, they were in a spot of bother at 34/2 but the half century stand between Taylor and Latham steadied things nicely. Sri Lanka have nothing to lose, 1-0 already up and just 7 sessions left in this game. Hard to see them losing from here. |
| Not surprisingly, only 9 overs were bowled by the seamers and even in that, Kumara managed to get rid of Williamson. Karunaratne has employed as many as three spinners already and is rotating them nicely. He will aim for a good outing for his spinners and get a lead of around 50-60 at least. There is some batting to come for the Kiwis but in spinning conditions, they have been found wanting. |
| There are two ways one can look at this as a cricket fan. New Zealand go berserk after Tea and then declare after reaching 200. Bowl out Sri Lanka for 100 and then chase it down on the final day. OR. Sri Lanka run riot after Tea, bowl the Kiwis out within an hour, bat till Tea tomorrow and then declare, setting a target of 250. If either of these happens, it will be FUN. Else, a draw is very much likely on the cards. Join us back at 3.15 pm local (0945 GMT). |
| ... Day 3, Evening session ... |
| We are back for the final session of the day. Tom Latham walks out with Henry Nicholls to resume their innings. The Sri Lankan players are out on the field in their respective positions. Lahiru Kumara to bowl the first over of the final session. |
| 33.1 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Starts with a full ball around off, Nicholls drives it but not of the middle and straight to cover. |
| 33.2 : L Kumara to H Nicholls, Back of a length ball on off, Henry pulls it to deep mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 33.3 : L Kumara to Latham, Good length ball on off, Tom keeps it out off his front foot. |
| 33.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Back of a length on off, Latham defends it with a straight bat. |
| 33.5 : L Kumara to Latham, Bouncer! It is on off, Tom ducks under it. |
| 33.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Full again on off, Latham taps it back to the bowler to get through the over. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya to bowl from the other end. |
| 34.1 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Floated on off, Nicholls keeps it out. |
| 34.2 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Tossed up on off, Nicholls gets on his front foot and defends it off the front foot. |
| 34.3 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, On the pads, Henry flicks it towards square leg and gets to the other end. |
| 34.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floats one on middle, Latham gets on his front foot and blocks it onto the ground. |
| 34.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Loops this on middle, Latham comes down the track and nudges it to long on to get to the other end. |
| 34.6 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, On the pads, Nicholls flicks it but gets hit on the pads. |
| 35.1 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, Good length ball on off, TL milks it to cover for one. |
| 35.2 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Bouncer outside off, Henry sways away from it. |
| 35.3 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Fuller on the stumps, Nicholls defends it off the front foot. |
| 35.4 : L Kumara to Nicholls, On top of off, Nicholls stands tall and punches it wide of deep point. They run the first one hard and challenge the fielder as they call for the second. They get it with ease. |
| The ball is being shown to the umpires. Seems like it has gone out of shape. Umpire Oxenford takes out the 8-shaped gauge and tries pushing the ball through both the rings. It gets stuck in both. That is an indication that the cherry has gone out of shape. Time for the box of replacement balls. |
| 35.5 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Good length ball outside off, Nicholls leaves it alone. |
| 35.6 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Fuller on off, Nicholls pushes it to cover. |
| 36.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 36.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on off, Tom comes down the track and milks it to mid off. |
| 36.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Shorter and spinning in, Latham gets on his back foot and flat bats it wide of extra cover for one. |
| 36.4 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Short again, Nicholls defends it off the back foot. |
| 36.5 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, On the pads, Nicholls glances it to square leg. |
| 36.6 : L Embuldeniya to Nicholls, Tossed up on the stumps, Nicholls keeps it out to get through the over. |
| 37.1 : L Kumara to Latham, In the air but in no man's land. Back of a length ball on off and middle. Lataham looks to pull but gets a top edge which falls in no man's land at square leg. Single taken. |
| 37.2 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Nicholls shows Latham how to pull with confidence and ease as he pulls this one towards deep mid-wicket. |
| 37.3 : L Kumara to Latham, Good length ball outside off, Tom leaves it alone. |
| 37.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Length delivery around off, Tom runs it down to third man and gets a couple. |
| 37.5 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, Fuller on middle and off, Tom strokes it to mid on. |
| 37.6 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, Very good fielding from Oshada! Full around off, Latham, drives it to the right of cover. Oshada Fernando at short cover dives to his right and saves runs for his side. |
| Dilruwan Perera is back on. 13-3-36-1, his figures so far. |
| 38.1 : D Perera to Latham, Appeal for LBW but nothing from the umpire. Floated delivery around off, Latham gets down on one knee and tries to sweep. He misses and the ball hits him on the pads. There is a huge appeal but the umpire is unmoved. They do not take the review as Perera feels it is missing off. Good decision as the Hawk Eye later on confirms that to be true. |
| 38.2 : D Perera to Tom Latham, FOUR! Pummeled away. Short around off, Tom picks it early. He goes on his back foot and flat bats it over mid on for a boundary. |
| 38.3 : D Perera to Latham, Shorter on off, Tom punches it to cover. |
| 38.4 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham blocks it off his front foot. |
| 38.5 : D Perera to Latham, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 38.6 : D Perera to Latham, On the pads, Latham looks to flick but misses and the ball hits him high on the thigh pad. |
| 39.1 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Around middle, tucked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 39.2 : L Kumara to Latham, Very well played. A short ball, outside off, Nicholls plays a controlled pull shot through mid-wicket past the fielder inside the circle for a run. He kept that all along the ground. |
| 39.3 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Outside off, played through point for a run. |
| 39.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Full and outside off, driven back to the bowler. |
| 39.5 : L Kumara to Latham, A bouncer but down the leg side, Tom ducks. |
| 39.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Another wayward bouncer, ducked under again. |
| 40.1 : D Perera to Nicholls, Tossed up on middle, Nicholls defends it off the back foot. |
| 40.2 : D Perera to H Nicholls, Flighted delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it to short leg. |
| 40.3 : D Perera to Nicholls, Floated delivery on middle, Nicholls defends it off the front foot. |
| 40.4 : D Perera to Nicholls, Loopy delivery on middle, Nicholls flicks it through mid-wicket for a single. |
| What happened there? Tom Latham is suddenly running somewhere. Is it a bathroom break? Oh dear... the heavens have opened up. My colleague Sairaj, who has been cross-checking the weather forecast from 9 am this morning, predicts that rain was going to come around 4 pm. Like a metro train, it has come. Not on time, but well before. Well, that might be the end of any more chances of a result in this Test. Still, we cling to hope. Do stay tuned for any updates though we doubt, further play will be |
| Good news - The covers are off and we are about to start at 1620 Local. |
| We are back. Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls walk out. Dilruwan Perera to complete his over which has 2 balls remaining in it. |
| 40.5 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham flicks it to mid-wicket. |
| 40.6 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up delivery on middle, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 41.1 : L Kumara to H Nicholls, Short delivery, Nicholls plays a controlled pull through square leg for a run. |
| 41.2 : L Kumara to Latham, On a good length on middle, Latham tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 41.3 : L Kumara to Latham, On a length and outside off, Latham plays it towards point for a single. |
| 41.4 : L Kumara to Nicholls, Length delivery on off, Nicholls defends it to covers. |
| 41.5 : L Kumara to Nicholls, On a length on middle, Nicholls tucks it to mid-wicket. |
| 41.6 : L Kumara to Nicholls, On a length and outside off, Nicholls punches it through point. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 42.1 : D Perera to Nicholls, Short and spinning away. Nicholls gets on his back foot and punches it to cover. |
| 42.2 : D Perera to Nicholls, Flighted on off, Henry defends it back to the bowler. |
| 42.3 : D Perera to H Nicholls, OUT! Caught! The budding partnership has been broken. Seems like the rain break got a bit of discrepancy in Nicholls' concentration. Slower through the air on off, Nicholls has a push at it. The ball though turns away and kisses the outside edge of the bat. It goes to the right of first slip and once again it is Dhananjaya de Silva who takes the catch. Third catch of this innings for him to follow up the big ton. |
| New Zealand's crisis man, BJ Watling is the new man in. |
| 42.4 : D Perera to Watling, Floated on off, Watling starts his innings with a solid front foot defense. |
| 42.5 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up around off, Watling keeps it out. |
| 42.6 : D Perera to Watling, Watling gets off the mark. Tossed up on off, Watling strokes it to cover and keeps the strike. |
| 43.1 : L Kumara to BJ Watling, FOUR! Unlucky for the bowler. Kumara steams in and bowls a 145 kph ball full on off and middle. The ball moves away at the last minute. Watling looks to play it straight but the ball goes off the outside edge through the gully region for a boundary. |
| 43.2 : L Kumara to Watling, This time flicks it off the middle towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 43.3 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, Wide! Bouncer bounces too high. It is over the head of Latham who sits under it. |
| L Kumara to Latham, On the pads, Tom flicks it wide of fine leg for a couple. |
| 43.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Full on middle and off, Latham defends it towards point and shouts a loud wait. |
| 43.5 : L Kumara to Latham, On off, Latham pushes it to mid off. |
| 43.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Good leave. Length delivery outside off, it comes back in. Tom though is aware of his off stump and leaves it alone. |
| 44.1 : D Perera to Watling, Short and spinning in, Watling punches it against the spin through covers. The outfield is a bit slow but these two are quick between the wickets. They call for three and they get it with ease. |
| 44.2 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, Latham turns it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 44.3 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 44.4 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling defends it right of the middle. |
| 44.5 : D Perera to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 44.6 : D Perera to Watling, Floats one on the stumps, Watling keeps it out. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is back. 9-0-32-1, his figures so far. |
| 45.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated on middle and off, Latham comes down the track and flicks it. He ends up ballooning it but luckily wide of leg gully for a single. |
| 45.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling strokes it towards cover. |
| 45.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 45.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Looped up on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 45.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Driven towards the mid off region. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 45.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Very good fielding. Floated outside off, Latham drags his sweep to the right of deep mid-wicket. Lahiru Thirimanne in the deep dives and saves 3 runs for his side. They run just one as they think it will go for a boundary. |
| 46.1 : D Perera to Latham, Shorter on off, Latham defends it off his back foot. |
| 46.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham looks to defend but the ball hits the front pad. There is a huge appeal but the umpire turns it down. He indicates that there was bat involved. Replay later on does confirms that. To the naked eye it did not look like there was any bat involved. Good decision by the umpire. |
| 46.3 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham blocks it away. |
| 46.4 : D Perera to Latham, Shorter on off, Tom punches it towards cover for a single. |
| 46.5 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Tossed up on middle, BJ looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 46.6 : D Perera to Watling, Floats one on off, Watling nudges it to cover for one. |
| 47.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 47.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Outside off, dabbed wide of slip for a single. |
| 47.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Full and around off, pushed down the ground for a run. |
| 47.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and just around off, well blocked out. |
| 47.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Outside off, spinning away, left alone. |
| 47.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 48.1 : D Perera to Latham, FOUR! Pulled and with sheer authority! It is short around off, Latham is quick to get on his back foot. He pulls it through the vacant mid-wicket region for a boundary. |
| 0.0 : LBW appeal taken upstairs. Latham is the man in question. It looks very close. Is there bat involved? It looks like that the ball is just about kissing the glove as there is spike as the ball goes past the glove. |
| 48.2 : D Perera to Latham, NOT OUT! Sri Lanka lose the review by the faintest of margin. Arm ball on middle, Latham looks to sweep but misses. The ball hits him on the pad and there is a huge appeal. The umpire takes it upstairs. Angelo Mathews, the stand-in skipper signals the 'T'. Replay rolls in and Ultra Edge shows a tiny spike as the ball goes past the glove. After a few looks, the T.V umpire rules in favour of the on-field umpire. |
| 48.3 : D Perera to Latham, Short on off, Latham punches it towards cover for a run. |
| Watling has taken a review against a caught behind. He refereed it straightaway indicating there is no bat involved. |
| 48.4 : Perera to Watling, NOT OUT! There is no bat involved. Shorter delivery around off, Watling looks to play the late cut. The ball goes very close to the edge and to the keeper. The Lankan players appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Watling signals the 'T' straightaway. Replay rolls in and Ultra Edge shows no spike. New Zealand not just retain the review but Watling survives too. |
| 48.5 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up around off, BJ looks to drive but misses. |
| 48.6 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on the stumps, Watling defends it off the front foot to get through the over. |
| 49.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham flicks it towards short leg where it falls short of the fielder. |
| 49.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham comes down the track and drives it to long on for a run. |
| 49.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated delivery on middle, Watling plays a sweep shot towards fine leg. The batsmen take a single. |
| 49.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up delivery on middle, Latham comes down the track and flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen take a run. |
| 49.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Loopy delivery on off, Watling punches it to point. |
| 49.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling keeps it out. |
| 50.1 : D Perera to Latham, On the pads, Latham turns it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 50.2 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on off, Tom comes down the track and defends it. |
| 50.3 : D Perera to Watling, Floated on off, Watling creams his drive through covers. The ball does not have the legs to reach the fence and the fielder from short cover cleans it up. Three runs taken. |
| 50.4 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Tom defends it off the front foot. |
| 50.5 : D Perera to Latham, Shorter on off, Tom punches it towards cover and gets to the other end. |
| 50.6 : D Perera to Watling, Shorter on off, Watling gets on his back foot and keeps it out. |
| 51.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Full and around middle, Latham comes down the track and works it in front of short leg. |
| 51.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, FOUR! Latham comes down the track, takes it on the full and flicks it through mid-wicket for a boundary! |
| 51.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 51.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, The ball strikes the batsman very low on the pads. One run added to the total. Leg bye given by the umpire. |
| 51.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 51.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 52.1 : D Perera to Latham, Outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 52.2 : D Perera to Latham, Full and outside off, a bit of flight, watchfully blocked out. |
| 52.3 : D Perera to Latham, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 52.4 : D Perera to Watling, Comes down the track and hits it down the ground for a run. |
| 52.5 : D Perera to Latham, Another lobbed one outside off, Latham watches it spin away. |
| 52.6 : D Perera to Latham, Full and just outside off, Tom comes forward and smothers the spin. |
| 53.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, 'Play that!' chuckles Ramiz Raja on air. Landed outside off, Watling comes forward to defend but the ball lands on the rough and then spins away viciously past the outside edge. |
| 53.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around middle, BJ comes down the track and defends. |
| 53.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and on middle, pushed towards cover. |
| 53.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! Nice stroke. Full and outside off, Watling comes down the track and drives it through the covers. |
| 53.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Around off, watchfully defended. |
| 53.6 : L Embuldeniya to BJ Watling, Full and around off, Bradley-John comes forward and pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 54.1 : D Perera to Latham, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 54.2 : D Perera to Latham, The batsman rocks onto the back foot and punches the ball. |
| 54.3 : D Perera to Latham, Full and around middle, Latham picks this from the stumps and sweeps it behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 54.4 : D Perera to Watling, Outside off, pushed straight to cover. |
| 54.5 : D Perera to Watling, Down the leg side, the arm ball, Watling lets it go. |
