Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Archives

Mathews ton inspires Sri Lanka, New Zealand chase falters

CHRISTCHURCH: A classy century from Angelo Mathews and the early wicket of Devon Conway kept Sri Lanka’s World Championship hopes alive in the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday.

“We’ve given ourselves a great chance to win the Test match,” Mathews said after his masterful 115, made from nearly six hours in the middle in Christchurch.

His innings rescued Sri Lanka from a tight spot and led the tourists to a second innings total of 302.

That set New Zealand a target of 285, and the home side were 28 for one by stumps after 17 overs, with Conway out for five.

Tom Latham was not out 11 with Kane Williamson on seven, with New Zealand requiring 257 on the final day. The highest fourth-innings score at Hagley Oval is 256 for eight in a drawn Test.

“We had to work extremely hard to get those runs and we’ve got the fast bowlers to exploit the conditions,” Mathews said.

“We had the belief that if the batters get the runs on the board the fast bowlers will come into play.

“We need to strike early (Monday) to get into the game and if we can open one end we can put a lot of pressure on the Kiwis.”

Sri Lanka need another nine wickets on the final day but their chances could be dashed by rain that is forecast for the morning.

New Zealand have only pride at stake but Sri Lanka, playing their first Test in seven months, are chasing their ticket to the World Test Championship final against Australia.

They must win in Christchurch as well as the second Test in Wellington to make the final.

Sri Lanka also need Australia to win or draw their current fourth Test against India.

There was jubilation in the Sri Lankan camp when Kasun Rajitha had Conway caught and bowled for five, and similar scenes when he thought he had Williamson lbw without scoring.

Sri Lanka reviewed the not out call but Williamson, who only made one in the first innings, was safe.

Mathews went to the middle late Saturday with Sri Lanka in trouble at 81 for three, which became 95 for four early Sunday with the dismissal of nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya.

But New Zealand’s confidence was dented as the 35-year-old Mathews put on 105 for the fifth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal and added a further 60 with Dhananjaya de Silva before he was dismissed by Matt Henry.

His 235-ball innings, filled with chanceless ones and twos and 11 boundaries, took Sri Lanka to a position of strength.

De Silva continued the momentum with his late cameo, finishing unbeaten on 47 while Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara chimed in with scores of 14 and eight as Henry mopped up the tail.

Blair Tickner, who accounted for the Sri Lanka top order, took four for 100 while Henry finished with three for 71.

New Zealand seamer Neil Wagner, who left the field injured on Saturday, did not bowl after scans revealed a bulging disc in his back and a torn right hamstring.

Wagner has been ruled out of the second Test starting on Friday.

READ: Kohli ends three-year century drought in final Australia Test

Mitchell and Tickner lead New Zealand fightback against Sri Lanka

CHRISTCHURCH: A stubborn century from Daryl Mitchell, a blazing 72 from Matt Henry and three wickets to Blair Tickner swung the momentum New Zealand’s way in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Sri Lanka had claimed the initiative on the first two days of the Christchurch Test but were 83 for three in their second innings at stumps on day three, a lead of 65 runs.

Angelo Mathews was not out 20, with Prabath Jayasuriya also at the crease on two.

New Zealand had recovered from 151 for five to be all out for 373, an 18-run lead, after a dogged 102 from Mitchell. Henry’s swashbuckling performance included 58 runs from boundaries.

Tickner claimed the wickets of captain Dimuth Karunaratne for 17, Oshada Fernando for 28 and Kusal Mendis for 14 in the 38 overs before stumps to finish with three wickets for 28 runs off 10 overs.

Sri Lanka, who need to sweep the two-Test series to keep their hopes of making the World Test Championship final alive, had ripped through the New Zealand top order.

But Mitchell, who has so often been New Zealand’s saviour in his 17-Test career, refused to give in as he toiled through 193 deliveries for his eighth century.

The 31-year-old right-hander, son of former All Blacks player and coach John Mitchell, lifted his average to a remarkable 58 from 25 innings.

He put on 54 for the sixth wicket with Michael Bracewell, a further 47 with Tim Southee and 55 with Henry.

