After an evenly poised opening day the hosts dominated day 2 with Trent Boult starring with a dream 20-minute spell of perfect Test match fast bowling. After bundling out the Sri Lankans in the first 9 overs of the day, New Zealand extended their lead batting cautiously.
Sri Lanka, beginning the day with a slight edge over the home team, were expecting to gain the all-important 1st innings lead on day 2 with in-form Angelo Mathews still being in the crease. But, there was nothing Mathews could do as he was left stranded at the non-strikers end as Trent Boult destroyed the Sri Lankan inning within the space of just 15 deliveries.
Boult accounting for the dismissals of Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara took 5 wickets within 11 balls, breaking the record for the fewest balls to take 5 wickets in Tests. The previous record of 12 balls was jointly held by Australian Monty Noble, Jacques Kallis and Kemar Roach.
Both the recognized Sri Lankan batsmen to lose their wickets today, Roshen Silva and Niroshan Dickwella, fell in similar fashion as both of them edged to Tim Southee in the slip cordon, trying to drive full deliveries swinging away late.
The remaining 4 wickets were all LBWs as Boult’s late swing was too much to handle for the Sri Lankan lower order. Sri Lanka losing their last 5 wickets for just 4 runs today, is the worst last 5 wickets collapse in their Test history. They went from 100/5 to 104 all out.
Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsman, Angelo Mathews was so unlucky that he had to see all these wickets from the best place in the park. He walked away unbeaten on 33 as Sri Lanka finished the inning 74 runs behind New Zealand.
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Unlike in the 1st innings, the Kiwi openers looked more cautious and solid as they batted 48 overs together. The duo batted with so much purpose that they battled through the complete 2nd session without losing a wicket. Interestingly they were batting on a track, where 20 wickets had fallen in the space of 91 overs.
The clue-less Sri Lankan bowlers didn’t seem to be threatening as the Kiwi batsmen batted with ease on a pitch that was slowing down. Sri Lanka too had a chance to breakthrough before tea when an airborne Tom Latham hooked one to Dushmantha Chameera at fine-leg, whose dive was not enough to hang on to the ball. Latham was on 32 then.
It was the off-spinner Dilruwan Perera who finally provided Sri Lanka the much needed breakthrough when he dismissed Jeet Raval for 72. Raval approaching a well-deserved Test century gave a simple ‘bat-pad’ catch to Kusal Mendis at short-leg as he tried to work the ball on the leg side. Raval’s 162-ball knock included 8 boundaries.
Following the 121 run partnership between the openers, skipper Kane Williamson together with Latham added 68 more runs to extend their lead over Sri Lanka. Tom Latham fresh from his double hundred in Wellington reached his 16th Test fifty before Williamson got himself out trying to cut a wide delivery from Lahiru Kumara moving too close to it. Kusal Mendis taking his second catch of the innings was fielding at wide first slip and caught it brilliantly with reverse cups near head height. Williamson was just 2 runs short of his half-century.
Ross Taylor, coming in at 4, accelerated the scoring rate with some wonderful strokes. He hit 4 consecutive boundaries off Suranga Lakmal’s bowling in the 76th over as he remained unbeaten on 25 facing just 27 deliveries. Latham on the other hand was unbeaten on 74 facing 213 balls with 8 boundaries.
Sri Lanka just one over away from taking the second new ball will be hoping to bundle out the Kiwis as soon as possible and come out to bat again.