| 54.6 : D Perera to Watling, Full and around middle, Watling comes down the track and drives it towards cover. |
| 55.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Full and around middle, spinning down, Latham comes down the track and looks to flick and is very fortunate that he gets a glove onto it. The ball goes in front of leg slip where Kusal Mendis collects and has a shy at the keeper's end but misses. Concedes an overthrow instead. Latham would have been in even if that had hit the stumps. |
| 55.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 55.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 55.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Outside off, punched off the back foot. |
| 55.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Around off, Watling defends. |
| 55.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and outside off, watchfully blocked out once more. |
| 56.1 : D Perera to Latham, Full and outside leg, Latham goes back and defends. |
| 56.2 : D Perera to Latham, Full and around middle and leg, swept through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 56.3 : D Perera to Watling, Landed outside off, spinning in, Watling goes back and punches it past slip towards third man. Two fielders give it a chase, one from slip, the other from gully, someone gets there first, pulls the ball back in before it touches the ropes and then parries it to his partner. Three runs taken to bring up the 50-RUN STAND. |
| 56.4 : D Perera to Latham, Comes down the track and works it through mid-wicket for a couple. |
| 56.5 : D Perera to Latham, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 56.6 : D Perera to Latham, TOP EDGE, SAFE! Full and around middle, Latham looks to sweep but gets a bit of a top edge due to some extra bounce. Suranga Lakmal at fine leg probably does not pick it at first, hence takes a slow start. By the time he starts to run, he is not in a position to take the catch and the ball lands in front. Worse, he is lazy to stop the ball and it goes past him. Two runs taken. |
| 57.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Landed outside off, left alone. |
| 57.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 57.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 57.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 57.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and outside off, spinning away, left alone. |
| 57.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Incredible leave. This is tossed up around middle, BJ comes forward and then trusts the bounce and away spin to let it go. Brave. Very brave. |
| 58.1 : D Perera to Tom Latham, FOUR! 10th Test ton for Tom Latham, 4th against Sri Lanka! Every time he has scored 50 against the Lankans, he has gone on to convert it into triple figures. Terrific innings again. Gets there with a pull shot to an ordinary long hop, through mid-wicket. Takes his helmet off and walks across to hug his partner. New Zealand may not win this match but this effort is superb. |
| 58.2 : D Perera to Latham, Full and around middle, watchfully defended. |
| 58.3 : D Perera to Latham, Around off, punched back to the bowler. |
| 58.4 : D Perera to Latham, That is venom. Landed around off, Latham looks to defend but the ball pitches and then spins away past the outside edge. |
| 58.5 : D Perera to Latham, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a single. |
| 58.6 : D Perera to Watling, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 59.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, FOUR! Bad ball, down the leg side, Latham sweeps it past leg slip to the fine leg fence. |
| 59.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Oops, yes, yes, no, no, go back, chance of a run out, mix-up and two overthrows. Plenty happening. Full and around middle and leg, Latham comes down the track and works it towards leg slip. Dhananjaya de Silva gets a bad bounce and the ball hits his body and goes behind. Seeing that, Watling calls Latham for a single but then sends him back as he feels he will not make it in time. Latham goes back and now, thanks to the yelling, de Silva is guided to throw to the b |
| 59.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Full and around middle, defended in front of short leg. |
| 59.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, The batsman gets to the pitch of the ball and connects. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 59.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 59.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 60.1 : D Perera to Latham, Landed around off, punched back to the bowler. |
| 60.2 : D Perera to Latham, Outside off, punched towards point. |
| 60.3 : D Perera to Latham, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 60.4 : D Perera to Latham, Fired in around off, Tom goes back and hurriedly blocks it towards the bowler. |
| 60.5 : D Perera to Latham, Full and just around off, well kept out. |
| 60.6 : D Perera to Latham, Outside off, cut through point for a couple. |
| 61.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short and outside off, cut straight to point. |
| 61.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around off, Watling comes down the track and pushes it towards short mid-wicket for a single. The deficit is now 49. |
| 61.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Latham comes down the track and works it through mid-wicket for a run. The stand moves to 70 now. |
| 61.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around off, Watling comes down the track and defends. |
| 61.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and down the leg side, swept towards leg slip. |
| 61.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around off, Watling comes down the track and blocks. |
| Well, the umpires reckon that the light is not good enough to continue and take the bails off. The Sri Lankan players get across and shake hands with Tom Latham. A fabulous knock. His unbeaten 111 has brought New Zealand to a level of parity at least, in this game. |
| Right! Whose day was it? Shared? One might feel so. Sri Lanka started well in the morning with Dhananjaya de Silva getting to his century and crucially, taking the Lankans close to the 250-mark. But the Kiwis, after wasting starts in the middle, managed to recover through Tom Latham, who ensured that the Lankans did not break through. |
| The Lankans tried hard to get wickets but they lost patience and started bowling way too short. Latham was given some easy passage of runs and it seemed like the hosts are relying more on the Kiwis making mistakes. |
| Is there still a possibility of a result in this Test? Ummm... with 2 whole days left, definitely yes. But if weather plays spoilsport, which is predicted to, then we might only be left to relish some individual performances. Hopefully, we get at least some chances of a result, even if we do not get a result. Join us on Sunday, 25th August 2019, at 9.45 am local (0415 GMT) for all the action from Day 4. ADIOS! TAKE CARE! |
| ... Day 4, Morning Session ... |
| Trail - 48, wickets in hand - 6. That is what New Zealand come with on Day 4. Welcome to the coverage of Day 4 of the 2nd Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. 6 sessions remain in this Test and the second innings is yet to be played. If we are to get a result in this one, the weather has to be supportive. The forecast does not show that so it will be interesting to see what approach New Zealand come with. Do they go attacking or will they continue their cautious approach? The pitch is not tha |
| UPDATE 0930 Local (0400 GMT) - Terrible news to start the day. It is raining down steadily and we are up for another delayed start. Rain continues to dominate this Test and is now leading by a comfortable margin. |
| UPDATE 1040 Local (0510 GMT) - Nothing much to update as it continues to rain. It had stopped for a while but it was just a tease as it started raining again. |
| UPDATE 1120 Local (0550 GMT) - Finally some good news. The rain has STOPPED. The groundstaff have started their work. |
| UPDATE 1130 Local (0600 GMT) - Early Lunch has been taken here. So another session marred and won by rain. Also, we are hearing that even if it does not rain play looks unlikely to start before 1300 Local. It has started to drizzle again so expect it to be a tiring day as a cricket fan. |
| UPDATE 1230 Local (0700 GMT) - Yes this time we have a good news for you. It has stopped raining and the sun is slowly creeping out from beneath the clouds. This is encouraging. Now time for the sun to shine brighter than the clouds. The covers are slowly coming off and we will have an inspection at 1330 Local, i.e., in an hours time. |
| FINALLY!!! PLAY SET TO START AT 1340 LOCAL. All the wait seems to be finally over as we are not far away from the start. The players are seen warming up. 57 overs to be played today with the time extended to 1745 Local. |
| PITCH REPORT - Kyle Mills is once again the pitch master. Mills tells that it is exceptionally hot now. On the pitch, Mills says that there is no moisture though the pitch was under cover. He tells that the surface is dry and the footmarks are still prevalent. |
| After a long...long...long delay we are finally ready to start Day 4. Overnight batsmen Tom Latham and BJ Watling walk out to resume their innings. Lahiru Kumara to start the proceedings for Sri Lanka on Day 4. |
| 62.1 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, FOUR! Runs straightaway and that also brings up the 200 for New Zealand. Full ball outside off, Latham goes for the drive but the ball moves away and goes through the vacant gully region off the outer half of his bat for a boundary. Not off the middle but New Zealand will take it. |
| 62.2 : L Kumara to Latham, Off the inner half this time. Good length ball on off, Latham looks to play it on the off side but it goes off the inner portion of his bat towards square leg for a single. |
| 62.3 : L Kumara to Watling, Full on off, Watling pushes it to cover. |
| 62.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Yorker. It is on off, Watling keeps his eyes on the ball and gets his bat down in time. |
| 62.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Bouncer to follow the yorker. Good bowling this from Lahiru. Keeps the batsman guessing. This is on the body, BJ sits under it. |
| 62.6 : L Kumara to Watling, First run for Watling for the day. Good length ball on off, BJ defends it with soft hands towards point and calls for a quick single. |
| Dilruwan Perera to partner Lahiru Kumara. |
| 63.1 : D Perera to Watling, Beats him first up. Short and straight outside off, Watling looks to cut but misses. |
| 63.2 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling milks it down to long on for a single. |
| 63.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, Latham defends it towards point. |
| 63.4 : D Perera to Latham, Darts one down the leg side. It is closer to the leg stump. Tom looks to flick but misses. |
| 63.5 : D Perera to Latham, Flights one on middle and leg, Tom defends it off the front foot. |
| 63.6 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted on middle, Tom defends it straight back to the bowler. |
| 64.1 : L Kumara to Watling, Bouncer. It is around off, Watling sits under it. |
| 64.2 : L Kumara to Watling, Good length ball around off, Watling strokes it to point. |
| 64.3 : Kumara to Watling, Appeal but nothing from the umpire. Length ball pitching on off, it nips back in. Watling looks to defend but the ball hits him on the pads. There is a stifled appeal but the umpire is unmoved. It looks to be going down leg and Hawk Eye later on confirms the same. |
| 64.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Now swing on this one. It is left alone by BJ. |
| 64.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Full on off, Watling drives it straight down the ground. The outfield is relatively slow hence the fielder from mid off cleans it up before the ropes. 3 taken. |
| 64.6 : L Kumara to Latham, On top of the stumps, Latham defends it to get through the over. |
| 65.1 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Tossed up outside off, Watling looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen get two runs. |
| 65.2 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling keeps it out. |
| 65.3 : D Perera to Watling, Floated delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the back foot. |
| 65.4 : D Perera to Watling, Loopy delivery on off, Watling blocks it off the front foot. |
| 65.5 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling defends it out. |
| 65.6 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling comes down the track and defends it. |
| 66.1 : L Kumara to Latham, Bowls a bouncer outside off, Latham lets it sail through to the keeper. |
| 66.2 : L Kumara to Latham, Length delivery on off, Latham plays it towards point for a run. |
| 66.3 : L Kumara to Watling, On a length on middle, Watling flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 66.4 : L Kumara to Latham, Good length delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the back foot. |
| 66.5 : L Kumara to Latham, On a good length on off, Latham keeps it out. |
| Sri Lanakan skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne is not on the field as he has an internal injury. Not sure what the injury is. Angelo Mathews is the stand in captain. |
| 66.6 : L Kumara to Latham, Outside off, Latham leaves it alone. |
| 67.1 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling comes down the track and looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes towards third man. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 67.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 67.3 : D Perera to Watling, Floated delivery on off, Watling defends it out. |
| 67.4 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 67.5 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up delivery on middle, Watling flicks it to the leg side. |
| 67.6 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Short on off, Watling makes room and cuts it to point. |
| 68.1 : L Kumara to Latham, On a length on off, Latham plays it towards point. The batsmen take a run. |
| 68.2 : L Kumara to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling flicks it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 68.3 : L Kumara to Latham, FOUR! Poor delivery from Kumara. Bowls it on a length on leg, Latham nudges it towards fine leg for a boundary. |
| 68.4 : L Kumara to Tom Latham, EDGED AND JUST OVER SLIPS! FOUR! Length delivery outside off, Latham looks to slash that but gets a thick outside edge. It goes over second slip. Mathews misreads it and hence misjudges it and the ball goes past him for a boundary. |
| 68.5 : L Kumara to Latham, On the pads, Tom flicks it towards mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 68.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Length delivery around off, Watling strokes it towards point and keeps the strike. The trail is now 20. |
| 69.1 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 69.2 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on off, BJ gets down on one knee and paddles it towards the fine leg region for a single. |
| 69.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, Tom strokes it towards mid off. |
| 69.4 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, Latham keeps it out. |
| 69.5 : D Perera to Latham, Short around off, Tom stands tall and punches it towards cover for a single. It brings the 100-run stand between the two. It has been a game changing knock here from the duo. A well constructed partnership this. |
| 69.6 : D Perera to Watling, BJ defends it from within the crease. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is into the attack. |
| 70.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Starts with a flighted delivery on middle, Tom keeps it out. |
| 70.2 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham comes down the track and keeps it out. |
| 70.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Short and spinning away, it is on the pads. Latham flicks it fine down the leg side with the spin for a couple. |
| 70.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham comes down the track and defends it. |
| 70.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flights one on off, TL keeps it out. |
| 70.6 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, On the pads, Latham glances it to the leg side for a single. |
| 71.1 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted on off and middle, Latham gets on his back foot and defends it. |
| 71.2 : D Perera to Latham, Loopy ball on off and middle, Tom gets on his back foot and punches it towards cover. |
| 71.3 : D Perera to Watling, Shorter on off, Watling keeps it out of his back foot. |
| 71.4 : D Perera to Watling, On off and short, Watling strokes it towards cover for one. |
| 71.5 : D Perera to Tom Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham nudges it to long on and rotates the strike. |
| 71.6 : D Perera to Watling, Short again, Watling strokes it towrads cover-point and keeps the strike. |
| 72.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short on off, Watling keeps it out. |
| 72.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, On the pads, BJ nudges it towards fine leg for one. |
| 72.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham comes down the track and defends it towards mid on. |
| 72.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham milks it to long off and gets to the other end. |
| 72.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, On the stumps, Watling bends his back and keeps it out. |
| 72.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Another solid and calm defense from BJ to end the over. |
| 73.1 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham defends it out. |
| 73.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Latham keeps it out. |
| 73.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on off, Latham plays it to point. |
| 73.4 : D Perera to Latham, Loopy delivery on off, Latham punches it to point. |
| 73.5 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 73.6 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on middle, Tom keeps it out. |
| 74.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling plays it to covers. |
| 74.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 74.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated delivery on off, Watling plays it to covers. |
| 74.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling defends it out. |
| 74.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Loopy delivery on middle, BJ blocks it well. |
| 74.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling comes down the track and defends it. |
| 75.1 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the front foot. |
| 75.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham plays it to point. |
| 75.3 : D Perera to Latham, Floated delivery on middle, Latham defends it off the back foot. |
| 75.4 : D Perera to Latham, Flighted delivery on off, Latham blocks it well. |
| 75.5 : D Perera to Latham, Loopy delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 75.6 : D Perera to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling flicks it towards square leg for a run. |
| 76.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short and spinning away. Watling punches it to cover. |
| 76.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling waits and then plays it late wide of first slip for a single. |
| 76.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham comes down the track and keeps it out. |
| 76.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated on the stumps, Latham defends it with a straight bat. |
| 76.5 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated on off, Tom comes down the track and milks it to long on to take one. Deficit now of just 5. |
| 76.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short on off, Watling stands tall and punches it towards cover-point. |