Mitchell leapt in the air when he reached his century, waved his bat and received a hug from Henry to celebrate. He added only two more runs before was caught behind off Lahiru Kumara and New Zealand were 291-8.

Henry then exploded with his personal-best 72, which included 10 fours and three sixes.

He belted spinner Dhananjaya de Silva out of the attack by taking 17 runs in just one over.

Worse was to come for Sri Lanka when de Silva’s replacement Kasun Rajitha conceded 24 to Henry in his first over.

This was on a third-day wicket that continued to offer assistance to the bowlers, with Rajitha and Asitha Fernando both getting movement early in the day.

Leading up to the drinks break, Bracewell, who had seemed the more settled of the New Zealand overnight pair, was undone by the introduction of left-arm spinner Jayasuriya.

Bracewell had a life when an appeal for lbw was turned down, with reviews showing height was an issue, but with the next delivery Jayasuriya found an edge and Bracewell was caught behind for 25.

Southee brought up New Zealand’s 200, belting Jayasuriya over the mid-wicket fence, and continued to swing until the third over with the new ball when he was out to a diving catch by Kumara at square leg.

The New Zealand captain had smashed back-to-back fours off Rajitha but his attempt at a third fell short and he was out for 25 off 20 deliveries.

For Sri Lanka, Fernando returned the best figures of four for 85 while Kumara took three for 76.

Of concern for New Zealand was the fitness of Neil Wagner, who left the field in the final session for treatment to a leg injury.

Sri Lanka rip through top order to leave New Zealand in trouble

CHRISTCHURCH: Sri Lanka’s bowlers ripped through the New Zealand top order, including snaring the key wicket of Kane Williamson, to leave the hosts in trouble at 162-5 after the second day of the first Test on Friday.

After posting a competitive 355 on the green Hagley Oval wicket in Christchurch, Sri Lanka gave New Zealand a soft start before gaining momentum.

A productive burst either side of the tea break from Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara claimed Devon Conway, Williamson and Henry Nicholls as New Zealand slumped from 67 without loss to 76-3.

A pin-point Fernando yorker then dismissed opener Tom Latham for 67 before Kasun Rajitha accounted for Tom Blundell for seven.

“We’re doing pretty good,” an elated Rajitha said at stumps.

“This can happen tomorrow as well. This wicket is helpful for the fast bowlers, that’s why we were trying to get wickets before tea.

“It’s a good wicket for the batsmen but they can’t trust the bounce.”

Daryl Mitchell was on 40 at stumps with Michael Bracewell on nine, and although New Zealand were still 193 in arrears, Latham denied they were out of the contest.

“If we can get as close to their score as possible then hopefully we’ll be able to put a bit of pressure on them with the ball because as we’ve seen there’s plenty in it for the bowlers,” he said

Sri Lanka need to sweep the series to keep their World Test Championship hopes alive.

Their ambition was evident as they celebrated each wicket and every saved single.

Fernando, guilty of straying too often down the legside in his opening spell, came back to trap Conway lbw for 30.

Three overs later, Kumara captured the plum wicket of Williamson for one on the last ball before tea and then accounted for Nicholls for two soon after the resumption.

The Sri Lankans were jubilant with the wicket of Williamson, New Zealand’s most prolific run-scorer and the hero of the recent dramatic one-run victory over England.

With the tea break beckoning, he was seduced into attempting an uncharacteristic big cover drive but could not get the ball over Dimuth Karunaratne.

Nicholls, with a question mark over his Test future, had only faced six balls when a rash attempt to pull Kumara to the boundary saw him caught at mid-wicket.

Latham persevered to bring up his 27th half-century and looked well set until he was bowled by Fernando.

– New Zealand frustrated –

Sri Lanka had frustrated New Zealand from the start of the day when they resumed at 305-6 and added another 50 as they stretched the innings for a further 17 overs.

Overnight pair Dhananjaya de Silva and Rajitha clipped 11 off the opening over of the morning before skipper Tim Southee entered the attack and had De Silva caught behind for 46.

When the new ball became due, Matt Henry had Rajitha caught at mid-off for 22 and New Zealand sensed the end was near.

But Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara, while only adding five runs, lasted 38 deliveries for the ninth wicket.

