Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Archives

Latham, Williamson hit fifties as New Zealand take control of first Sri Lanka Test

Half-centuries from Tom Latham and Kane Williamson put New Zealand at 255-4 and in hot pursuit of Sri Lanka on day two of the first Test on Thursday.

The Black Caps trailed by 50 at stumps in Galle with Daryl Mitchell (41) and Tom Blundell (18) to resume in the morning.

No New Zealander has scored a Test century in Galle and both Williamson and Latham looked set to end that drought before falling against the run of play.

Their 73-run partnership steadied the reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 305 but ended when Latham fell before tea for 55, top-edging a sweep shot that was caught at backward square leg.

World number two batter Willamson departed in the final session for 70 while trying to work Dhananjaya de Silva on the leg-side for a single, caught by wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis.

Aggressive sweep shots from New Zealand foiled a concerted Sri Lanka spin attack and forced the hosts to spread the field.

It countered New Zealand’s usual vulnerability to spinners at Galle, where the tourists have lost all four of their prior Test matches played there.

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De Silva had a second wicket when he bowled Rachin Ravindra, finishing 2-31 in an otherwise lacklustre day for the hosts.

Fewer than five overs were played in a morning session delayed by rain.

Sri Lanka belatedly resumed their first innings from 302-7 overnight but lost all three remaining wickets for just three runs.

Rookie New Zealand fast bowler William O’Rourke took 5-55, his second five-wicket haul in just three Tests since his February debut against South Africa.

That home series saw him take 9-93, the best match figures for a debutant Kiwi bowler.

A groin injury ruled the 23-year-old O’Rourke out of the following series against Australia and his selection ahead of the more experienced Matt Henry had been a surprise.

But he vindicated selectors by delivering consistent speeds above 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour to carve through the Sri Lankan top order on day one.

A century by Kamindu Mendis, his fourth from seven Test appearances, rescued Sri Lanka from 178-5.

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Kamindu Mendis equals Saud Shakeel’s Test record

GALLE: Sri Lanka’s middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis on Wednesday, equalled Pakistan’s emerging batter Saud Shakeel’s record in Test cricket.

Kamindu Mendis became only the second batter in the history of Test cricket to score seven fifty-plus scores in each of his first seven Tests, drawing level with Saud Shakeel, who set the milestone in July last year.

Mendis achieved the feat in Sri Lanka’s first Test of the two-match home series against New Zealand, underway here.

This was Mendis’ eighth fifty-plus score in his first seven Tests which saw him surpass some greats of the game including Pakistan’s Saeed Ahmed, India’s Sunil Gavaskar and West Indies’ Basil Butcher, who scored six fifty-plus scores in as many matches.

Mendis has been in red-hot form since making his Test return. He enjoyed a dream run with the bat in the recently concluded three-match away series against England, registering scores 2, 113, 74, 4, and 64.

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He made his debut for Sri Lanka in 2022 against Australia in Galle and wasted no time to announce himself with a well-crafted 61, playing a pivotal role in leading the home side to an innings victory.

Despite a ground-breaking debut, Mendis remained away from the Test side for almost two years. He finally made his comeback earlier this year in the away series against Bangladesh.

Mendis started from where he left off as he scored two centuries in each innings of the Sylhet Test and backed it with a brilliant 92 in Chittagong.

When this story was filed, Kamindu Mendis had successfully converted his record-equalling half-century into a magnificent century and was unbeaten on 106 off 156 deliveries with the help of 11 boundaries.

His brilliance with the bat has put Sri Lanka in a commanding position against New Zealand as the home side has accumulated 275/5 in 77 overs with Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis going strong.

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Reserve day added as Sri Lanka host New Zealand for Test series

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday, unveiled the schedule of their home Test against New Zealand, featuring a reserve day.

The two-match series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 will run from September 18 to 30 in Galle.

However, the Asian country will have its Presidential Election on September 21, therefore it has been deemed as a rest day.

To accommodate the action, the SLC instead added a reserve day on September 23, making the opening Test a six-day contest.