| 77.1 : D Perera to Latham, Floated on off, BJ keeps it out. |
| 77.2 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham turns it with the spin behind square on the leg side for a single. |
| 77.3 : D Perera to Watling, Off spinner on off and middle, Watling keeps it out. |
| 77.4 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling comes down the track and strokes it wide of cover for one. |
| 77.5 : D Perera to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham keeps it out. |
| 77.6 : D Perera to Latham, Collision but no serious damage. Shorter around off, Latham punches it through covers. Kusal Mendis and Suranga Lakmal come to clean it up, they end up bumping into each other. No damage done but the batters get two with ease. |
| 78.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on off, Watling comes down the track and defends it off the front foot. |
| 78.2 : L Embuldeniya to BJ Watling, Nicely bowled. Slower through the air on middle and off, BJ looks to defend but gets a thick outside edge. |
| 78.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 78.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, On the stumps, Watling taps it back to the bowler. |
| 78.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short on off, BJ defends it off the back foot. |
| 78.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flights on off, BJ pushes it to cover. |
| Drinks Break! New Zealand have not been aggressive in their approach but in their defense the Sri Lankan bowlers have bowled really well. They trail by just 1 and the question on everyone's mind is whether New Zealand go for the runs or declare and back their bowlers. If Sri Lanka are eyeing a draw then they are well paced here as they have kept the run flow at check. |
| Dhananjaya de Silva to replace Dilruwan Perera. 4-1-8-0, his figures so far. |
| 79.1 : de Silva to Latham, Tossed up on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 79.2 : de Silva to Latham, Scores level now. On the pads, Tom turns it to the on side for a single to reach Sri Lanka's total of 244. |
| 79.3 : de Silva to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling pushes it to cover. |
| 79.4 : de Silva to BJ Watling, Full toss. BJ does not make the most of it and once again hits it straight to mid off. |
| 79.5 : de Silva to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling strokes it wide of mid off and calls for a quick single. The fielder has a shy at the bowler's end but misses. Watling looked to be in even if the fielder had managed to hit the stumps. New Zealand into the lead now. |
| 79.6 : de Silva to Latham, Flighted on off, Latham keeps it out. |
| Sri Lanka have the option to take the second new ball and they have taken it. |
| Suranga Lakmal to operate first up with the new ball. |
| 80.1 : S Lakmal to Watling, Starts the new spell with a good length ball outside off, Watling leaves it alone. |
| 80.2 : S Lakmal to Watling, Length ball on the 4th stump line, BJ shoulders arms to it. |
| 80.3 : S Lakmal to Watling, On the pads, Watling turns it to the on side and gets to the other end. |
| 80.4 : S Lakmal to Latham, Beauty! Good length ball pitching around off, Latham looks to defend but the ball dissects him in half and goes to the keeper. |
| 80.5 : S Lakmal to Latham, Outside the off pole, Latham lets it carry to the keeper. |
| 80.6 : S Lakmal to Latham, Good length ball outside off, Latham looks to defend inside the line but misses. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is back. |
| 81.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 81.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on middle, Watling comes down the track and looks to defend. He gets a faint inside edge onto the pads. There is a big appeal from the Lankan players but the umpire is not interested. |
| 81.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! Punched away with power. Short around off, Watling transfers his weight onto his back foot and punches it through covers for a boundary. 250 up for New Zealand. |
| 81.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Fuller on off, Watling strokes it towards cover. |
| 81.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling keeps it out. |
| 81.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, On the stumps, BJ blocks it to get through the over. |
| 82.1 : S Lakmal to Latham, FOUR! Lovely shot. Full and outside off, Latham drives it beautifully through covers for a boundary. |
| 82.2 : S Lakmal to Latham, On a good length on off, Latham looks to flick but it goes off the inner half of the bat. It goes towards square leg. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 82.3 : S Lakmal to Watling, Good length delivery on off, Watling keeps it out. |
| 82.4 : S Lakmal to Watling, Outside off, Watling lets it go. |
| 82.5 : S Lakmal to Watling, Good length delivery on middle, Watling plays it to mid off. |
| 82.6 : S Lakmal to BJ Watling, On a good length on off, Watling looks to drive but gets an outside edge. It goes towards gully. |
| 83.1 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Flighted delivery on middle, Latham flicks it towards mid-wicket for a run. |
| 83.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, 50 for BJ Watling. Back to back fifties for him. He has once again played a knock that has got his side out of trouble. Floated delivery on off, Watling strokes it wide of mid off. The fielder there misfields allowing them to get to his 18th Testy fifty. He raises his bat and shows it towards his dressing room. |
| 83.3 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, Floated on off, Latham comes down the track and strokes it towards cover for a couple. |
| 83.4 : L Embuldeniya to Latham, 150 FOR TOM LATHAM. He continues his excellent scoring spree. Flighted on off, Tom gets down on one knee and sweeps it towards square leg for a single. He has single-handedly taken on the Lankan bowlers here. |
| 83.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flights one on off, Watling blocks it off the front foot. |
| 83.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, On the pads, BJ flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 84.1 : S Lakmal to Latham, On a good length on off, Latham defends it off the front foot. |
| 84.2 : S Lakmal to Tom Latham, On a length on middle, Latham plays it to mid on. |
| 84.3 : S Lakmal to Latham, FOUR! Nice shot. Full and outside off, Latham drives it through covers for a boundary. This is excellent batting from Tom Latham. |
| 84.4 : S Lakmal to Latham, Full again on off, Latham drives it to covers. |
| 84.5 : S Lakmal to Latham, Full on off, Tom drives it to mid off. |
| 84.6 : S Lakmal to Latham, Good length delivery on off, Latham blocks it off the back foot. |
| Dilruwan Perera is back into the attack. |
| 85.1 : D Perera to Watling, FOUR! Terrific shot. Short and outside off, Watling makes room and cuts it hard through point for a boundary. |
| 85.2 : D Perera to Watling, Flighted delivery on middle, Watling nudges it towards square leg for a run. |
| LBW appeal taken upstairs. Latham has been adjudged out. Looks out as well. Here comes Hawk Eye. Missing off and middle. Hitting leg. Good decision from the umpire, not a great review, I am afraid. |
| 85.3 : D Perera to Latham, OUT! LBW! It looked out and it is out. Arm ball on middle, it is slightly quicker. Latham looks to play it on the off side off his back foot but misses. The ball hits him on the back pad. The Sri Lankan players put in a solid appeal and the umpire agrees. Latham after a brief chat with Watling signals a hopeful 'T'. Replay rolls in and Snicko shows no bat. Hawk Eye comes in next and it shows all reds. Latham has to walk back. End of a fantastic knock from Tom. He walks |
| Colin de Grandhomme walks in at number 7, replacing Latham. |
| 85.4 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Off the mark straightaway. Outside off, de Grandhomme goes back and punches it through the covers for a single. |
| 85.5 : D Perera to Watling, Full and around middle, Watling comes forward and blocks. |
| 85.6 : D Perera to Watling, Around off, BJ goes back and blocks again. |
| Change again. Lasith Embuldeniya is back on. 25-3-74-1 so far. |
| 86.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and outside off, driven towards mid off for a single. |
| 86.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Around middle, worked through square leg for a run. |
| 86.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 86.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Beautifully tossed up outside off, de Grandhomme looks to defend but the ball rips past the outside edge. |
| 86.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, The batsman defends it from within the crease. |
| 86.6 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and around off, Colin looks to block but gets another inside edge onto his pads. |
| 87.1 : D Perera to Watling, Outside off, blocked from the crease. |
| 87.2 : D Perera to Watling, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 87.3 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Full and around off, Watling looks to defend but gets a thick outside edge past first slip for a single. |
| 87.4 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Outside off, blocked from the crease. |
| 87.5 : D Perera to de Grandhomme, Short and outside off, cut behind point for a brace. |
| 87.6 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Around off, flicked through square leg for a run. |
| 88.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Tossed up outside off, driven towards cover. |
| 88.2 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, SIX! Up and over! Full and outside off, de Grandhomme comes forward and lofts it as clean as a whistle over long off! The stand moves to 13 from 17 balls. |
| 88.3 : L Embuldeniya to de Grandhomme, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 88.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Around middle, tucked through square leg for a run. |
| 88.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated outside off, BJ comes down the track and blocks. |
| 88.6 : L Embuldeniya to BJ Watling, Full and around middle, Bradley-John goes at it with hard hands and the ball flies off the inside edge, JUST WIDE of short leg! A single taken. Replays show that the short leg fielder got a hand to it. Could not cling on... |
| 89.1 : D Perera to Watling, Outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 89.2 : D Perera to Watling, Full and around off, well blocked out. |
| 89.3 : D Perera to Watling, Outside off, pushed towards cover for a single. |
| 89.4 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Full and around off, flicked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 89.5 : D Perera to Watling, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. They manage to come back for the second. |
| 89.6 : D Perera to Watling, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 90.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and just around off, de Grandhomme looks to defend and just about gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| 90.2 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Landed outside off, watchfully blocked. |
| 90.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Ripper. Tossed up outside off, Colin looks to cut but the ball spins away and beats the outside edge comprehensively. |
| 90.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. |
| 90.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Floated outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| 90.6 : L Embuldeniya to de Grandhomme, DROPPED! Tough chance. Full and outside off, de Grandhomme looks to drive but the ball takes the outside edge and goes behind. Substitute keeper Dinesh Chandimal is not able to get up in time and puts it down. The ball does not carry to Dhananjaya de Silva at first slip. |
| 91.1 : D Perera to Watling, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. |
| 91.2 : D Perera to BJ Watling, Short and outside off, cut behind point for a single. |
| 91.3 : D Perera to Grandhomme, SIX! High and handsome! Tea around the corner or not, this bloke does not care. Full and flighted outside off, de Grandhomme comes down the track and sends it sailing over long on! |
| 91.4 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Outside off, Colin looks to cut but misses. |
| 91.5 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Full and around off, watchfully blocked out. |
| 91.6 : D Perera to Grandhomme, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. TEA ON DAY 4, NEW ZEALAND LEAD BY 51! |
| This has been New Zealand's session. Sri Lanka did manage to get rid of Tom Latham but no other success for them. The Kiwis have scored 99 runs in this session and are looking solid. With the lead now 51 and New Zealand desperately looking for a win, it will be interesting to see what Williamson does after the break. Sri Lanka need to find a way to pick up wickets and also stop the run flow which is slowly gathering pace. What do we have in store for the final session of Day 4? Join us after the |
| ... Day 4, Third Session ... |
| We are back for the final session. BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme stride out to resume their innings. Lasith Embuldeniya to start the session for Sri Lanka. |
| 92.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Clumsy from Embuldeniya. Tossed up on middle and leg. Watling gets on his back foot and punches it to the right of Lasith. Embuldeniya is casual in his approach. He misfields allowing them to take a single. |
| 92.2 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, FOUR! Seems like the message in the break was for de Grandhomme to play his natural attacking game. Short outside off, de Grandhomme gets on his back foot and punches it with power through covers for a boundary. |
| 92.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Follows it up with a smart single. Floated on middle, Colin defends it with soft hands to the on side for a run. |
| 92.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on off, Watling looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 92.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on off, BJ comes down the track and keeps it out. |
| 92.6 : L Embuldeniya to BJ Watling, Flighhted on middle, Watling nudges it towards long on for one. |
| Lahiru Kumara to partner Lasith Embuldeniya for the start of the final session of the day. 15-0-67-1, his figures so far. |
| 93.1 : L Kumara to Watling, Good length ball on off, Watling defends it off the front foot. |
| 93.2 : L Kumara to Watling, Back of a length on off, BJ defends it off the back foot. |
| 93.3 : L Kumara to Watling, Impressive bowling this. Lahiru hits the deck hard around off, the ball paces up and comes in with the angle after hitting the surface. Watling looks to defend but the bat turns in his hands and the ball hits the pad. |
| 93.4 : L Kumara to Watling, On the pads, Watling flicks it towards square leg for a couple. |
| 93.5 : L Kumara to Watling, On top of the stumps, BJ keeps it out. |
| 93.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Once again Kumara bowls it on the pads of Watling. BJ will not have any issue playing those all day long as he once again flicks it towards mid-wicket and gets a brace. |
| 94.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 94.2 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, On middle, tucked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 94.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Full and around middle, Watling comes forward and defends. |
| 94.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Comes down the track, takes it on the full and pushes it down the ground for a run. |
| 94.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 94.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Outside off, punched off the back foot. |
| 95.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Down the leg side, de Grandhomme works it behind square leg for a couple. |
| 95.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, A short ball, down the leg side, de Grandhomme looks to hook but misses. |
| 95.3 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Short and outside off, cut through point for a single. |
| 95.4 : L Kumara to Watling, A bouncer, around middle, BJ ducks. |
| 95.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Full and around middle, driven towards mid on. |
| 95.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Outside off, punched towards cover. |
| 96.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Landed outside off, de Grandhomme reads it well, trusts his instincts that it is not an arm ball and lets it go. |
| 96.2 : L Embuldeniya to de Grandhomme, Short and outside off, cut straight to point. |
| 96.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Landed outside off, Colin goes back and guides it past Lahiru Kumara at short third man. Two runs taken. |
| 96.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Outside off, punched off the back foot towards backward point. |
| 96.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, FOUR! Effortless! Full and around middle, de Grandhomme just flicks it casually over mid-wicket! |
| 96.6 : L Embuldeniya to de Grandhomme, Tossed up, outside off, driven through mid off for a single. |
| 97.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Caught behind! No? Nothing from the bowler or the keeper. Thought there was a noise. A short ball outside off, de Grandhomme looks to pull but misses. Replays also confirm a sound but nothing on Snicko when the ball goes past bat. Strange. |
| 97.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, WIDE. A short ball outside off, a bit too high, Colin lets it through. The keeper has to leap to collect and it is wided. |
| L Kumara to Grandhomme, Full and outside off, driven back to the bowler. |
| 97.3 : L Kumara to de Grandhomme, Outside off, powered past the bowler towards long off for a single. |
| 97.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Down the leg side, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 97.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Excellent yorker, around middle, BJ digs it out. |
| 97.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Another very full ball, tailing in, worked away watchfully towards mid on. That swung in a bit late. |
| 98.1 : L Embuldeniya to de Grandhomme, Full and outside off, driven towards long off for a single. |
| 98.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Around middle, Watling comes down the track and pushes it towards long on for a run. |
| 98.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, FOUR! Up and over! Full and outside off, de Grandhomme comes down the track and lofts it over cover for a boundary. The lead is now 83. De Grandhomme moves to 42 from 43 balls. |
| 98.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, SIX! Easy-peasy for CdG! Full and outside off, de Grandhomme stays leg side of the ball and lofts it with finesse over long off! The stand moves to 64 from 79 balls. |
| 98.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, SIX! Another biggie and it is a half century for Colin de Grandhomme! Full and outside off, once again, Colin stays leg side of the ball and lofts it nicely over wide long off. Substitute Avishka Fernando thinks he has a chance, goes back but can only watch the ball sail over! The lead is now worth 95. The stand moves to 70 from 80 balls. |
| Changing the angle, is Embuldeniya. The ball is being changed as well. Seems to have gone out of shape. Not surprising, given the way de Grandhomme is pelting the ball. |
| 98.6 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Full and around middle, de Grandhomme looks to flick but the ball spins away and takes the leading edge. However, there is no one to catch it and the ball goes towards mid off. A single taken. 19 from the over. |
| 99.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Down the leg side, a full toss, de Grandhomme looks to flick but misses. |
