| 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. |
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