New Zealand’s Test tour of Sri Lanka schedule:

First Test: September 18-23, Galle

Second Test: September 26-30, Galle

This marks the first instance after 23 years that a Test match features a rest day. The last such match was also held in Sri Lanka in 2001 against Zimbabwe and the rest day was taken due to Poya Day (full moon day).

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Sri Lanka and New Zealand are currently placed third and fourth respectively in the WTC 2023-25 standings.

Sri Lanka are currently on a Test tour to England. The ongoing three-match series will conclude on September 10.

Sri Lanka squad for England Test series: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (vc), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.

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Seifert blasts New Zealand to T20 series win over Sri Lanka

QUEENSTOWN: Tim Seifert was the match-winner for the second straight game as New Zealand clinched the T20 series against Sri Lanka with a tense four-wicket victory in Queenstown on Saturday.

Seifert blasted a career-high 88 off 48 balls to fire the Black Caps to 183-6 from 19.5 overs after the tourists had posted 182-6 in the third and final game at John Davies Oval.

The opener struck 10 fours and three sixes in an innings that bore many of the hallmarks of his unbeaten 79 when New Zealand levelled the series at Dunedin on Wednesday.

Captain Tom Latham provided the only meaningful support with 31 off 23 and New Zealand’s middle order nearly conspired to lose the game after Seifert departed with four overs remaining.

Needing to score at little more than a run-a-ball at that stage, the Black Caps stuttered.

Needing 10 runs to win off the final over bowled by Lahiru Kumara (3-38), Mark Chapman struck a six off the first ball before he was the first of three New Zealand wickets to fall.

With two still needed off the last two deliveries, Rachin Ravindra held his nerve to find a gap in the outfield and secure the 2-1 series win.

Latham conceded the run chase should not have become so tight at the death.

“They put us under pressure so it was good to see the way the guys responded to that,” Latham said.

“The way Timmy Seifert went out there and played was really important but obviously it wasn’t ideal going down to the last couple of balls.

“I’d say we always had it under control though.”

It completes a disappointing tour for Sri Lanka, who lost the Test and ODI series by the same 2-0 scoreline but were more competitive in the shortest format.

Captain Dasun Shanaka said his team adjusted gradually to New Zealand conditions and suggested Sri Lankan cricket officials should take careful note.

“I think it’s about preparation. We should make sure when we come here again, we should come at least two weeks, three weeks before we play,” Shanaka said.

“Once we got into the T20 series we started looking a different team.”

Sri Lanka gave themselves a shot at victory after Kusal Mendis struck a rapid 73 off 48 balls, taking full advantage after being dropped by Daryl Mitchell at slip when on 10.

The opener-wicketkeeper went on to hit six fours and five sixes in his 12th half-century, falling just short of his career-high score of 79.

Having been asked to bat, Mendis was the dominant figure in an opening stand of 76 with Pathum Nissanka (25 off 25), before putting on a further 46 with Kusal Perera (33 off 21).

Wickets fell rapidly over the closing overs, preventing the tourists from going close to 200.

Seifert has not been included in New Zealand’s squad for the white ball tour of Pakistan beginning on Friday as he is expecting the arrival of his first child.

Sri Lanka’s next assignment is a two-Test home series against Ireland, beginning on April 16.

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New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka in second T20I to level series

DUNEDIN: New Zealand breezed past Sri Lanka with a commanding nine-wicket win in the second Twenty20 international to level the series on Wednesday after opener Tim Seifert top-scored with 79 not out.

Kiwi bowler Adam Milne took a five-wicket haul for just 26 runs in a man-of-the-match performance as Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 141 runs after they were put into bat.

“You always dream of taking five wickets for New Zealand. As I had three in the last over with a couple of tailenders in, I started feeling a little bit greedy,” Milne said in a post-match talk.

Seifert then helped New Zealand chase the target in just 14.4 overs for the loss of opener Chad Bowes.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham expressed satisfaction over his side’s ‘clinical performance”.

“The way we were just able to keep taking wickets, that’s the best way really to stall a run rate,” he said

“I thought our bowling performance was outstanding.”