| 99.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, WIDE. The batsman watches the bouncer go way above his head. The umpire has signalled a wide. |
| L Kumara to Grandhomme, Down the leg side, flick shot missed. |
| 99.3 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Short and outside off, de Grandhomme looks to cut but misses. |
| 99.4 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Outside off, probably the cutter, de Grandhomme looks to punch but the ball comes back in, pretty late and beats the inside edge. Does not carry to the keeper. |
| 99.5 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Full and down the leg side, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 99.6 : L Kumara to de Grandhomme, Full and outside off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| Suranga Lakmal's back. 7-1-19-0 so far. |
| 100.1 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, A length ball outside off, pushed towards mid on for a single. |
| 100.2 : S Lakmal to Watling, Outside off, pushed towards point for a run. The lead is now exactly a 100. |
| 100.3 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, Around middle, tucked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 100.4 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full and around middle, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| 100.5 : S Lakmal to Watling, Around off, solidly defended. |
| 100.6 : S Lakmal to Watling, That is a good nut. Little bit of shape as it leaves the right-hander, on a length, Watling looks to defend but gets squared up. The ball goes past the outside edge. |
| 101.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, A length ball outside off, cutting in, de Grandhomme looks to defend but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. |
| 101.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, FOUR! Poor ball. Full and down the leg side, de Grandhomme flicks it to the fine leg fence! Colin moves to 62 from just 56 balls. The stand is worth 80 from 95 deliveries. |
| 101.3 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Outside off, Colin looks to punch but gets a bottom edge towards cover. A single taken to bring up the 350 FOR NEW ZEALAND! Any plans of declaration? |
| 101.4 : L Kumara to Watling, A bouncer, on middle, Watling ducks. |
| 101.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Around off, nicely blocked from the crease. |
| 101.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Another bouncer to end the over, BJ ducks again. |
| There is a bit of cloud cover over the ground. 57 minutes to go to Stumps. |
| 102.1 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, FOUR! Very smart from de Grandhomme. Outside off, on a length, Colin waits for the ball to come to him and guides it through the vacant first slip region to the third man fence! |
| 102.2 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, Outside off, dabbed to third man for a single. |
| 102.3 : S Lakmal to BJ Watling, Full and outside off, driven straight to cover. |
| Uh oh... the ground staff is getting into action. The cloud cover mentioned a few minutes ago has grown pretty thick. Sri Lanka will not mind it one bit. |
| 102.4 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full and down the leg side, flicked away for a run. |
| 102.5 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, Outside off, gently tapped towards point for one. |
| 102.6 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full and around middle, flicked straight to short mid-wicket. |
| 103.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Full and down the leg side, de Grandhomme looks to flick. |
| 103.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Outside off, played through point for a single. Moves to 70 from 62 balls. |
| 103.3 : L Kumara to Watling, Down the leg side, flicked towards short mid-wicket. |
| It is coming, it is coming, it is coming and it has come. The heavens have opened up. Out come the groundstaff with the covers. That should almost be it for the day. Awaiting official confirmation. |
| Oh yes!!! We are back! 5 overs have been lost due to the rain interruption. Watling and de Grandhomme walk out to continue the innings. Lahiru Kumara to finish his over. |
| 103.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Fuller ball on middle, Watling strokes it towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 103.5 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Well controlled pull this from de Grandomme. Back of a length ball on off, Colin pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 103.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Very full on off, Watling defends it back to the bowler. |
| 104.1 : S Lakmal to de Grandhomme, Edged but falls well short. Fuller on off, de Gradhomme looks to defend with soft hands but the ball goes off the outside edge towards the man at wide first slip. |
| 104.2 : S Lakmal to Grandhomme, Full on off and middle, de Grandomme tucks it to the on side for a single. |
| 104.3 : S Lakmal to Watling, Good running! Good length ball on off, Watling taps it towards third man, wide of the fielder. Watling runs the first one hard and calls for the second. Colin responds and BJ reaches the danger end on time. |
| 104.4 : S Lakmal to Watling, Bouncer! It is on the body, BJ ducks under it. The only ball that has worked for the Sri Lankans today. |
| 104.5 : S Lakmal to Watling, Length ball on off, Watling taps it towards backward point. |
| 104.6 : S Lakmal to Watling, On the off pole, BJ keeps it out. |
| 105.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Length delivery outside off, de Grandhomme runs it down to the right of third man. The man in the deep gets to the ball quickly stopping the second Colin was looking for. |
| 105.2 : L Kumara to Watling, Full on off, Colin drives it off the meat but straight to mid off. |
| 105.3 : L Kumara to Watling, Short ball outside off, Watling looks to play an audacious upper cut but misses. |
| 105.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Length ball on off, Watling pushes it to mid off. |
| 105.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Fuller on off, Watling drives it towards mid-wicket as the bat turns in his hand for a run. |
| 105.6 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, SIX! That was six the moment he hit the bat. Short ball around off, de Grandhomme gets on his back foot and pulls it over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie. 100 partnership comes up with the shot that sounded like a bazooka. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is on now. |
| 106.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Turn and bounce on this one. Floated on middle and leg, Watling looks to defend but the ball grips away from the batter and goes to the keeper. |
| 106.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Shorter on off, Watling blocks it off the back foot. |
| 106.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling sweeps it away towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 106.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Pitching outside leg and turning in. De Grandhomme tries to sweep it away but misses and the ball hits him on his pad. |
| 106.5 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, In the air but safe. Tossed up on leg, de Grandhomme goes for the sweep but gets a top edge which goes over the keeper's head. Mathews chases it from first slip and saves it before the ropes. |
| 106.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on middle, Watling comes down the track and keeps it out. |
| Angelo Mathews has gone up for an LBW decision against de Grandhomme. It looks to be going down leg, at best it looks umpire's call but let us see what the replays have to say. |
| 107.1 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, NOT OUT! Missing the leg pole. Full ball on leg, the ball reverses a bit. De Grandhomme looks to flick but misses. The ball hits his pad and goes towards the third man region. There is a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. The batters take two in the meantime. Mathews has a word with his bowler and takes it upstairs. Replay rolls in and Hawk Eye shows that the ball would have been clipping the leg pole. |
| 107.2 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 107.3 : L Kumara to Watling, Fuller on off, BJ plays it towards sweeper cover for one. |
| 107.4 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Good length ball on off, de Grandhomme punches it to cover-point. |
| 107.5 : L Kumara to Grandhomme, Fuller on off, de Grandhomme milks it towards long off for a run. |
| 107.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Length ball around off, Watling runs it down towards third man and keeps the strike. |
| 108.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on off, Watling plays it to point. |
| 108.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling plays it towards covers. The batsmen cross ends. |
| 108.3 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Tossed up on leg, de Grandhomme looks to sweep but gets hit on the pads. |
| 108.4 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Loopy delivery on leg, de Grandhomme sweeps it towards the leg side for a run. |
| 108.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted delivery on off, Watling plays it to point. |
| 108.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Tossed up on leg, Watling sweeps it through square leg for a single. |
| Suranga Lakmal is on now. 10-1-32-0, his figures. |
| 109.1 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full and outside off, Watling drives it to point. |
| 109.2 : S Lakmal to Watling, On a good length on off, Watling defends it off the back foot. |
| 109.3 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full on middle, Watling drives it back towards the bowler. |
| 109.4 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full again on off, Watling drives it straight back towards Lakmal. |
| 109.5 : S Lakmal to Watling, On a good length on off, Watling defends it out. |
| 109.6 : S Lakmal to Watling, Full on middle, Watling drives it to mid on. |
| The umpires are having a light meter check here as it has got a bit dark here. They have a discussion and after a chat the umpires have called it STUMPS ON DAY 4. Bad light once again plays the role of a side villain along with rain to perfection. |
| Another day in the Test where we didn't have full three sessions. Latham and Watling continued to build on their partnership from the last day and in the process got to their 150 and 50 respectively. The duo were cautious in their approach but once Latham got out, de Grandhomme came in and played his natural attacking game. He decimated the Sri Lankan bowlers and got to his 50 in just 45 balls taking his side's lead over 100, 114 to be precise. Before rain disrupted play for a while. Once play r |
| Sri Lanka started the day's play by bowling tight lines and not allowing free runs but once de Grandhomme walked in all the bowlers were taken away for runs. Before the heavens opened up, benefiting the Sri Lankans. Though play resumed again the break helped Sri Lanka's cause as they were able to once again restrict the runs. With just 3 sessions to go and 2 innings to be played for a result. It looks unlikely that we will have winner unless there is a miracle. |
| So that was it from another curtailed day of play in this 2nd Test. We now move to the final day of this Test. Though a result looks unlikely here we have witnessed games turning on its head especially on Day 5 in sub-continental pitches. Join us on 26th August, 2019, i.e., Monday at 0945 Local (0415 GMT) for the final day's coverage. Till then, cheers! |
| ... DAY 5, MORNING SESSION ... |
| Hello, folks! Have you recovered from the euphoria of Ben Stokes' knock last evening? We haven't surely. There is a hangover still. It was truly a blockbuster Sunday. Stokes decimating Australia and then India routing West Indies. Three Tests started last Thursday, two of them have got results and the one left is yet to see the completion of the second innings. Rain dance is what we have witnessed at P Sara Oval and there is more to come today. So don't be too hopeful. Early pictures and videos |
| As far as this Test match is concerned, powered by Tom Latham's fantastic knock, the Kiwis got a solid platform and BJ Watling once again showed why he has earned the tag of being the crisis man for New Zealand. Later on, when things eased out and the pressure vanished, Colin de Grandhomme expressed himself with the bat. His whirlwind 75-ball 83 has taken the visiting team's lead close to 150. With both Watling and de Grandhomme nearing their respective centuries, the Black Caps would look to co |
| Good news for the cricket lovers is that the rain has stopped and the covers are off! The groundsmen have done a commendable job in drying out the outfield, however, there are still puddles on the field and that's leading to a delayed start. The umpires have inspected those areas and have given instructions to the fourth umpire on what's needed to be done. Still we're hopeful of getting underway sooner rather than later. |
| Here's a quick interview with Angelo Mathews. He says that they want to control what they can and not think about what New Zealand are going to set them. He doesn't want to be too negative and think about the result at the moment. On Karunaratne, Mathews replies that he has contributed so much and with him going down the order, they have to shuffle their batting order. As a batting unit, Mathews feels they will be a little concerned about the new ball and with the sun coming out, it might take t |
| We have some words from the umpires. 98 overs to be bowled on Day 5 and PLAY TO BEGIN AT 1015 LOCAL TIME. It's going to be a 135-minute session and the duration of the afternoon session will be the same. The final hour will begin at 1645 local. The officials are happy with the outfield, barring a few wet patches on the ground. |
| New Zealand are not declaring! They will continue with their batting is the latest update we are provided. Some milestones to achieve for their current batsmen and maybe after that they will put Sri Lanka to bat again. |
| Tim Southee is up for an interview. The Kiwi pacer says that the conditions are not like they are used to at home but that's the beauty of the game, you have to adjust. Tells that milestones come and go and it's nice to get your name there. Is happy to do the job for the team. Feels it's a crucial day and he wants to do his job effectively yet again. He's expecting some assistance for the seamers. Feels there is still a chance for all the three results. He's excited and eagerly waiting to see ho |
| PITCH REPORT - Once again Kyle Mills is the pitch expert for the day. Mills informs that the outfield is a bit wet. On the pitch, Mills says that the pitch has not broken up even though we are on Day 5 because we have a lot of overs deducted. He says that the pitch is still hard and hence there was some assistance for the pacers. |
| Once again after a delayed start we are all set to begin Day 5. Overnight batsmen Colin de Grandhomme and BJ Watling walk out to resume their innings. Lasith Embuldeniya to start the day with the ball. |
| 110.1 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, Starts with a flighted delivery landing outside leg, it takes turn towards off after pitching, de Grandhomme tries to slog first up but misses. |
| 110.2 : L Embuldeniya to Grandhomme, OUT! Gone on the second ball of the day! Embuldeniya tosses it up in the air and lands in the rough outside leg. It spins away again, towards the off stump and de Grandhomme is down on one knee trying to slog sweep once more against the turn. He fails to control his shot and it flies off the top edge. Lahiru Kumara runs in a bit from deep square leg, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes the skier safely. That was in the air for quite some time and credit to th |
| Tim Southee walks out to bat, early on in the day. Would have hoped to have some rest but will have to bat now. |
| 110.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flatter one, around middle and leg, Watling defends it from the back foot. |
| 110.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! Well played! Too full in length on middle, Watling gets down and sweeps it powerfully in front of square leg for a cracking boundary. |
| 110.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Charges down the track to a full ball and drives it to long off for a run. |
| 110.6 : L Embuldeniya to Tim Southee, Nearly drags it on! Flighted and outside off, Southee winds up for a big slog sweep but it takes the inside edge and hits him on the pads. It then beats the stumps and rolls towards leg slip. Successful first over for Sri Lanka. |
| Lahiru Kumara to partner Lasith Embuldeniya. |
| 111.1 : L Kumara to Watling, Kumara starts with a good length ball around off, Watling taps it towards point. |
| 111.2 : L Kumara to Watling, Swing and a miss. Length ball outside off, Watling throws his bat at it but does not connect. |
| 111.3 : L Kumara to Watling, FOUR! First one of the day. Cracking shot! Full on middle, Watling makes room and smashes it straight to the right of Kumara. Lahiru gets his hand to hit but that ball was hit with venom. The fielder from long off gives it a chase but has no chance to clean it up. Into the 90s now. |
| 111.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Pulls his length back and bowls it around off, BJ strokes it to point. |
| 111.5 : L Kumara to Watling, Good ball. Pacy ball, slightly short on top of middle. Watling looks to pull but the ball comes in and cuts him in half on its way to the keeper. |
| 111.6 : L Kumara to Watling, Length delivery on middle, Watling punches it to long on and keeps the strike. 5 off the over. Good one for Sri Lanka. |
| 112.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Flighted on off, Watling paddle sweeps it behind square on the leg side and gets a single. |
| 112.2 : L Embuldeniya to Southee, Very full outside leg, Southee makes room and milks it to long on for a single to get off the mark. The lead now reaches 150 for New Zealand. |
| 112.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on off, Watling comes down the track and blocks it. |
| 112.4 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! Brilliant shot! Tossed up around off, Watling gets down on one knee and reverse sweeps it wide of first slip for a boundary. Just a hit away from reaching his 100. |
| 112.5 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Short on off, Watling punches it to cover. |
| 112.6 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! 100 FOR WATLING! This is brilliant from New Zealand's wicketkeeper batsman. He has once again proved his mettle here. Came in at a difficult time but has once again taken his side out of danger. Tossed up on middle and off, Watling comes down the track and heaves it wide of deep mid-wicket to get to his 7th hundred. He is pumped up as he raises his bat and his teammates appreciate his knock. |
| 113.1 : L Kumara to Southee, Good length ball on off, Southee punches it towards cover. |
| 113.2 : L Kumara to Tim Southee, FOUR! New Zealand in T20 mode now. Good length ball around off, Southee looks to flat-bat it over mid off but the ball takes the outside edge and flies towards the third man region for a boundary. |
| 113.3 : L Kumara to Tim Southee, Back of a length ball on off, Southee pulls it towards deep mid-wicket for one. |
| 113.4 : L Kumara to Watling, Fuller on off, Watling drives it towards point and gets to the other end. |
| 113.5 : L Kumara to Southee, FOUR! New Zealand are playing this as white-ball cricket but Lahiru is still bowling Test lines. Back of a length ball around off, Southee tries to slap it over the infield at point but once again it catches the outside edge and flies down to third man for a boundary. |