Henry eventually had Jayasuriya caught behind for 13, leaving Kumara (13 not out) and Fernando (10) to add a further 19 runs off 26 deliveries for the final wicket.

For New Zealand, Southee finished with 5-64 and Henry 4-80.

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Mendis blazes 87 as Sri Lanka dominate first day against New Zealand

CHRISTCHURCH: Kusal Mendis made a lively 87 off 83 balls to put tourists Sri Lanka in the driving seat at 305-6 after the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday.

At the close, Dhananjaya de Silva was unbeaten on 39 with Kasun Rajitha contributing 16 to an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 35.

New Zealand captain Tim Southee won the toss in Christchurch, where conditions were ripe for his seam attack to strike, but instead it was Sri Lanka’s band of classy batsmen who dominated.

It is a must-win Test for Sri Lanka to keep their World Test Championship hopes alive but veteran batsman Angelo Mathews said Mendis attacked as if he was playing an explosive game of Twenty20.

“He just walked straight into it and it was like a Twenty20 game,” Mathews said.

“In those conditions the way that he batted, it was more than a run a ball and it was quiet fantastic to watch.”

New Zealand captain Tim Southee believed the momentum swung when Mendis was in full flight before lunch, taking Sri Lanka to a healthy 120-1 at the interval after being 14-1 in the seventh over when Oshada Fernando (13) was dismissed.

“We were a little bit off in that second hour and credit to Sri Lanka,” he said.

“The put loose deliveries away and scored at a good clip and got themselves out in front of the game at lunchtime.”

– Southee record –

It was heavily overcast and the floodlights were on, but Sri Lanka’s second-wicket pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Mendis racked a rollicking 137 off 27 overs, with Mendis belting 16 fours while Karunaratne contributed 50 off 87.

Mendis rode his luck, with some inside and top edges helping him reach a 16th Test fifty off just 40 balls.

He was looking for his eighth Test century but, with the score on 151, he was trapped in front by Southee to end a sparkling innings.

When Karunaratne followed without any addition to the total, caught at second slip for 50 by Tom Latham off Matt Henry, Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal put on 82 for the fourth wicket to lift Sri Lanka to 233-4.

Chandimal had negotiated some interruptions for rain to reach 39 when he became Southee’s 362nd Test wicket, moving the New Zealand captain past Daniel Vettori to second on the all-time list of New Zealand’s Test wicket-takers behind Richard Hadlee, who has 431.

It was a New Zealand record 706th international wicket for Southee across all three formats, one more than the previous mark he shared with Vettori.

Mathews drove Matt Henry to mid-on for two to reach the milestone of 7,000 Test runs, but he barely had time to acknowledge the achievement before he was dismissed next ball for 47.

Niroshan Dickwella went cheaply for seven before de Silva and Rajitha regained momentum for Sri Lanka.

Southee was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3-44 while Henry chipped in with 2-65.

New Zealand stand in way of Sri Lanka’s world Test final quest

New Zealand will take momentum from their dramatic one-run win over England into this week’s first Test against Sri Lanka, who could reach the ICC World Test Championship final with a 2-0 series sweep.

Tim Southee’s hosts became just the fourth team to win a Test after following on as they secured a draw in the two-match series against England.

Kane Williamson, who became New Zealand’s record run-scorer in the thrilling Wellington win, said it was vital to kick on after the Black Caps ended a seven-Test winless run.

“It’s been a long time for us to get over the line,” former skipper Williamson said ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday in Christchurch.

“We haven’t had the results we would’ve liked, despite putting the work in, so it’s nice to get those rewards.

“It’s an important series for us now as we are looking to improve and we’re focused in trying to put out better performances.”

Sri Lanka have only won two Tests of the 19 they have played in New Zealand.

But skipper Dimuth Karunaratne’s side have extra incentive this time.

They can reach the WTC final against Australia with a 2-0 series triumph, providing India fail to beat Australia in the final Test in Ahmedabad, which also begins Thursday.

Sri Lanka are an improving and more consistent side under Chris Silverwood, who took over as head coach in April last year.

They beat Bangladesh 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at home with both Australia and Pakistan, all in two-Test series, since the former England fast bowler’s appointment.

