08/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Mar 9-13 2023
New Zealand won by 2 wkts
Player of the Match
Daryl MitchellNew Zealand
08/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Mar 9-13 2023
New Zealand won by 2 wkts
Player of the Match
Daryl MitchellNew Zealand

Guneet : "First innings completed in exactly 2.5 days. The match ends late on the fifth day? Is this the ideal test match pitch or what?"

Ray: "And KW has the lowest score of the kiwi innings. Things are a little bit weird"

3:08pm: Who'd have thunk it? 211 runs in the day so far and it's all to New Zealand. Mitchell was at his calculative best, he took chances and trusted the lower-middle and lower-order bats to hang around. They did before pulling the strings themselves. A ton for Mitchell, a cameo from Southee brought New Zealand close. Then Henry took over, Sri Lanka went short and he went far, long, and frequent. His 72 and 27 thanks to Wagnerball has helped turn the game in the last two hours.

107.3
W
AM Fernando to Wagner, OUT, Turned from the hip, it's high in the air. Deep-backward square runs in... and takes it! Went back to the back-of-length ball coming in. Tried whipping it away. Dhananjaya came in, got down, took it and tumbled.

N Wagner c de Silva b AM Fernando 27 (47m 24b 1x4 3x6) SR: 112.50

107.2
4
AM Fernando to Wagner, FOUR, Full toss outside off, driven through cover. Man in the deep runs across in chase, can't make it!
107.1
0
AM Fernando to Wagner, no run, Goes for the fine paddle, but the yorker hits the edge of the sliding bat with the face up, facing the sky. Fizzles to the leg side

END OF OVER:
107 | 8 Runs | NZ: 369/9

  • Neil Wagner23 (21b)
  • Blair Tickner2 (5b)
  • Kasun Rajitha31-10-104-2
  • Asitha Fernando29-5-81-3
106.6
1
Rajitha to Wagner, 1 run, Full outside off at 128kph, squeezes a drive to long-off
106.5
6
Rajitha to Wagner, SIX, Wagnerball leads to a six over square leg, second one-hander of the day in the crowd! Wagner just swung across with power, the spectator ran to the right and took a specky. It was a full ball that was slog-flicked.
106.4
1
Rajitha to Tickner, 1 run, Half-volley on leg, clipped to the deep on the leg side
106.3
0
Rajitha to Tickner, no run, Length outside off, pushes his bat across to try and defend off the back foot towards cover. Misses

Gerd : "@Mac Jean Chapsy: enjoy the cricket tomorrow!! I hope your stepdad enjoys it, too..."

106.2
0
Rajitha to Tickner, no run, Down leg, ful ball beats the flick and goes to the keeper
106.1
0
Rajitha to Tickner, no run, Length outside off, flirts and misses

END OF OVER:
106 | 2 Runs 1 Wkt | NZ: 361/9

  • Blair Tickner1 (1b)
  • Neil Wagner16 (19b)
  • Asitha Fernando29-5-81-3
  • Kasun Rajitha30-10-96-2

Greg: "Wags high score 66*. A lot of batting to come"

105.6
1
AM Fernando to Tickner, 1 run, Yorker outside off, squeezed to deep point
105.5
W
AM Fernando to Henry, OUT, Inswinging yorker rattles the stumps, ends a blazing 72 from Henry! Was full and straight, Henry cleared the front leg and tried to go over long-on. Missed, Fernando celebrates. Henry has team-mates waiting with smiles and applause to receive him. Generous applause from the crowd as well.

MJ Henry b AM Fernando 72 (107m 75b 10x4 3x6) SR: 96.00

Caspian: "One cool thing about the WTC is that people from.other countries suddenly have really intense interests in tests they otherwise maybe wouldn't care about (I'm going for Sri Lanka, no prizes for guessing my main team)"

105.4
0
AM Fernando to Henry, no run, Yorker follows Henry who's making room, he swings straight and misses
105.3
0
AM Fernando to Henry, no run, Tries to whack the shortish ball across, misses. Hits the body

Sunny : "SL will now be under immense pressure. Will that lead towards the famous Asian collapses in NZ

105.2
1
AM Fernando to Wagner, 1 run, Makes room and swipes, doesn't middle the pull. To midwicket
105.1
0
AM Fernando to Wagner, no run, Goes back and blocks a length ball to the bowler

END OF OVER:
105 | 24 Runs | NZ: 359/8

  • Matt Henry72 (72b)
  • Neil Wagner15 (17b)
  • Kasun Rajitha30-10-96-2
  • Asitha Fernando28-5-79-2

Karthikkrulz@gm: "@capsy. You got your wish. Go and enjoy your day tmrw. Rooting for Henry's 100 being an Indian" A bunch of folks commenting about Capsy and Madushka sends in a reminder.

104.6
2
Rajitha to Henry, 2 runs, Swings hard again, doesn't middle it but still finds the gap wide of long-on! They get two. The ball was shortish around off. A 24-run over takes NZ into the lead!
104.5
4
Rajitha to Henry, FOUR, Henry makes room, waits for the very full slow ball. Scythes it, it's in the gap behind point

4, 4, 6. NZ trail by just two!

Harsh Bloke: "Wait a minute! Matt Henry now has FOUR fifties? Who'd have thought?

104.4
6
Rajitha to Henry, SIX, Lol, that might be the only way to explain what's happening as Henry clobbers a straight six to bring up 350! Was in the slot. Overpitched outside off and Henry swiped across.
104.3
4
Rajitha to Henry, FOUR, Mid-off backtracks and leaps, the ball clears him!. Henry made room and slapped the shortish ball with limited but enough timing

Kevin: "It's Henry Ball Time."

104.2
4
Rajitha to Henry, FOUR, Too full and straight, flicked fine. Deep fine has no chance. Fifty stand off 40 balls. What?!
104.1
4
Rajitha to Henry, FOUR, Short and wide, edge off the slashing cut takes it over first slip. Big beaming smile from Henry as he celebrates his fifty

END OF OVER:
104 | 11 Runs | NZ: 335/8

  • Neil Wagner15 (17b)
  • Matt Henry48 (66b)
  • Asitha Fernando28-5-79-2
  • Dhananjaya de Silva9-2-34-0

Mike George : "This might be the most decisive day to decide on the other finalist of WTC. "

103.6
0
AM Fernando to Wagner, no run, Back of length into the body from around, clipped to midwicket

Cover and square leg in, is the short-ball tactic ending?

103.5
0
AM Fernando to Wagner, no run, Tries another pull, beaten this time. Bouncer over the stumps, Wagner stayed leg side and tried to maul it across

Match Coverage

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New Zealand 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st9DP ConwayTWM Latham
2nd41KS WilliamsonTWM Latham
3rd40KS WilliamsonHM Nicholls
4th142KS WilliamsonDJ Mitchell
5th6KS WilliamsonTA Blundell
6th28KS WilliamsonMG Bracewell
7th7TG SoutheeKS Williamson
8th7KS WilliamsonMJ Henry
9th5N WagnerKS Williamson