| 113.6 : L Kumara to Tim Southee, Good running! Back of a length ball on off, Southee pulls it wide of deep mid-wicket and looks for two. Watling responds and they get it with ease. |
| 114.1 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Floated on middle and leg, Watling comes down the track and blocks it as he was cramped up for room. |
| 114.2 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, FOUR! Poor bowling this from Embuldeniya. On the pads, Watling gets down on one knee and sweeps it fine down the leg side for a boundary. |
| 114.3 : L Embuldeniya to Watling, Darts one on the pads, Watling looks to sweep but the ball hits him on his pad and goes towards the off side. They take a single. |
| 114.4 : L Embuldeniya to Southee, Flatter outside leg, Southee makes room and looks to hit it straight but he misses. That nearly tickled the leg stump. |
| 114.5 : L Embuldeniya to Southee, SIX! This is out of here. Floated on middle and leg, Southee makes room and smashes it over long on for a maximum. Tim has come here with a hit-out or get-out mindset. |
| 114.6 : L Embuldeniya to Southee, SIX! Two in a row! Excellent hitting this. Shorter on off, Southee rocks back and pulls it high and over deep mid-wicket to finish the over. 17 off this one, takes the lead to 187. |
| Here comes the declaration from Kane Williamson! They batted for 5 overs this morning and added 49 runs quickly to lift their lead to 187. BJ Watling completed his century while Tim Southee lit the stadium by cracking a 10-ball 24. |
| The highlight of New Zealand's innings has to be Tom Latham's inspiring century. With the wickets falling around him, the southpaw constructed valuable stands and his 143-run partnership with BJ Watling took the Kiwis out of troubled waters. Post the dismissal of Latham, Colin de Grandhomme batted aggressively and we witnessed yet another century stand to help New Zealand take a handy lead. Sri Lanka started well with the ball but failed to maintain the same intensity. Also, it was tough to adju |
| 0.1 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Starts with a full ball on the pads to Thirimanne. Lahiru flicks it straight to mid-wicket. |
| 0.2 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Full on off, Thirimanne defends it towards cover off his front foot. |
| 0.3 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Pulls his length back on off, Thirimanne defends it off his back foot. |
| 0.4 : T Boult to Thirimanne, Length delivery outside off. There is no swing on this one. Thirimanne respects the new ball and leaves it alone. |
| Direct from Ajaz Patel at the non-striker's end! Lahiru Thirimanne is the batsman in question. He looks gone for all money. The replays roll in and confirm the same. |
| 0.5 : T Boult to Thirimanne, OUT! Run Out! Excellent from Ajaz Patel! Thirimanne is well short and he has to walk back. Fuller ball on off, Thirimanne looks to defend but the ball goes off the inner half of his bat towards mid-wicket. Perera is late to react to Lahiru's call. Thirimanne also has to run 'round the bowler which costs him valuable seconds. Ajaz Patel is quick to get to the ball, he dives and scores a direct hit at the bowler's end. The New Zealand players start celebrating. The umpi |
| Kusal Mendis is the number 3 batsman. |
| 0.6 : T Boult to Perera, Good length ball on off, Perera defends it off the front foot to get through the first over. A wicket maiden to begin with for the Kiwis. |
| Tim Southee to share the new cherry from the opposite end. |
| 1.1 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball outside off, Kusal leaves it alone. |
| 1.2 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Another one on the 4th stump line. Asking Mendis to drive but Kusal says no thanks and leaves it alone. |
| 1.3 : Tim Southee to Mendis, FOUR! Sri Lanka are up and running. Full on the pads, Mendis was not going to miss out on that. He flicks it with ease through mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 1.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Follows it up with a calm leave outside his off pole. |
| 1.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Bowls it on the channel outside off, Mendis has nothing to do with it. |
| 1.6 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Tempts him to drive by continuing to bowl outside off. Mendis is in no mood to play those. |
| 2.1 : T Boult to Perera, On the bounce! Boult hits the deck hard around the body, Perera looks to flick but gets a glove on it towards the right of the keeper. Watling dives on that side but the ball reaches the keeper on the bounce. |
| 2.2 : T Boult to Perera, OUT! Caught! The Kiwis are making this happen. Unnecessary this from Perera. There was absolutely no need to play at that. Back of a length ball way outside off, Perera's eyes lit up looking at the width. He goes chasing after it like a toddler going after a toy. But he ends up getting nothing but a thick outside edge to the left of the keeper. Watling makes no mistake and takes an absolute sitter. Two down in no time and Sri Lanka look like crumbling. Kusal Perera bags |
| Angelo Mathews walks in next at number 4 with Sri Lanka in early trouble. |
| 2.3 : T Boult to Mathews, Good length ball on middle and leg, Angelo starts his innings with a calm front foot defense. |
| 2.4 : T Boult to Mathews, Fuller on middle, Mathews tucks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 2.5 : T Boult to Mathews, Bowls one down the leg side. Angelo leaves it alone. |
| 2.6 : T Boult to Mathews, Maiden again from Boult. Good length ball outside off. It goes with the angle. Mathews looks to defend it inside the line. |
| 3.1 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Good length ball around off. It is an outswinger. Mendis leaves it without any fuss. |
| 3.2 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Another outswinger but this is on top of off pole. Mendis looks to defend with soft hand but it goes off the outer half of his bat towards gully. |
| 3.3 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Outside off, Mendis shoulders arms to it. |
| 3.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Full now and another away swinger. Once again Mendis defends it off the outer half of his bat towards gully. |
| 3.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Full on off. This time Mendis defends it from the middle of his willow. |
| 3.6 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Goes back to his regular length. It is around off, Mendis looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pad. Good, tidy maiden from Southee. |
| 4.1 : T Boult to Mathews, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 4.2 : T Boult to Mathews, A bouncer down the leg side, Angelo ducks and lets it go over his head to the keeper. |
| 4.3 : T Boult to Mathews, Nearly plays it into the hands of backward short leg. Good length delivery on middle and leg, a hint of inward movement, Mathews stays back to defend it with a straight bat but it takes the inner half and goes to the right of the close-in fielder. A single is taken. |
| 4.4 : T Boult to Mendis, On a good length and close to off, Mendis is on the back foot in defense. |
| 4.5 : T Boult to Mendis, Keeps it full and around off, Mendis is forward and blocks it solidly to the off side. |
| 4.6 : T Boult to Mendis, Slightly short in length around middle, angling away. Mendis goes on his toes and defends it to the off side. |
| 5.1 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Full on middle and off, Mathews shuffles across and defends it with a straight bat towards mid on. |
| 5.2 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Wide of the crease. Hint of swing on this one. Mathews watches it till the end and then leaves it. |
| 5.3 : Tim Southee to Mathews, In the air but safe. Southee bowls the effort ball around the body. It was the shirt ball that did the undoing of Mathews in the first innings. Angelo this time plays it but not off the middle. He edges this one too but luckily it falls short of Boult at fine leg. Single taken. |
| 5.4 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Back of a length ball on off, Mendis blocks it off his back foot. |
| 5.5 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Fuller on off, Mendis flicks it towards mid-wicket. |
| 5.6 : Tim Southee to Mendis, Nicely bowled. Comes wide of the crease and bowls it full on off, Mendis defends it towards mid on. |
| 6.1 : T Boult to Mathews, Nice ball. Full outside off, it is bowled at 85 mph and it goes with the angle. Mathews looks to defend but misses. |
| 6.2 : T Boult to Mathews, Good length ball on off, Mathews defends it off his back foot. |
| 6.3 : T Boult to Mathews, Comes 'round the wicket to get the ball to come in with the angle. He bowls it on a length on off and middle, Mathews keeps it out. |
| 6.4 : T Boult to Mathews, Fuller around off, Angelo defends it back towards the bowler. |
| 6.5 : T Boult to Mathews, Full on off, Mathews flicks it wide of short leg towards square leg. Ajaz moves to his right but fails to gather the ball cleanly. Single taken. |
| 6.6 : T Boult to Mendis, Full on off, Mendis defends off the front foot to get through the over. |
| 7.1 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Outside off, Mathews has nothing to do with it. |
| 7.2 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Good length ball outside off, Angelo keeps it out. |
| 7.3 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Short ball around off, Mathews sways away. |
| 7.4 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Back of a length ball on off, Mathews keeps it out. |
| 7.5 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Short ball around the body. Mathews ducks under it. |
| 7.6 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Good length ball outside off, Angelo leaves it alone to get through the over. |
| 8.1 : T Boult to Mendis, Full on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 8.2 : T Boult to Mendis, Hits the deck hard on top of middle, Kusal keeps it out. |
| 8.3 : T Boult to Mendis, Full on off, Mendis pushes it towards cover. |
| 8.4 : T Boult to Mendis, Good length ball on middle, Mendis tucks it towards square leg. |
| 8.5 : T Boult to Mendis, Bowls it down the leg side. Kusal leaves it alone. |
| 8.6 : T Boult to Mendis, Fuller and close to the off pole, Mendis defends it off the back foot to get through the over. |
| 9.1 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Full around off, Mathews pushes it to cover. |
| 9.2 : Tim Southee to Mathews, FOUR! Glorious! Full on off, Mathews waits for the ball to come to him and then creams his drive through mid off for a boundary. |
| 9.3 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Follows the boundary with a smart and calm front foot defense. |
| 9.4 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Good length ball around off, Mathews tucks it towards square leg and calls 'wait' to his partner. |
| 9.5 : Tim Southee to Mathews, Full on leg, Mathews defends it towards mid on. |
| 9.6 : Tim Southee to Mathews, On off, Mathews waits and then keeps it out. |
| Spin time. Ajaz Patel is the first bowling change of this innings. |
| 10.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Kusal defends it off the front foot. |
| 10.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 10.3 : Patel to Mendis, Appeal but nothing from the umpire. Quicker on leg, Mendis looks to defend but misses. There is a huge appeal but nothing from the umpire. It looked like there was an inside edge but then replays later on show that there was no bat involved. Probably going down leg. |
| 10.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 10.5 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis defends it off the front foot. |
| 10.6 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated on off and middle, Kusal looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads. |
| Drinks Break! After initial hiccups, Sri Lanka are calming their nerves slowly here. Mathews and Mendis are fighting it out in the middle. One expected the hosts to play slow and they have done exactly that. New Zealand have got two but will now need to find a way to get rid of this stand. |
| Colin de Grandhomme is on now. |
| 11.1 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Starts with a good length ball outside off. Hint of away swing but Angelo will not play that. |
| 11.2 : de Grandhomme to Mathews, Fuller on off, Mathews defends it off the front foot. |
| 11.3 : de Grandhomme to A Mathews, OUT! Caught! Big wicket this for the Kiwis. The bowling change has done the trick. De Grandhomme has got a knack of picking up prized scalps and once again he has done just that for his side. Fuller on off, it swings away at the last moment. Mathews had no choice but to play that. He does so but the ball finds the thick outside edge and goes to the man at first slip. Ross Taylor at first slip gets down to his left and takes a good low catch. Big blow for Sri Lan |
| The centurion of the first innings, Dhananjaya de Silva arrives in the middle with Sri Lanka in a spot of bother. |
| 11.4 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Good length ball outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| 11.5 : de Grandhomme to Silva, On the pads, Dhananjaya flicks it towards square leg. |
| 11.6 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Good start for de Grandhomme. Wicket maiden to begin. Good length ball outside off, Dhananjaya calmly leaves it alone. |
| 12.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted and full on middle, spinning away a bit after landing, Mendis gets forward to defend but it takes the outer half and rolls past gully. |
| 12.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Fine stop, Kane! Loopy and full on off, it's driven off the front foot to covers where Williamson dives across to his left to make a stop. |
| 12.3 : A Patel to Mendis, Tossed up and around off, blocked safely off the front foot. |
| 12.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Yet another front foot drive with the spin and this one goes past the diving cover fielder to mid off. |
| 12.5 : A Patel to K Mendis, Shortish and on off, cut off the back foot but straight towards the point fielder. |
| 12.6 : A Patel to Mendis, Pitches it up and on off, Kusal lunges and defends it off the inner half to the leg side. |
| 13.1 : de Grandhomme to Silva, The batsman lets the ball go outside his off stump. |
| 13.2 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Good length ball outside off, de Silva leaves it alone. |
| 13.3 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Fuller on off, Dhananjaya defends it off the front foot. |
| 13.4 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Ohhh! Full outside off, Dhananjaya loses his patience and looks to go for the big drive. The ball comes in and goes between the bat and body, missing the edge to the keeper. |
| 13.5 : de Grandhomme to Silva, On the pads, Dhananjaya turns it behind square on the leg side to get off the mark. |
| 13.6 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Another one on the pads, Mendis flicks it to fine keg and keeps the strike. |
| 14.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted on middle, Mendis strokes it to mid off. |
| 14.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Appeal but the umpire is unmoved. Flighted on leg, Mendis strides forward to defend. The ball hits him on the pads and lobs to first slip. There is a stifled appeal but the umpire says nothing doing. |
| 14.3 : A Patel to Mendis, Tossed up outside off, Mendis looks to defend but misses. |
| 14.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted on the stumps, Kusal keeps it out. |
| 14.5 : A Patel to Mendis, Floats one on off, KM nudges it to covers for one. |
| 14.6 : A Patel to Silva, Tossed up on off, Mendis defends it onto the ground. |
| 15.1 : de Grandhomme to K Mendis, FOUR! Effortless. Full on off, Mendis drives it with ease through mid off for a boundary. The fielder at mid off puts in a dive but has no chance saving that. Delightful batting. |
| 15.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Good length ball on off, Mendis punches it towards cover. |
| 15.3 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Fuller on off, Kusal pushes it to mid off. |
| 15.4 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Good length ball around off, Mendis defends it with soft hands. The ball goes towards cover off the outer half of his bat for a single. |
| 15.5 : de Grandhomme to Silva, On the stumps, de Silva keeps it out. |
| 15.6 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Outside off, Dhananjaya is not going to disturb that. |
| 16.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Yes, no, wait. Confusion but no casulty. Floated on off, Mendis comes down the track and defends it with soft hands towards point. Kusal wants a single but Dhananjaya says no. The fielder misfields and then pnce again they think about it but then in the end they do not take the single and luckily Mendis is back in his crease. |
| 16.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated outside off, Kusal leaves it alone. |
| 16.3 : A Patel to Mendis, Floated outside off, KM leaves it alone again. |
| 16.4 : A Patel to Mendis, Short and spinning away, Kusal punches it with the spin towards cover-point and gets a single. |
| 16.5 : A Patel to Silva, Floated on off, Dhananjaya comes down the track and defends it towards point. |
| 16.6 : A Patel to Silva, On off, Dhananjaya keeps it out towards gully-point. |
| 17.1 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Full around off, Mendis pushes it towards mid on. The fielder there dives to his left and keeps it down to zero. |
| 17.2 : de Grandhomme to Mendis, Full on off, Kusal glances it to the on side for a single. |
| 17.3 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Good length ball on off, Dhananjaya pushes it back to the bowler. The ball deflects off his hand and hits Mendis on his left boot and then goes on towards mid on. |
| 17.4 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Away from the off pole, Dhananjaya leaves it alone. |
| 17.5 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Full on off, Dhananjaya strokes it to mid on. |
| 17.6 : de Grandhomme to Silva, Little movement as this one goes away. De Silva shoulders arms to it. |
| Slight halt in play! Physio is out in the centre to address Kusal Mendis' left leg. Maybe, Kusal has hurt his ankle. The affected area is being taped. |
| 18.1 : A Patel to Mendis, Flighted and full around off, Mendis drives it to the left of mid off and takes a single. |
| 18.2 : A Patel to Silva, Nicely tossed up ball, landing full on middle, Dhananjaya defends it by striding forward. |
| 18.3 : A Patel to de Silva, OUT! Number 4 goes down and it's a sharp catch by Tim Southee at second slip. Ajaz Patel is awarded for persisting with his line and length around off. Dhananjaya takes a step down to work it across the line but it spins away to catch the leading edge. Southee ain't dropping those. De Silva fails to repeat his heroics of the first innings. Sri Lanka trail by 165 runs with 6 wickets left in this innings. Trouble! |
| Niroshan Dickwella walks in next to bat. A slip, leg slip and short leg in place. Those wondering why Dimuth Karunaratne hasn't come out to bat yet. Well, he was off the field on entire Day 3 due to some internal injury. Hence, he is allowed to bat either at the the fall of fifth wicket or after waiting for two hours. |
| 18.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Floated and full on off, Dickwella defends it by getting forward. |
| 18.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Loopy and around off, Niroshan gets half forward and blocks it from the inner half of his bat. |
| 18.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Once again Dickwella has defended it off the inner half. End of a successful over for the Kiwis! |
| Change in bowling! A bit surprising that Kane Williamson has removed Colin de Grandhomme. In comes William Somerville to bowl his offies. Good move with a left-hander in the middle. |