With the victory in today’s game, New Zealand levelled the series 1-1 after Sri Lanka won the opening T20 in Auckland on Sunday. The final T20I and series decider will be played in Queensland on Saturday.

Milne’s impressive bowling display sailed New Zealand to a comfortable position as they were set to chase a paltry 142.

Opener Bowes was caught after hitting 31 off 15 balls before Seifert breathed fire in a partnership of 106 alongside Latham, who finished 20 not out.

Seifert then wrapped up the game in style with a couple of massive hits

Earlier. Kusal Perera (35) and Dhananjaya de Silva (37) held the fort for the visitors with a middle-order partnership of 62 off 46 and took the scoreboard to 99-4 after 12 overs.

The tourists then underwent a dismal batting collapse by losing their next six wickets for just 42 runs as New Zealand’s seamers found their length to devastating effect.

Charith Asalanka was the last Sri Lankan batter to offer any resistance, contributing 24 runs off 19 balls.

Milne led the charge for New Zealand, picking off Sri Lanka’s tailenders Dilshan Madushanka and Pramod Madushan without a run being scored.

“We got a good start but lost the momentum in the middle,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, who paid credit to Milne’s superb bowling.

“Losing wickets at regular intervals cost us the game.”

It may be noted here that Sri Lanka have lost both the Test and one-day international series 2-0 during their ongoing tour of New Zealand.

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Sri Lanka seal dramatic Super Over win in first T20I against New Zealand

AUCKLAND: Sri Lanka claimed a dramatic Super Over win in the opening match of their three-game Twenty20 series against New Zealand on Sunday to earn their first victory on tour.

The match went to a tie-break decider after both teams chalked up 196 runs in a high-scoring thriller at Auckland’s Eden Park.

New Zealand only made 8-2 off a tight Super Over bowled by spinner Maheesh Theekshana before Charith Asalanka smashed a six off the second ball of Sri Lanka’s response, then sealed victory with a four.

“That was a really nervous game and at the end, it’s our day,” said Asalanka.

“I tried to hit boundaries because I back myself.

“Momentum is most important for a team like us, a young team, and we’re hoping to do well,” he said ahead of the second T20 game in Dunedin on Wednesday before the three-game series concludes in Queenstown next Saturday.

The nail-biter in Auckland handed Sri Lanka their first win on a month-long tour of New Zealand after losing both the Test and one-day international series by the same 2-0 scoreline.

Black Caps tailender Ish Sodhi had earlier set up the Super Over finish when he tied the scores by calmly hoisting the last ball of their 50 overs for six off Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.

It completed a run chase that always looked unlikely for the home side but came alive when Rachin Ravindra scored 26 off 13 balls to follow key knocks from Daryl Mitchell (66 off 44) and Mark Chapman (33 off 23).

It left New Zealand needing 13 to win off the final over, a task that became harder to achieve when Adam Milne fell to the first delivery bowled by Shanaka.

“To climb our way back in our innings was outstanding and I thought for ‘Ish’ to hit that six was quite dramatic but it wasn’t meant to be,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham.

“Super Overs can go either way, but we fell on the wrong side today.”

Theekshana was a key performer for Sri Lanka with the ball, conceding 1-22 off four miserly overs, while fellow spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took 2-30 as New Zealand struggled for enough momentum through the early overs.

Left-hander Asalanka top-scored in Sri Lanka’s 196-5, striking six sixes in a rapid 67 off 41 balls.

He put on 103 for the fourth wicket with Kusal Perera, who returned from a long-term shoulder injury in style.

The experienced Perera scored a controlled 53 not out off 45 balls in what was his first match for Sri Lanka in any format since the 2021 T20 World Cup, having spent nearly 18 months out.

Kusal Mendis started the run-fest by blasting 25 off just nine deliveries, having lost opening partner Pathum Nissanka to the first ball of the match bowled by Milne.

New Zealand struggled for timing in the Super Over, losing the wickets of Jimmy Neesham and Mark Chapman, who struck a lone boundary.

