BLACKCAPS win by 5 wickets
SRI LANKA 292 (Angelo Mathews 77) & 133 (Kusal Mendis 46, Tim Southee 4-26)
BLACKCAPS 237 (Martin Guptill 50, Dushmantha Chameera 5-47) & 189-5 (Kane Williamson 108*, Dushmantha Chameera 4-68)
A Kane Williamson masterclass has seen the BLACKCAPS beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the second ANZ Test in Hamilton and secure a 2-0 series victory.
Scorecard
Playing in his home province, Williamson made an unbeaten 108 to guide the BLACKCAPS to their target of 189. The win elevates the hosts to number five in the ICC Test rankings, while Williamson himself broke numerous records.
Williamson records and stats
At the start of the day the BLACKCAPS required 47 further runs to win, while Sri Lanka needed five wickets. Williamson, who resumed on 78*, held the key and strolled to the middle with BJ Watling at his side.
It didn’t take Williamson long to get into his groove, finding the boundary rope off the second ball of the day.
But while Williamson continued his elegant strokeplay, Watling superbly blunted the Sri Lanka bowling attack at the other end, holding firm for 20 balls before getting off the mark.
After 152 balls and with the BLACKCAPS closing in on victory, Williamson brought up his 13th Test century to a standing ovation from the Seddon Park crowd.
Despite the gravity of the innings, Williamson’s celebration was typically minimal, with his focus strictly on finishing the job off.
It didn’t take long for him and Watling (13*) to make sure that his effort would be a winning one, getting the BLACKCAPS across the line after 54.3 overs.
The ODI series begins on Boxing Day at Hagley Oval.
DAY THREE
SRI LANKA 292 (Angelo Mathews 77) & 133 (Kusal Mendis 46, Tim Southee 4-26)
BLACKCAPS 237 (Martin Guptill 50, Dushmantha Chameera 5-47) & 142-5 (Kane Williamson 78*, Dushmantha Chameera 4-45)
Either 47 runs or five wickets will secure victory for one side tomorrow at Seddon Park.
VIEW SCORECARD
The steady hands of Kane Williamson have guided the BLACKCAPS to within touching distance of victory on a dramatic day three in Hamilton, though Sri Lanka still have a chance themselves.
Having been set a target of 189 to win, an unbeaten 78 from Williamson saw the hosts to 142-5 at stumps.
Earlier, a BLACKCAPS bowling blitz either side of lunch saw Sri Lanka collapse from 71-0 to 133 all out , with some hostile short-pitched bowling reaping the rewards.
The BLACKCAPS first innings closed on 237 in the second over of day three, as Trent Boult was caught at mid-wicket for a duck, leaving partner Doug Bracewell 35 not out.
Buoyed by a 55-run lead, Sri Lanka began their second effort with the bat well, posting a 71-run opening stand.
Bracewell would prove the partnership breaker on the eve of lunch as he struck twice in three balls to remove Dimuth Karunaratne (27) and Udara Jayasundera for a duck.
Wagner followed Bracewell’s short-pitched bowling theme and seduced Chandimal into tucking one around the corner and into the diving hands of Martin Guptill at leg gully.
The bouncer would continue to be used and continue to be successful, with nearly all of the middle and lower order caught at either fine leg or third man.
Tim Southee led the charge with figures of 4-26, while Wagner’s 3-40 and Bracewell's 2-31 were also key.
The BLACKCAPS pursuit didn’t get off to a great start, with both openers back in the shed cheaply and both out to short deliveries.
That brought together Williamson and Ross Taylor (35) and together they put on 67 for the third wicket. That took them to 18 partnerships of 50 plus – the most in New Zealand history, surpassing Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming.
However Sri Lanka would keep applying pressure, taking three further wickets before stumps, Chameera (4-45) once again the danger man.
It leaves a lot to be answered tomorrow.
Will Williamson get another Test ton? Will Chameera get a 10 wicket bag? Will the BLACKCAPS win the series 2-0 or will it be drawn 1-1?
Play starts at 10.28 tomorrow on SKY Sports tomorrow. Free entry to Seddon Park.
DAY TWO
SRI LANKA 292 (Angelo Mathews 77)
BLACKCAPS 232-9 (Martin Guptill 50, Dushmantha Chameera 5-47)
Some fierce short-pitched bowling from Sri Lanka has them odds on for a first innings lead in the second ANZ Test at Seddon Park.
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The BLACKCAPS reached 232-9 in reply to Sri Lanka’s first up effort 292 on day two, with Martin Guptill the only batsman to reach 50 for the hosts.
Dushmantha Chameera was chief destroyer for Sri Lanka, finishing with a five-wicket bag and figures of 5-47.
The day had started brightly for the BLACKCAPS, taking the tourists’ final three wickets for an additional 28 runs.
With an hour left in the first session, the opening pair of Martin Guptill (50) and Tom Latham (28) made sure the BLACKCAPS had the upper hand, putting on 81 for the first wicket.
Unfortunately for the BLACKCAPS, that would be as good as it got for them on day two.
The introduction of Chameera after lunch saw an aggressive spell of short-pitched bowling, resulting in four wickets in the space of eight runs.
Skipper Brendon McCullum (18 from 54) and allrounder Mitchell Santner (38 from 105) showed resilience under pressure, but a significant partnership was not forthcoming.
Sri Lanka struck at the key moments, never relinquishing the momentum and keeping the BLACKCAPS on the back foot.
Some late resistance from Doug Bracewell edged his side past the 200 mark, but the earlier damage means the BLACKCAPS remain 60 runs behind with just one wicket in hand.
Plenty of work to do for the home side on day three.
DAY ONE
SRI LANKA 264-7 (Angelo Mathews 63*)
Late wickets gained back some momentum for the BLACKCAPS on day one of the second ANZ Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.
Having won the toss and asked Sri Lanka to bat first, the BLACKCAPS reduced the visitor to 264-7 at stumps before rain intervened.
It was a day on which Sri Lanka fought valiantly with the bat for the opening two sessions, with the top order surviving challenging conditions early in the innings.
Heading into lunch at 109-2, Sri Lanka stumbled early in the second session when Mitchell Santner produced a superb piece of fielding to run out Jayasundera for 26. Three overs later Dinesh Chandimal was gone after an entertaining 47 and Sri Lanka was 121-4.
The middle order though would build on the platform made for them, with Angelo Mathews and Siriwardana (62) leading their side beyond the 200 mark. The pair put on 138 for the fifth wicket, before Trent Boult eventually found the edge of Siriwardana.
The strike bowler had another three balls later, before a one handed pick up and direct hit from Kane Williamson gave the BLACKCAPS all the momentum heading into day two.
Rain brought proceedings to a close after 67 overs, meaning play will begin at 10am tomorrow.
Sri Lanka batted well for large parts of the opening day, but two key run-outs and three late wickets leaves things evenly poised heading into day two.