| 19.1 : W Somerville to Mendis, Tossed up on off, Mendis milks it towards long on and gets to the other end. |
| 19.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up full on off, Dickwella paddles it fine down the leg side for a couple. Gets off the mark. |
| 19.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Floated outside off, Dickwella leaves it alone. |
| 19.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up on off, Niroshan sweeps it and it hits Tom Latham who is standing at short leg. |
| 19.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Floated on off, Dickwella plays a risk-free sweep over mid-wicket as there is no one in the deep. The ball does not have the strength to reach the fence so he has to be satisfied with a brace. |
| 19.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Looped up on off, Dickwella calmly blocks it to get through the over. |
| 20.1 : A Patel to Mendis, FOUR! Poor ball and rightfully punished. Tossed up on the pads, Mendis gets down on one knee and sweeps it wide of the man at square leg for boundary. |
| 20.2 : A Patel to Mendis, Now calmly blocks it as Ajaz corrects his line. |
| 20.3 : A Patel to Mendis, On the pads, Mendis flicks it to the on side for one. |
| 20.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Slower through the air on off, Dickwella looks to defend but gets an inside edge which goes wide of short leg. |
| 20.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Shorter on off, ND punches it to cover. |
| 20.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Tossed up on off, Niroshan keeps it out. |
| 21.1 : W Somerville to Mendis, Loopy ball on off, Kusal pushes it back to the bowler. |
| 21.2 : W Somerville to Mendis, Ouch! That must have hurt. Short on off, Mendis swivels onto his back foot and pulls it. The ball hits Latham on the chest. He is in the firing line standing at short leg. Technically, it will go down as a chance but his palms were nowhere near his hands. |
| 21.3 : W Somerville to Mendis, Floated on off, Mendis keeps it out. |
| 21.4 : W Somerville to Mendis, Tossed up on off, KM defends it off the front foot. |
| 21.5 : W Somerville to K Mendis, OUT! Bowled! WOW! That is a superb delivery. It has everything an off spinner wants. Flight - check. Drift - check. Spin - check. Stumps - rattled! Somerville ticks all the boxes to get rid of the stubborn Kusal Mendis. William bowls it slower through the air on off. Kusal prods forward and looks to defend. The ball though drifts away from the batsman and then turns in after landing to cut Mendis' defense into pieces. It goes on to hit the top of off pole, a sight |
| It's time for Dimuth Karunaratne to revive Sri Lanka's innings. He looks fit and fine as he joins Dickwella in the middle. Big task ahead of this last recognized batting pair. |
| 21.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Floated on off, Karunaratne starts his innings with a solid front foot defense. |
| 22.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Inside edge but safe! Floated full ball landing outside off, Niroshan lunges to defend but it takes the inside portion of his bat and rolls to short leg. |
| 22.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Shout for an lbw! Not given. Flighted delivery pitched full outside off and turning back in, Niroshan tries to sweep but misses to get pinged on the pads. They appeal but the impact was well outside off. |
| 22.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Tossed up ball on off, pushed off the front foot to covers. |
| 22.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Loopy delivery landing full outside off, Dickwella finds the gap this time with his drive at covers. A single is taken. |
| 22.5 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Straightaway Karunaratne comes down the track to negate the spin and eases it with the spin to mid on. |
| 22.6 : A Patel to Karunaratne, A bit short and outside off, Dimuth tries to cut but mistimes his shot on the off side. Lunch on Day 5! |
| Outstanding session for the Black Caps! Both with the bat and with the ball they have completely outdone the hosts. They played just about 5 overs today and yet managed to outscore Sri Lanka who have played 23 overs. |
| New Zealand needed early wickets and they started off from the very first over, courtesy of very good fielding sprinkled with some amateur running. From there on the bowlers kept building pressure. 5 bowlers were used by Williamson in the first session and barring Southee everyone has a wicket to his name. They have kept Sri Lanka on the back foot and have sent half the visiting side back to the pavilion. |
| At times batting with a defensive mindset leads to a negative mentality which in turn puts the side's back against the wall. That is exactly what has happened to the Sri Lankan batsmen here. They came out with an approach to just keep the balls out. They hardly tried to score which let the Kiwis off the hook. Poor calling, rash shot selection and some brilliant bowling have brought about a serious downfall of the Lankan batting. In a match where draw was looking inevitable, it looks like we will |
| So with just 5 wickets to play with, without a doubt New Zealand are on the ascendancy and will hope, unlike the past 4 days, rain does not come to spoil the party. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be hoping that the two out in the middle fight it out and they won't mind a little bit of assistance from the rain gods. What will happen? Join us after the break to find out. |
| ... Day 5, Afternoon Session ... |
| We are back for the second session. Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella walk out to resume the fight of Sri Lanka's survival. For New Zealand it will be William Somerville to bowl the first over of the session. |
| 23.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Flighted on off, Dickwella starts with a solid front foot defense. |
| 23.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, First run of the session. Tossed up around off, Niroshan sweeps it to square leg for a single. |
| 23.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted on off, Dimuth defends it off the front foot. |
| 23.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Uppish but safe. Floated around off, Karunaratne drives it uppishly wide of short cover. Williamson there dives to his left but the ball goes wide of him to the deep for a single. |
| 23.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, On off, Dickwella sweeps but finds square leg. |
| 23.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up on off, Niroshan keeps it out. First over of the second session done and Sri Lanka come out of it unscathed. |
| Ajaz Patel to continue from the other end. |
| 24.1 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Flighted on the stumps, Karunaratne comes down and keeps it out. |
| 24.2 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Shorter on off, Karunaratne defends it off the back foot. |
| 24.3 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Flighted outside off, Karunaratne pads it away. |
| 24.4 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Floated on off, Karunaratne comes down the track and blocks it away. |
| 24.5 : A Patel to Karunaratne, FOUR! Karunaratne has earned this boundary. He has been using his feet and putting doubts in the bowler's mind. Ajaz goes short and wide this time. Dimuth gets on his back foot and cuts it through point for a boundary. Cause of concern here as Dimuth walks awkwardly here and looks to be in discomfort. |
| 24.6 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Short and quick outside off, Karunaratne looks to flick but misses. The ball hits him high on the thigh pad. There is a stifled appeal but nothing from the umpire. |
| 25.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, A tossed up ball landing outside off, Dickwella gets forward and pushes it with the turn to point. |
| 25.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Quicker one, landing full and on middle, Niroshan sweeps but finds the square leg fielder. |
| 25.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Stifled appeal for an lbw! A slider this time. It pitches around middle and skidding down, Dickwella tries working it around but misses. He is hit on the pads, they appeal mutely but it's missing leg. |
| 25.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Lunges to a full ball outside off and jams it down to the off side. |
| 25.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up ball outside off, Dickwella lets it through to the keeper. |
| 25.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Spin and bounce! Somerville gives it a nice toss and lands it close to off. Dickwella is on the back leg trying to defend. But it shoots off the surface to beat the outside edge of his bat. |
| 26.1 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Flighted and outside off, Dimuth presses forward to defend but misses and is hit on the pads. He is struck outside the line and hence the stifled appeal quickly dies down. |
| 26.2 : A Patel to Karunaratne, EDGED! Just wide of short leg. Sharp turn on this occasion. It pitches on full outside off, Karunaratne strides forward to defend but it turns in to take the inside edge. Flies wide of short leg and straight towards backward square leg. |
| 26.3 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Does well this time, the Lankan skipper. He plays it with the spin and finds the gap at mid-wicket for a run. |
| 26.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Dickwella has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 26.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Flatter ball on off, Niroshan defends it off the back foot. |
| 26.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Spinning down the leg side, fuller and around middle, Dickwella tries to sweep but misses. |
| 27.1 : W Somerville to D Karunaratne, EDGED! SAFE! Karunaratne flirting with danger. He tries to drive a full ball landing on the rough outside off. Doesn't account for the away spin and edges it behind. It brushes the keeper's pads and loops over Taylor at first slip. The batsmen take two runs. Nervous period. |
| 27.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted ball close to off, Dimuth defends it safely to the off side. |
| 27.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Loopy and outside off, turning away, Karunaratne allows it through. |
| 27.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Quicker and on middle, fired in, Karunaratne taps it down to mid-wicket. |
| 27.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Floated one close to off, turning away, Dimuth shoulders arms. |
| 27.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up ball on middle and off, Karunaratne hangs on the back foot in defense. Eventful over by Somerville. |
| 28.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Floated on off, Dickwella sweeps it uppishly towards square leg for a single. |
| 28.2 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Flighted on off, Karunaratne keeps it out. |
| Caught at first slip! The finger is raised. New Zealand are celebrating. But... Dimuth Karunaratne wants to refer it. He believes he has not edged it. Ultra Edge is used. His bat and front pad are very close to each other. But it's quite evident that the ball has missed the inside edge and has gone behind off the pads. No need to check for the lbw as the impact is very well outside off. Good use of the review, Karunaratne survives. |
| 28.3 : A Patel to Karunaratne, SAFE! No bat involved. It pitches on the rough and turns in. Karunaratne comes down the track and looks to defend but the ball lobs off to first slip. It looks like it has come off the bat. There is a huge appeal and the umpire raises his finger. Karunaratne takes the review straightaway. Replay rolls in and it shows the bat hits the pad and the ball lobs off the pad. It is outside off and Dimuth was playing a shot so no need for the Hawk Eye to come in. The on-fiel |
| 28.4 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, DK comes down the track and flicks it towards short mid-wicket. |
| 28.5 : A Patel to Karunaratne, FOUR! Right off the middle. Tossed up on middle, Karunaratne gets downon his knee and reverse sweeps it through backward point for a boundary. |
| 28.6 : A Patel to Karunaratne, Floated on off, Dimuth comes down the track and nudges it towards long on for a single. He keeps the strike. |
| 29.1 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted delivery landing close to off, Karunaratne draws forward in defense. |
| 29.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up ball on off, Dimuth presses forward and defends it with the spin to the off side. |
| 29.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Quicker one, flatter through the air and it lands full on off, Karunaratne defends it back with a straight bat |
| 29.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Walks down the track to take it on the full and eases it to mid off. |
| 29.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Loopy ball landing outside off, turning away, Karunaratne allows it through to the keeper. |
| 29.6 : W Somerville to D Karunaratne, Uppish but safe! Flatter and fuller on off, turning in, Karunaratne gets down the track and punches it towards the bowler but fails to keep it down. Luckily for him, it goes wide of the diving Somerville to long on. The mid off fielder chases it down and the batsmen pick a couple of runs. |
| 30.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Flighted and on middle, defended off the front on the leg side. |
| 30.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Dickwella has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 30.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Arm ball on off, flatter through the air, defended off the back foot. |
| 30.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Goes down on one knee and sweeps it with the spin to square leg. |
| 30.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Flatter and shorter on off, Dickwella remains on the back foot and punches it off the inner half to mid-wicket. |
| 30.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Short and wide outside off, Dickwella mistimes his square cut to point. They cross for a single. |
| 31.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Darts one on the pads, Dickwella tucks it to mid-wicket and shouts a loud no. |
| 31.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Flighted on off, Dickwella keeps it out. |
| 31.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Lunges forward and defends it off the front foot. |
| 31.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Shorter on the pads, Niroshan milks it to mid-wicket and gets to the other end. |
| 31.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted on middle, Karunaratne defends it onto the ground. |
| 31.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Dimuth keeps it out. |
| Tim Southee is back into the attack. 5-2-9-0, so far from him. Two slip and a gully for him. |
| 32.1 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Starts his new spell with a length ball close to off, there is a hint of inward shape as Dickwella defends it near his front pad. Off the inside edge. |
| 32.2 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, This one keeps low. On a length and around off, Dickwella keeps his eyes on the ball and goes down low to defend it from the crease to the off side. |
| 32.3 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Sliding down the leg side, Niroshan tries to flick but misses. It clips his pads and runs down to fine leg for a couple of leg byes. |
| 32.4 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, An overpitched ball on middle, Dickwella sticks back and brings down a straight bat to push it towards mid off. |
| 32.5 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Just ahead of a length outside off, angling away from the batsman, Dickwella gets half-forward as he defends it to the off side. |
| 32.6 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Some swing in the air as it drops on a fuller length around off, ND is forward as he pushes it to mid off. |
| 33.1 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Flighted on middle, Karunaratne strokes it through mid on for a couple. |
| 33.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, Dimuth defends it which goes to silly point on a bounce. |
| 33.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Shorter and spinning away, Dimuth defends it with it towards backward point. |
| 33.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Arm ball outside off, DK leaves it alone. |
| 33.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Drifter outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. The ball just about misses the off pole. |
| 33.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up on off, DK keeps it out. |
| 34.1 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Uppish but safe. Good length ball outside off, Dickwella drives it uppishly though point for a single. |
| 34.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full outside off, Karunaratne leaves it alone. |
| 34.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Yorker on off. It nips in a bit too. Karunaratne does well to tap it back to the bowler. |
| 34.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, On the fifth stump line. Dimuth has nothing to do with it. |
| 34.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Full around off, DK pushes it to mid off. |
| 34.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Nice timing and shot but won't reach the fence. Full on off, Karunaratne drives it through mid off. The fielder from mid off is able to clean it up as the outfield is quite slow. Two taken. |
| 35.1 : W Somerville to N Dickwella, Tossed up on middle, Dickwella strokes it to mid off. |
| 35.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Short and spinning away, Niroshan leaves it alone. |
| 35.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Flighted on leg, ND keeps it out. |
| 35.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up on off, Dickwella defends it onto the ground. |
| 35.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Short around off, Dickwella taps it with the spin towards backward point. |
| 35.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, On off, Niroshan defends it to get through another over. |
| 36.1 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Quite wide outside off. Not making the batsman play. It's on a length and angling away from the left-hander, Karunaratne patiently makes a leave. |
| 36.2 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Gets closer to the off stump this time, pitches it on a driving length, Dimuth is not getting tempted into any kind of a shot. |
| 36.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Yet another delivery there to be driven, Karunaratne keeps his calm and shoulders arms. |
| 36.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Southee is playing on the patience of the batsman. Continues to hurl it on a driving length outside off. Dimuth is content in leaving those. |
| 36.5 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Oohhh... big puff of dust as it lands on a fuller length outside off, DK has an easy leave. |
| 36.6 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Good length ball on middle and off, Karunaratne is finally forced to play at a delivery. The Lankan skipper blocks it off his back foot and plays out a maiden without any fuss. |
| It appears that Trent Boult will be in action soon. He is seen shadow practicing and visualizing how the batsman will be playing and what he needs to do. |
| 37.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, A low full toss on off, Dickwella drives it to the right of mid off and crosses for a quick run. |