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Christchurch washout hits Sri Lanka World Cup hopes

CHRISTCHURCH: Sri Lanka’s hopes of securing automatic qualification for the World Cup took a major blow on Tuesday when heavy rain and gusting winds forced the second one-day international against New Zealand to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Steady rain meant the covers stayed on all day at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, with organisers calling the match off at 1630 local time (0330 GMT) with more showers forecast.

As a result the two teams split the points which further damages Sri Lanka’s designs on a place in the top eight of the Super League, who automatically qualify for the World Cup in India in October and November.

Having also lost the first ODI in the three-match series, Sri Lanka are now ninth in the table with 82 points, six points behind West Indies.

To make the top eight, Sri Lanka must win the third ODI against New Zealand in three days’ time and pray that South Africa lose at least once in their upcoming series against the Netherlands, and that Ireland fail to beat Bangladesh 3-0 when they meet in May.

The teams missing out on the top eight will go into a repechage 10-team tournament in Zimbabwe in June and July from which the final two teams will emerge.

New Zealand have already qualified for the World Cup and are now guaranteed to finish as Super League table-toppers even if they lose the third ODI in Hamilton on Friday.

Sri Lanka have lost all three tour games played so far in New Zealand, including a 2-0 whitewash in the Test series.

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New Zealand’s Shipley tears through Sri Lanka in 198-run ODI thrashing

AUCKLAND: Henry Shipley tore through Sri Lanka’s batting line-up as New Zealand romped to a 198-run win in the first one-day international in Auckland on Saturday.

Playing just his fourth match for the Black Caps, tall seamer Shipley took 5-31 as the tourists were skittled for 76 at Eden Park, their lowest ODI score against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka’s capitulation in just 19.5 overs was their fifth-heaviest loss by runs to any ODI opponent, and New Zealand’s seventh-biggest win.

The visitors never recovered after slumping to 31-5, with only three batters reaching double figures, including top scorer Angelo Mathews (18).

It comes just two months after Sri Lanka’s world-record 317-run loss to India in Thiruvananthapuram — when they were skittled for 73.

Their batters succumbed to a series of loose shots allowing Shipley to claim New Zealand’s first five-wicket bag in the format for more than four years.

The 26-year-old worried his opponents with steep bounce and pace, prompting a series of shots to be lofted aimlessly to waiting fielders.

Daryl Mitchell took 2-12 and Matt Henry 2-20 in an innings that lasted little more than an hour and a half.

Earlier, Chamika Karunaratne claimed four wickets in a career-best bowling display for Sri Lanka as New Zealand were dismissed for 274 after being asked to bat.

Opener Finn Allen top-scored with 51 but he was one of several Black Caps guilty of not pushing on after making a start.

Allen’s 49-ball knock helped the hosts into a strong position with nearly half of their overs remaining. But they lost their way over the latter stages and were dismissed with three balls remaining.

Karunaratne took 4-43 off nine overs, with New Zealand’s batsmen mostly falling to shots that ballooned into the outfield.

All-rounder Rachin Ravindra departed late in the innings for 49 on his ODI debut while Mitchell scored 47 and Glenn Phillips 39.

Seamers Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara, who both played in Sri Lanka’s 2-0 Test series loss to New Zealand, took two wickets each.

The tourists needed a clean sweep of the three-match series to take an automatic World Cup berth.

With that no longer a possibility, they are increasingly likely to be forced to play in a qualifying tournament in June-July.

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Williamson, Nicholls double tons put New Zealand on top in second Test

WELLINGTON: Aggressive double centuries for Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls powered New Zealand’s dominance in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

The Black Caps declared their first innings at an imposing 580-4 before reducing Sri Lanka to 26-2 at stumps on day two, leaving the tourists with a very slim prospect of squaring the two-match series.

The in-form Williamson scored 215 and Nicholls posted a career-best 200 not out, with the pair’s third-wicket stand of 363 virtually batting Sri Lanka out of the contest.

Their partnership was the fifth-highest by any New Zealand combination and they became the country’s first batters to reach 200 in the same innings.

Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne will resume on 16 on Sunday and nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya remains on four, with the deficit a daunting 554 runs.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to generate life on a flat Basin Reserve pitch, forcing Karunaratne to set defensive fields during much of the mammoth partnership.

