New Zealand in control as Sri Lanka follow on

Image
AFP Christchurch
Last Updated : Dec 27 2014 | 9:16 AM IST
Strike bowler Trent Boult led a rampant New Zealand attack that wiped out Sri Lanka's first innings and forced them to bat again on the second day of the first Test today.
Sri Lanka were all out for 138, some 303 runs behind New Zealand's 441 in the last over before tea.
Brendon McCullum did not hesitate to enforce the follow on with his bowlers still fresh after cleaning up Sri Lanka's first innings in under two sessions.
Boult set the tone for the rout when he claimed the first three wickets, including the prized scalp of Kumar Sangakkara, with a magical spell of swing bowling before lunch.
Neil Wagner bagged three in the middle session while Tim Southee and James Neesham took two apiece as Sri Lanka failed to come to grips with the same ripe pitch where New Zealand scored freely on the first day.
Boult finished with figures of three for 25 off 11 overs, Wagner three for 60, Southee had two for 17 and Neesham two for 28.
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews fought valiantly to keep the innings together and was out for 50 in the only innings of any substance.
The green-tinged wicket played as it should, offering the New Zealand bowlers plenty of encouragement which they exploited expertly.
The previous day, the Sri Lankan attack had failed to extract the same assistance allowing the McCullum-led batsmen to pepper the boundaries.
Where the New Zealand batsmen were able to belt 46 fours and 14 sixes, the struggling Sri Lankans managed nine fours and two sixes.
Boult became the 13th New Zealand bowler to take 100 Test wickets when he trapped Dimuth Karunaratne leg before wicket for no score with the fourth ball of the Sri Lankan innings.
In his third over he removed Sri Lanka's other opener Kaushal Silva for four before dismissing dangerman Kumar Sangakarra who edged a ball swinging away to Southee at third slip. Southee followed with the wickets of Lahiru Thirimanne for 24 and Niroshan Dickwella for two to have the top five Sri Lankan batsmen back in the pavilion for only 60 runs.
Wagner and Neesham then teamed up to remove the Sri Lankan tail. Earlier in the second day, Sri Lanka made quick work of the last three New Zealand wickets which fell in the space of 32 deliveries for the addition of only 12 further runs.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Dec 27 2014 | 9:16 AM IST

Next Story