| 37.2 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Tossed up delivery, a little too straight in line, Karunaratne flicks it in the vacant mid-wicket region for a couple of runs. |
| 37.3 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Loopy ball pitching close to off, Karunaratne prods forward in defense. |
| 37.4 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Slightly short in length around off, DK goes back and cuts it to point. Misses out on a scoring opportunity. |
| 37.5 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, Polite inquiry for a caught behind! Not given. Somerville gives this one some extra revolution and lands it close to off. Karunaratne strides forward in defense but is beaten by the away spin. |
| 37.6 : W Somerville to Karunaratne, SHOUT FOR AN LBW! Once again the umpire stands put. An off spinner landing around leg and spinning towards off after landing. Karunaratne presses forward in defense but misses. They appeal but it has pitched outside leg. |
| As expected, Trent Boult has been unleashed into the attack. He was exceptional in his first spell, 5-3-2-1! |
| 38.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Shortish and outside off, played down from the crease to point. |
| 38.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Well bowled and well played as well. A nicely directed bouncer around off, Dickwella keeps his eyes on the ball, leans back and lets it go through right across his face. Smell the leather! |
| 38.3 : T Boult to Dickwella, Angling into the batsman on middle, Dickwella works it on the leg side. |
| 38.4 : T Boult to Dickwella, In the channel outside off, Niroshan makes a safe leave. |
| 38.5 : T Boult to Dickwella, Darts in a length ball on off, it's defended from the back foot by ND. |
| 38.6 : T Boult to Dickwella, Spears in a fullish ball on off in the mid-130s, Dickwella clips it in the gap between mid-wicket and mid on. The fielder from the former position runs across to his left and makes a sliding stop. The batsmen cross for a run. |
| 39.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, A low dipping full toss on middle, Dickwella sweeps it past short leg but fails to beat square leg. |
| 39.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Appeal for a catch at first slip! Not given by the umpire. Somerville gets a full ball to spin away from around off, Dickwella fails to sweep and it goes off his body to Taylor. |
| 39.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Loopy and outside off, it's left alone by Dickwella. |
| 39.4 : W Somerville to N Dickwella, Tossed up ball on off, turning away, Niroshan draws forward to defend but it takes the outer half and rolls wide of backward point. |
| 39.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Slow spin away from the batsman outside off, Dickwella watches the line closely and allows it through to the keeper. |
| 39.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Once again it's served slower through the air and it lands full on middle, Dickwella leans forward in defense. |
| 40.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Bouncer around middle and leg, Karunaratne ducks at the last moment. |
| 40.2 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Swing in the air. Full and outside off, shaping away a shade, Karunaratne gets forward and pushes it to covers. |
| 40.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Short in length and outside off, Karunaratne cuts near his body and mistimes it to point. |
| 40.4 : T Boult to D Karunaratne, Back of a length ball on off, Dimuth is on his toes and taps it down to cover-point. |
| 40.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Beautiful bowling by Boult. He dishes out a fuller length ball on off, Karunaratne tries to defend it with limited footwork but the ball nips away a bit to beat the outside edge. |
| 40.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Solidly blocked. On a length and angling in around off, Dimuth presents a straight bat in defense. |
| Drinks break. First hour after Lunch has been safely negotiated by the pair of Karunaratne and Dickwella. Both have shown good temperament to deal whatever the Kiwis have thrown at them. It's a really testing pitch so they cannot afford to relax. All the Black Caps need is one breakthrough and they will enter into the tail. Can this batting duo survive the next hour also? |
| 41.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, FOUR! Superbly played! No one in the deep on the leg side and Dickwella takes the calculative risk. He sits down on one knee, fetches a full ball from outside off, slogs it against the spin but still manages to nail it over mid-wicket. |
| 41.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, FOUR! And again. Flatter and fuller on middle, Niroshan is down on one knee again and spanks it to the deep mid-wicket fence. Does well to keep it down. There are fielders waiting for any kind of a top edge. |
| Change in the field. Mid-wicket drops back. |
| 41.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Floated one way wide outside off, it's an easy leave for Niroshan. |
| 41.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, This one skids back into the batsman from around off, Dickwella tries to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 41.5 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Flatter and on off, defended from the back foot to the off side. |
| 41.6 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Dickwella has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 42.1 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Angles in a length ball on middle, Karunaratne defends it back to the bowler. |
| 42.2 : T Boult to D Karunaratne, Pitches it up and outside off, Dimuth pushes inside the line and keeps it out off the outer edge to gully. |
| 42.3 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Karunaratne takes a blow and is down on his haunches. Back of a length ball on middle and leg, Karunaratne tries to glance it across the line but there is some extra bounce and it beats his bat. The ball then strikes him flush on the stomach. |
| Physio pays a visit to the Sri Lankan skipper. Magic spray is sprinkled on the affected area. All will be well soon. It's called magic spray for a reason. Dimuth is once again battle ready after receiving the treatment and the action resumes... |
| 42.4 : T Boult to D Karunaratne, Boult is getting some extra bounce here. He bangs it short around off, Karunaratne sticks back to defend but is hit first on the gloves and then on the body. |
| 42.5 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Offers the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 42.6 : T Boult to Karunaratne, Good aggressive stuff from Trent Boult. He speeds into his delivery stride and bangs in a short ball with a leg gully in place. Dimuth senses the plan and immediately ducks. Another maiden from Boult. |
| Tim Southee (8-4-12-0) is back for his third spell. There is a shortish backward square leg in place. The expected plan is some short-pitch bowling. |
| 43.1 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Wide called for height! Southee goes short and it has gone well over the head of the batsman. |
| Tim Southee to Dickwella, Back of a length ball on off, angling away, Dickwella stays back, drops his wrists and allows it through. |
| 43.2 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Good length ball on middle and leg, it's worked in front of square leg for one. |
| 43.3 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Hurls a length delivery in the channel outside off, an easy leave for Dimuth Karunaratne. |
| 43.4 : Tim Southee to Karunaratne, Lands it on a length and outside off, DK stays back footed and taps it down to gully. |
| Tim Southee gets one ball to swing back in sharply and it pings Dimuth Karunaratne on the pads. His bat was hiding behind the front pad, indicating that he was not offering any shot. The appeal is made and the finger has gone up. Dimuth takes the DRS but the Ball Tracker is of no help for him. Hitting the stumps, the Lankan skipper will have to depart. |
| 43.5 : Southee to Karunaratne, OUT! Body blow to Sri Lanka as their skipper is sent packing by Tim Southee for his 250th Test wicket. A big inswinger by Tim. He steams in from 'round the wicket and hurls it on a length outside off. Karunaratne takes his front leg outside the line of the stumps and then is late in bringing his bat down. His willow is hiding behind his front pad as the ball pings him. The appeal is made and umpire Bruce Oxenford raises his finger. Karunaratne takes his time and the |
| Dilruwan Perera is the new batsman. |
| 43.6 : Tim Southee to Perera, Perera has played that off the front foot and into the ground. Successful over! |
| 44.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Full and swinging away on off. Dickwella defends it off the front foot. |
| 44.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Length ball on middle, Dickwella glances it to towards mid-wicket for one. |
| 44.3 : T Boult to Perera, Fuller outside off, Dilruwan leaves it alone. |
| 44.4 : T Boult to Perera, Full on off, Perera keeps his head down and defends it calmly. |
| 44.5 : T Boult to Perera, Short ball around the body. Dilruwan ducks under it. |
| A rip-roaring yorker by Trent Boult. It's right in the blockhole and it seems that Dilruwan has failed to dig it out. Boult roars in appeal but the umpire shakes his head. The Kiwis go for the DRS. Is pitching an issue here? Oh yes, the Ball Tracker shows that it has pitched outside leg. Terrific decision from Michael Gough. |
| 44.6 : T Boult to Perera, NOT OUT! It is pitching just mere inches outside leg. Excellent decision by the umpire. Pacy yorker on leg, Dilruwan looks to defend but the ball hits him on his boot after pitching just in front. The Kiwi players put in a loud and confident appeal. The umpire though is unmoved. Bolt is dead sure that he has his man. Kane Williamson quickly takes the review. Replay rolls in, first it shows that there was no bat involved. Then we go to Hawk Eye and it shows that the ball |
| 45.1 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Serves a length delivery in the zone outside off, Dickwella allows it through to the keeper. He now needs to take maximum strike. The wind is picking up now. Maybe, there is some rain around the corner. |
| 45.2 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 45.3 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Back of a length ball landing outside off and angling into the batsman, Niroshan gets across the stumps and taps it down to mid-wicket. |
| 45.4 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Southee eyes a yorker but it reaches the batsman on a full. Dickwella pushes it out safely to covers. |
| Field comes up. They want to keep Dickwella on strike and bowl a full next over at Dilruwan. |
| 45.5 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 45.6 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Bouncer around off, Niroshan ducks to complete the over. Dilruwan will be on strike for the next over. |
| 46.1 : T Boult to D Perera, Fuller on off, Dilruwan pushes it to cover. |
| 46.2 : T Boult to Perera, Back of a length ball around off, DP defends it. |
| 46.3 : T Boult to Perera, Full swinging in. Dilruwan does well to push it to mid on. |
| 46.4 : T Boult to Perera, Full around off, Dilruwan pushes it to the right of gully. The fielder there dives and saves runs for his side. |
| 46.5 : T Boult to Perera, Comes 'round the wicket and bowls it full on off. Perera is solid in his defense. |
| 46.6 : T Boult to Perera, Goes back to over the wicket and bowls it outside off. Perera survives the over as he lets this one go. |
| 47.1 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Good length delivery in the channel outside off, Dickwella strides ahead and defends it to the off side. |
| 47.2 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, This time it has been angled into the batsman around off, Dickwella shuffles across the stumps and defends it back. |
| 47.3 : Tim Southee to Dickwella, Fractionally short and on middle, Niroshan quietly taps it down in front of square leg for a run. Showing trust in Dilruwan to survive three balls. He is no mug with the bat but it's a pressure situation. |
| 47.4 : Tim Southee to Perera, OUT! Edged and caught at first slip! Southee tempts Perera into a drive. He serves a juicy full ball outside off and there is a little bit of away movement as well. Dilruwan needlessly opts to play a stroke through the line and ends up edging at first slip. Ross Taylor dives across to his right and snaps it safely. Number 7 is down and Dickwella might be regretting his decision to rotate the strike on the previous ball. 43.2 more overs left in this Test match! |
| Suranga Lakmal is the new man in. He has the ability to hang around and it was his inning which proved vital in the 1st Test. |
| 47.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Nearly an outside edge! Southee gets closer to the off stump and bowls an outswinger, Lakmal sticks back to push inside the line but misses. |
| Short leg in place. There are fielders in the deep on the leg side for a mistimed pull shot. |
| 47.6 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, The field set is for short bowling but it's a double bluff from Southee. He stays nice and full around middle, a hint of away movement, Lakmal plays it out safely towards point. |
| Oh no! Not a good news if you are a New Zealand fan but might come as a poetry to your ears if you are supporting Sri Lanka. It is getting dark here, indicating that rain might grace us with its presence once again. |
| 48.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Sliding down the leg side, Dickwella tries to flick but misses. That wasn't too far away from his gloves. |
| 48.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Short in length and outside off, ND drops his wrists and lets it through. |
| 48.3 : T Boult to Dickwella, Fuller in length on middle and off, Dickwella brings his bat down in time to defend it towards mid-wicket. |
| 48.4 : T Boult to Dickwella, Pitches it up and outside off, Niroshan pushes it off his front foot to covers. |
| 48.5 : T Boult to Dickwella, FOUR! Short in length and outside off, Dickwella camps back and opens the face of his bat at the last moment to guide it wide of gully and point fielders. A boundary results. |
| 48.6 : T Boult to N Dickwella, FOUR! Another good shot. Width on offer outside off, the length is short and Dickwella slaps it through backward point for a boundary. New Zealand won't mind it much as Lakmal will be on strike for the next over. |
| 49.1 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Edgy! A length ball close to off, shaping away, Lakmal stays back to push inside the line and gets it away off the outside edge. It drops down in front of backward point. |
| 49.2 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Better this time from the batsman. Defends it from the middle of his bat. |
| 49.3 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Southee bangs in a short ball on off, Suranga takes his eyes off and sways away from the line. |
| 49.4 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Bouncer! The batsman ducks in time to let that one go over him. |
| 49.5 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Full in length and around middle and leg, Lakmal eases it down to long on and looks for a run. It's turned down by Dickwella. |
| 49.6 : Tim Southee to Lakmal, Back of a length ball around middle and leg, Lakmal stays on the back foot and taps it down in front of short leg. |
| Trent Boult gets a breather. Ajaz Patel is inserted back into the attack. 11-2-21-1, so far. |
| 50.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Tossed up ball landing outside off and spinning back in, Dickwella remains on the back foot in defense. |
| 50.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Leans forward to a full ball around off and defends it with the spin to the leg side. |
| 50.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Comes from 'round the wicket and bowls a flatter delivery on off. The ball lands and spins back in as Dickwella defends it from the back foot. |
| 50.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Uses his feet to come down the track but drives a full ball back to the bowler. |
| 50.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Loopy full ball on middle, Dickwella lunges and defends it to short mid-wicket. |
| 50.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Good running, Dickwella will keep strike. Full and flighted on off, Niroshan presses forward and pushes it gently to the right of the cover fielder. He calls for a run and completes it with ease. |
| Change at both ends. William Somerville (12-4-25-1) is back on as well. |
| 51.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Tossed up ball on off, Dickwella goes back and blocks it with the spin to the off side. |
| 51.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Fires one in. It's a slider around off and skids back into the batsman, another back foot defense by Niroshan. |
| 51.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Loopy and full on off, Dickwella presses forward and defends it to the off side. |
| 51.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Flighted delivery, Dickwella picks it from outside off and sweeps it behind square leg. Takes a run off the fourth ball. |
| 51.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Brave, very brave! Terrific delivery. Generously tossed up off spinner landing on a fuller length outside off, Lakmal decides not to offer any shot and Watling collects the ball near the off stump. |
| 51.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Oohhh...nearly went through! Somerville goes flatter and darts in an off spinner on off, Lakmal is cramped for room and defends it somehow from the back foot. Sees off the last two balls. |
| 52.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Floated full ball on off, Dickwella is on the front foot in defense. |
| 52.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Big spin and bounce from outside off, Dickwella is on the back foot to defend but it hits him high on the back leg. There was a bit of glove as well and Taylor runs across to his left from first slip to collect the catch on the rebound. But the ball falls just in front of his hands. Nervy period for Sri Lanka. |
| 52.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Tossed up ball outside off, padded away. |
| 52.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Skips down the track and pushes it down through mid on for a run. |
| 52.5 : A Patel to Lakmal, Lakmal has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 52.6 : A Patel to Lakmal, Loopy ball on off, turning away, Lakmal tries defending from the front foot but is beaten by the away spin. |
| 53.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Well flighted on off, fuller in length, Dickwella pushes it off his front foot to cover-point. |
| 53.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Slow loopy ball just outside off, Dickwella defends it with an angled bat to the off side. |
| 53.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Too full in length on leg, Dickwella sweeps but finds short fine leg. |
| 53.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Quicker one, fired in full on middle, Dickwella swept it past short leg and to the right of short fine leg. They picked up a single. The deficit is now exactly 100. |
| 53.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Loopy off spinner on off, Lakmal hangs on the back foot in defense. |
| 53.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Was there an inside edge? Spinning in from around off, Lakmal tries to defend but misses. Maybe, it comes off the inner edge before striking him on the pads. It lobs in the air and falls wide of short leg. |
| 54.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Quicker delivery, on off, Niroshan defends it off his back foot. |