Their hopes of qualifying for the showpiece at The Oval in June were boosted when Australia clinched their place by winning the third Test against India in Indore inside three days last week.

“To get to the WTC final would be unbelievable,” Silverwood said.

“But at the same time we know we’ve got a very good New Zealand team in front of us as well and we have to respect that, work hard, and try and earn that right.”

New Zealand retained the squad that beat England in Wellington while Sri Lanka brought in two uncapped players, the 23-year-old batsman Nishan Madushka and seam bowler Milan Rathnayake, 26.

Madushka forced his way into the Test squad after scoring two centuries and a double hundred in three appearances against the touring England Lions a few weeks ago.

Sri Lanka’s preparations have been disrupted by rain, with the second day of their only warm-up match against a New Zealand Board XI washed out on Sunday in Lincoln, just outside Christchurch.

Sri Lanka will also play three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s against New Zealand after the Tests.

New Zealand: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Blair Tickner, Neil Wagner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Nishan Madushka, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake

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Sri Lanka names Test squad for New Zealand tour

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Friday named a 17-member squad, including two rookie players, for a two-match Test tour of New Zealand after more than four years.

Dimuth Karunaratne’s team will feature Nishan Madushka, 23, and Milan Rathnayake, 26, making their national Test squad debuts, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

The team will leave for New Zealand on Monday.

Sri Lanka’s last Test tour of New Zealand was in December 2018, when the hosts won the second game by 423 runs and the first match was a draw.

New Zealand visited Sri Lanka for two Tests in August 2019 with both teams winning one each.

Sri Lanka Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Nishan Madushka, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Milan Rathnayake.

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Phillips, Boult power New Zealand to thrash Sri Lanka in T20 WC

SYDNEY: New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips stroked a magnificent century before left-arm pacer Trent Boult wreaked havoc over Sri Lanka to bolster their side to a resounding 65-run victory in an all-important Super 12s fixture of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Set to chase 168, the Sri Lankan batting lineup endured an onslaught from the Kiwi bowlers and crumbled out for a paltry 102 in the 20th over.

The Asian champions had a deplorable start to the run chase as the side lost four wickets for a mere eight runs.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa attempted to fight back with their gritty knocks, however, no support from the rest of the batters, resulted in Sri Lanka falling 67 runs short.

Shanaka top-scored for his side with 35 off 32 balls, while Rajapaksa could score 34 in just 22 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and two sixes.

The rest of the Sri Lankan batters failed to contribute significantly in the run chase and could not get into the double figures.

Left-arm pacer Boult was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand as he returned with magnificent figures of 4/13, while Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi bagged two wickets each.

Batting first, New Zealand finished at a decent 167/7 in their quota of 20 overs, thanks to their right-handed batter Phillips.

The Blackcaps were off to a dismal start as they lost three wickets for a paltry 15 runs in four overs as openers Finn Allen (1), Devon Conway (1), and skipper Kane Williamson (8) perished cheaply.

Following the slump, Phillips and Daryll Mitchell stitched a gritty partnership for the fourth wicket and added 84 runs to the total to anchor the innings.

Phillips was the main aggressor in the all-important partnership, while Mitchell was holding his ground firm before Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva castled him in the 15th over.

The right-handed batter could score 22 off 24 deliveries.

Phillips, however, seemed unaffected by Mithcell’s dismissal and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and turned his brilliance into a century in the 19th over.

He top-scored for his side with a terrific knock of 104 off just 64 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and four sixes.

New Zealand’s spinning all-rounder Mitchell Santner remained unbeaten with a handy 11 off just five deliveries, which included a vital six in the final over.

The rest of the New Zealand batters, however, could not amass double figures.

Kasun Rajitha led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with 2/23, while Maheesh Theekshana, Hasaranga de Silva, Dhananjaya de Silva and Lahiru Kumara struck out a batter each.

New Zealand win toss, elect to bat first against Sri Lanka in T20 WC

SYDNEY: New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12s fixture on Saturday.

PLAYING XIs

New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Sri Lanka XI: Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

HEAD TO HEAD (T20Is)

Matches 19, New Zealand 19, Sri Lanka 8, No Result 1

FORM GUIDE

New Zealand: NR, W, L, W, W
Sri Lanka: L, W, W, W, L