Williamson and Nicholls batted at a lively clip from the outset, advancing quickly from a 155-2 overnight score and barely looking troubled as they unleashed an array of attacking strokes through the first two sessions.

Williamson was impenetrable as he reached three figures for the third time in successive Tests, becoming the first New Zealander to pass 8,000 runs in the process.

It was a sixth double-century for the 32-year-old — whose unbeaten 121 was pivotal in a final-ball first Test in Christchurch earlier this week.

Having resumed on 26, Williamson struck 23 fours and two sixes before holing out in the deep off spinner Jayasuriya as he tried to escalate the scoring rate.

Nicholls marched on from his overnight 18 to reach three figures before pushing past his previous-best score of 174.

His aggressive 240-ball knock, which featured four sixes, represented a remarkable return to form for the left-hander, whose place in the team was under pressure after failing to reach 40 in his 15 previous innings.

Nicholls said he was aware of criticism of his ongoing selection but said he was made to feel comfortable by support from his teammates and coach Gary Stead.

“Everyone in the group’s been great and you really feel that support,” he said.

“For me, it was just about trusting that I had done it before. It hasn’t happened as much as I’d like in the last period.

“Now the challenge is doing it again knowing that the blueprint is there.”

Nicholls compared the partnership with a 369-run stand with Williamson against Pakistan in Christchurch two years ago.

“The way Kane’s playing, he’s in a real zone out there. It was nice to make that partnership into another really big one.”

Kasun Rajitha, who was off the field for a period nursing a shoulder injury, lodged the best bowling figures of 2-126.

Sri Lanka spinner Dhananjaya de Silva said the tourists were guilty of allowing the double centurions too much leeway.

“Obviously Kane and Henry batted very well. We have to be at our best when we’re facing these players but we missed our lengths,” he said.

De Silva said Sri Lanka hadn’t given up on squaring the series although he conceded it will be very difficult to force a victory.

“We’re not playing for a draw, we’re playing for a win.

“So we have to bat for at least one and a half days. We’ll see what will happen,” he said.

Their response began poorly.

Matt Henry removed opener Oshada Fernando for six before fellow-seamer Doug Bracewell dismissed Kusal Mendis without scoring via a spectacular catch at point from Devon Conway.

It came from Bracewell’s third ball of the match in what is his first Test appearance for more than six years.

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Conway hits 78 as New Zealand dig in on opening day against Sri Lanka

WELLINGTON: Devon Conway’s blistering 78 helped hosts New Zealand race to 155-2 against Sri Lanka at the end of a rain-delayed opening day of the second Test on Friday in Wellington.

Conway fell short of a hundred as he was caught and bowled by Dhananjaya de Silva, who dived low to his right to get both hands on a superb catch, to end a thrilling 108-ball knock.

First-Test hero Kane Williamson was unbeaten on 26 alongside Henry Nicholls on 18 when bad light stopped play at the Basin Reserve after Sri Lanka won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat in blustery conditions.

“I was gutted to get out when I did, I had put in all the hard work,” Conway said.

“Those are the ones you want to kick on and make the most of it on day one… We just have to focus on tomorrow now.”

New Zealand started strong, with Conway and Tom Latham putting on an opening partnership of 87, after the 2,500th Test match in cricket history was hit by a damp start.

Heavy overnight rain delayed the toss until after lunch.

Latham fell for 21 around the halfway point of the day’s curtailed proceedings when he spooned a Kasun Rajitha delivery to deep square, into the hands of Prabath Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne opted to give his bowlers an early opportunity to use a green wicket to attack the New Zealand batters.

Conway responded by smashing 13 fours in a fiery knock.

Sri Lanka made one change from the team that lost the first Test on the final ball in Christchurch, with wicketkeeper Nishan Madushka making his debut in place of Niroshan Dickwella.

New Zealand were forced into a single switch with seamer Doug Bracewell playing his first Test since 2016, replacing Neil Wagner, who tore a hamstring in the first Test.

It is the first time Bracewell has played a Test match alongside his cousin Michael.

New Zealand are chasing a third straight Test win.

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