| 54.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Loopy and full on middle, Dickwella defends it with a stride forward. |
| 54.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Extra flight this time, around off, Niroshan kneels and sweeps it on the full through square leg. His sweep number 36 fetches him a run. |
| More close-in fielders coming in as Suranga Lakmal is on strike. |
| 54.4 : A Patel to Lakmal, Lovely delivery. Landing full on off and breaking away, Lakmal allows it through. |
| 54.5 : A Patel to Lakmal, Skidding down the leg side, Lakmal tries to flick but misses. |
| 54.6 : A Patel to Lakmal, Floated full ball on middle, Suranga is on the front foot as he blocks it watchfully. TEA ON DAY 5! |
| 32 overs, 55 runs and 2 wickets! That was the story of the afternoon session as Sri Lanka managed to hang in. The first-hour post Lunch was safely negotiated by Karunaratne and Dickwella but then the Lankan skipper was dismissed by a gem from Southee. Niroshan has curbed his aggressive instinct and has so far succeeded by adopting a calmer approach. With just three wickets remaining, it's all up to him to take the maximum strike and earn a draw for the home team. Another 36 overs left in the day |
| ... DAY 5, FINAL SESSION ... |
| We're back! No rain so far. Now that's a positive news, if you are a New Zealand fan. Sri Lanka are on the back foot, needing to bat out the entire session with 3 wickets in the bag. The men concerned walk out to the centre. William Somerville to continue... |
| 55.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Bowls the first delivery on the flatter trajectory. Puts it on a fuller length on middle and it's blocked back. |
| 55.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Lunges to a full ball and pushes it with the spin to point. |
| 55.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Quicker and fuller on leg, swept straight to short fine leg. This partnership is now worth 47 balls. |
| 55.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Well stopped, Boult! Short in length and outside off, Dickwella chases it and tries to guide it down to third man. But Boult reacts from backward point and dives to stop the ball from racing away. A single taken. |
| 55.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, What happened there? A near brain fade from Suranga Lakmal. He receives a short ball on middle and leg and goes for a massive heave-ho across the line. Drags his shot in the air and luckily for Sri Lanka it doesn't carry to the fielder at deep mid-wicket. Dickwella needs to remind him that they are playing a Test match here and in a tight situation to save it. |
| 55.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Edged again. Safe again. Full and on middle, spinning in, Lakmal decides to defend with firm hands but it takes the inner half and goes wide of short leg. Eventful first over after Tea! |
| 56.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Ajaz starts his over from 'round the wicket and lands it on the rough outside off. It breaks back in with some extra bounce and pings Dickwella on the back thigh who fails to put bat on ball. |
| 56.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Quicker and on off, defended off the back foot by Niroshan. |
| 56.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Hangs on the back foot and punches it to wide mid on for a run. |
| 56.4 : A Patel to Lakmal, Left alone! Flighted delivery, full and close to off, Lakmal leaves it alone as it spins away. Watch out for the arm ball... |
| 56.5 : A Patel to Lakmal, Full and on off, defended off the front foot by Suranga. |
| 56.6 : A Patel to Lakmal, Flatter and on middle, Lakmal moves inside the crease in defense. 34 more overs to go. |
| 57.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Advances down the track to take it on the full and pushes it to point. |
| 57.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Would have been a drag on! Tossed up ball on off, Dickwella tries to sweep but it takes the inside edge and strikes him on the pads. |
| 57.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Niroshan has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 57.4 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Almost a catch there! Loose from Dickwella. He chases a short ball outside off and tries to guide it down towards third man. But it takes the outside edge and flies behind. Ross Taylor at short third man dives across to his right and parries it towards the fielder at short fine leg. A single taken. |
| 57.5 : W Somerville to S Lakmal, FOUR! Fine shot! Too full in length on off, Lakmal drives it through covers and the ball races away to the fence in no time. |
| 57.6 : W Somerville to S Lakmal, Loopy off spinner on off, Lakmal leans to defend but gets an inside edge onto the pads. |
| 58.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Floated full ball on off, Dickwella is on the front foot in defense. |
| 58.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Bowls this one with a round-arm action and delivers it short on off, Dickwella defends it from the back foot. |
| 58.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, On the pads, nudged to short fine leg. |
| 58.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, A bit short in length outside off, Dickwella cuts it to point. |
| 58.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, Quicker and on off, blocked off the back foot by Niroshan. |
| 58.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Nicely tossed up ball on off, Dickwella skips down the track and defends it back. Maiden. Lakmal will be now exposed for the entire next over. |
| 59.1 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Big spin down the leg side, a patient leave made by Suranga Lakmal. |
| 59.2 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Flatter and shorter outside off, punched from the back foot to covers. |
| 59.3 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Spinning down leg from around off, Suranga tries to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. |
| 59.4 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Floated and full on middle, Lakmal presses forward to flick but misses. It goes off his pads to covers. |
| 59.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Shout for a caught behind! The umpire is not convinced. Lovely drift on this delivery, it lands on off and turns in with some extra bounce. Lakmal lunges to defend but misses and Watling collects it over the stumps. A late appeal from the bowler but nothing doing. This was a similar delivery on which Kusal Mendis got bowled. |
| 59.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. Another maiden! |
| 60.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Patel switches to over the wicket and bowls a flatter full ball on off, Niroshan defends it off his front foot. |
| 60.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, Flighted and outside off, defended to the off side. |
| 60.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Allows the ball to spin back in and then defends it down wide of short leg. |
| 60.4 : A Patel to Dickwella, Tossed up ball on off, turning in, Dickwella is on the front foot as he defends it near his front pad. |
| 60.5 : A Patel to Dickwella, FOUR! Well played! Flighted delivery, landing full on off, Niroshan advances down the track and just pushes it gently over mid off for a boundary. |
| 60.6 : A Patel to Dickwella, Loopy delivery on off, Niroshan strides forward and defends. |
| 61.1 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Floated around the pads, the ball hits his pad and then the arms. |
| 61.2 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Tossed up on leg, Lakmal looks to defend but it lobs of the edge wide off forward short leg. |
| 61.3 : W Somerville to Lakmal, This time defends it off the middle. |
| 61.4 : W Somerville to Lakmal, FOUR! Short on the body, Lakmal gets on his back foot and pulls it through the vacant mid-wicket region for a boundary. Sri Lankan supporters starting to find their voice here. |
| 61.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Follows it up with a calm defense. |
| 61.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, SIX! High and handsome. Tossed up on middle and leg, Lakmal picks the length early and smashes it over the long on fence for a biggie. He is not shying away from swinging his bat. |
| 62.1 : A Patel to Dickwella, Floated on off, Dickwella gets on his back foot and defends it. |
| 62.2 : A Patel to Dickwella, On the pads, Niroshan defends it to the leg side. |
| 62.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, Flighted on off, Dickwella turns it against the spin towards square leg for one. |
| 62.4 : A Patel to Lakmal, Very full on middle and off, Lakmal keeps it out. |
| 62.5 : A Patel to Lakmal, Proper leave this as this one pitches around off and spins away. |
| 62.6 : A Patel to Lakmal, Tossed up around off, Lakmal defends it off the outer half of his bat towards point. |
| 63.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, FOUR! Superbly played! Loopy and full, landing outside off, Dickwella sweeps it against the spin but backs it with great power. A boundary at mid-wicket results. |
| 63.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Loopy delivery, wide outside off, an easy leave for Niroshan. |
| 63.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Floated one, pitching full on off, Dickwella paddle sweeps it towards fine leg for one. |
| 63.4 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Fuller in length on off, it's driven back to the bowler. |
| 63.5 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Off spinner landing full on middle, Lakmal offers no shot and takes it on the pads. |
| 63.6 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Very full in length on middle and leg, Lakmal defends it in front of forward short leg. |
| Time for some pace! Trent Boult (11-6-12-1) is once again unleashed into the attack. New Zealand in desperate need of a breakthrough. This partnership has now negotiated 98 balls. |
| 64.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Good length delivery in the zone outside off, Niroshan has nothing to do with it. |
| 64.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Angles in a length ball on middle, Dickwella defends it off his back foot to the leg side. |
| 64.3 : T Boult to Dickwella, Pitches it up and outside off, it's pushed in the gap at covers and Dickwella denies the single. |
| 64.4 : T Boult to Dickwella, Boult switches to 'round the wicket and hurls in a bouncer around middle, Dickwella crouches and sways away from the line of fire. |
| 64.5 : T Boult to Dickwella, Identical to the last delivery, further angling away from the left-hander, Niroshan drops his wrists and lets it be. |
| 64.6 : T Boult to Dickwella, Waste of energy and ball. Bouncer well outside off, Dickwella makes another leave to close the over. |
| 65.1 : W Somerville to Lakmal, Flighted off spinner on off, turning in with extra bounce, Lakmal tries to defend but misses. |
| 65.2 : W Somerville to Lakmal, A touch short and outside off, Lakmal moves inside the crease and defends it off the inner half to the leg side. |
| 65.3 : W Somerville to S Lakmal, OUT! Lakmal's fight is over! Somerville strikes to break this 107-ball partnership! A superbly tossed up off spinner. It hits the deck outside off and breaks back in to kiss the gloves of Lakmal who was trying to defend. It then brushes his pads and lobs to Latham at forward short leg. He takes the simplest of catches and Sri Lanka lose their eighth wicket. The Kiwis are relieved. 25.3 overs left in the Test match to pick the remaining two wickets. |
| Lasith Embuldeniya is the new batsman. |
| 65.4 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Embuldeniya has played that off the front foot and into the ground. |
| 65.5 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Quicker and flatter close to off, Embuldeniya tries to defend but it goes past the outside edge. |
| 65.6 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Loopy and outside off, Lasith allows it through. A wicket maiden for Somerville! |
| 66.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Back of a length ball on off, Dickwella defends it off his back foot. |
| 66.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Beaten! Angling away from the batsman around off, Dickwella pushes inside the line and misses. |
| 66.3 : T Boult to Dickwella, Back of a length ball on middle, Dickwella stands back and dead bats it down the surface. |
| 66.4 : T Boult to Dickwella, On and around off, a length ball, it's solidly blocked by Niroshan. |
| 66.5 : T Boult to Dickwella, 13th Test fifty for Niroshan Dickwella! He is not too excited about this fifty as he knows that his job is only half done. Short delivery around middle, Niroshan rides the bounce and eases his pull shot down to fine leg for a run. |
| 66.6 : T Boult to Embuldeniya, Boult serves it on a length and outside off, it keeps its line after pitching, Embuldeniya plays inside the line and lets it go. |
| 67.1 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Loopy and landing full outside off, spinning away, Dickwella allows it through. |
| 67.2 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Leans forward to a full ball and defends it with the spin to the off side. |
| 67.3 : W Somerville to Dickwella, Floated and on off, Dickwella gets down and paddles it fine down the leg side for a run. 3 balls for Embuldeniya to survive. |
| 67.4 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Well tossed up off spinner, pitching full on off, Lasith defends it confidently to the off side. |
| 67.5 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Fires it in, full and on off, straightening a bit after landing, Embuldeniya gets forward to defend with firm hands. It falls in front of silly point. |
| 67.6 : W Somerville to Embuldeniya, Tossed up ball on off, Lasith defends it watchfully to survive the over. 23 more overs left in the day, don't think we will get that far with the light fading. |
| 68.1 : T Boult to Dickwella, Angles in a length ball on off, Dickwella defends it near his front pad. |
| 68.2 : T Boult to Dickwella, Goes fuller and darts it on off, Dickwella defends it to mid off. |
| 68.3 : T Boult to Dickwella, Hurls in an inswinger outside off, Dickwella shoulders arms. |
| 68.4 : T Boult to Dickwella, Back of a length ball on off, Niroshan defends it from the back foot to covers. |
| 68.5 : T Boult to Dickwella, Leading edge but safe! Boult spears in a very full ball on leg, Dickwella tries to flick but gets a big leading edge. Fortunately for Sri Lanka it goes wide of Taylor at covers. Good stop by the veteran with a dive. |
| 68.6 : T Boult to N Dickwella, Fullish and on off, it's pushed off the front foot to covers. New Zealand have achieved their objective. It will be Lasith Embuldeniya on strike in the next over. |
| Ajaz Patel (18-3-30-1) is back into the attack, replacing Somerville. |
| 69.1 : A Patel to Embuldeniya, Beats the bat straightaway! Flighted and full outside off, not turning much, Embuldeniya tries to defend but misses. |
| 69.2 : A Patel to Embuldeniya, Too full in length on off, Lasith brings his bat down and digs it out off the outer half to third man. A single taken. Not ideal for New Zealand. |
| 69.3 : A Patel to Dickwella, OUT! What have you done Dickwella? Pensive faces in the Sri Lankan dressing room. Ajaz serves a flighted full ball around off, Dickwella gets down to play the paddle sweep but there is some extra bounce and it takes the top half of his bat before deflecting from the arm-guard. The ball loops in the air and Latham moves across to his left in anticipation from forward short leg to grab a fine reflex catch. Dickwella is frustrated with himself. New Zealand celebrate. The |
| Lahiru Kumara is the last batsman for Sri Lanka. |
| 69.4 : A Patel to Kumara, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 69.5 : A Patel to Kumara, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 69.6 : A Patel to Kumara, Shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 70.1 : T Boult to Embuldeniya, FOUR! Very full in length and sliding down the leg side, Embuldeniya gets bat on ball and flicks it behind square leg for a boundary. |
| 70.2 : T Boult to Embuldeniya, OUT! Embuldeniya is bounced out! NEW ZEALAND WIN BY AN INNINGS AND 65 RUNS! A snorter by Boult. He digs in a well-directed short ball on middle and Embuldeniya is caught by surprise. He takes his eyes off the ball, tries to fend at it but the ball takes his gloves and balloons to Williamson at gully. The Kiwi skipper does the rest and it's a convincing win for the Black Caps to level the 2-match series. |
| New Zealand have done it! It looked like an impossible task at the start of Day 5 but they have planned out a brilliant victory to level the Test series. Sri Lanka will be deeply disappointed with their batting efforts on the final day and this loss also breaks the winning streak for Dimuth Karunaratne as captain. This is how the ICC World Test Championship table looks like now - India (60), New Zealand (60), Sri Lanka (60), Australia (32) and England (32). |
| The star of the show for New Zealand has to be Tom Latham. His enterprising century set it up for the visiting team and one cannot undermine the contributions of BJ Watling and Colin de Grandhomme. On stop-start days, it was not easy for anyone and that's why these knocks from Latham, Watling and de Grandhomme were extra special. After earning a good lead this morning, the onus was on their bowlers to do some magic. They initiated superbly and reduced the Lankan team to half in no time. Karunara |
| Test cricket is going through a purple patch! We are witnessing some enthralling performances worldwide and this victory for New Zealand, fighting on the final day, not just Sri Lanka but also the weather, is a cherry on the cake. They have shown that they can compete in subcontinent conditions and have only grown since their series win against Pakistan in the U.A.E. For Sri Lanka, they should have never lost this match and series but a defensive mindset cost them on the final day. Maybe, had th |
| TOM LATHAM GETS THE MAN OF THE MATCH AWARD! He says that it's nice to contribute and partnerships with BJ Watling was really nice. Tells that as a batting unit, they want to build partnerships and he is glad that they got it. Smiles and says that the conditions here are a lot different and once again adds that he is happy to contribute. On his catch to dismiss Dickwella, Latham replies that he anticipated that shot and was lucky also as it hit Niroshan's arm-guard and slowed down. Praises his bo |
| BJ WATLING IS THE MAN OF THE SERIES! He scored 183 runs across two matches and played a couple of crucial knocks. There is no interview taken. |
| Sri Lankan skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne starts by saying that it was a good wicket for batting and their first innings total wasn't enough. Feels that they needed more partnerships but kept on losing wickets. Mention about Dhananjaya's batting and counts it as a positive. States that once the batsmen get a start, they need to carry on just like Latham and Watling did. Wants his team to get more consistent. |
| Victorious New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson smiles and says that they lost the toss while replying to what they did differently from Galle. Calls it a terrific series and feels they deserve to share it. Tells that it's a great effort to push for victory on the final day and come out on top. Mentions that light is always a factor here and admits that's why they were getting a bit anxious also. Terms it an outstanding effort from his batters who scored at a rate which allowed them to move this |
| We're done with the Test series! But before New Zealand head back home, they will be playing a 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. The first one is on Sunday, 1st September at 1900 local (1330 GMT) in Pallekele. Do join us for that. Cheers! |
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