KiwiTiger: "The way commentators are taking wickets, I can't wait for SL's innings - I'm going to claim all 10 wickets by cursing them all out!"
Finn Allen after his half-century: "With the base we got, we had to push for a few more. A tricky wicket. The way Karunaratne bowled was nice. We lost wickets in clumps. There is something in it for the bowlers. It's frustrating once you kick on... first game in a while"
5.55pm An innings of too many starts, and barely any solid contribution. The highest remained Allen's 51, as partnerships took off only to break and stall New Zealand's momentum. The consistent pace and bounce of the pitch troubled batters often - like Mitchell's dismissal showed - and Sri Lanka kept banging it in. Pretty much everyone chipped in with wickets, as four of them went to Karunaratne. The total could prove challenging enough though if the pitch retains its character under lights. Join Abhimanyu for the chase soon.
IS Sodhi c †Mendis b Rajitha 10 (25m 18b 0x4 0x6) SR: 55.55
Vicky: "This is some great jinx game going on. Someone praised GP and he got out the next ball. Now, same thing happens with Rachin Ravindra as well. All Sri Lanka have to do to win now is ensure none of the comments praising their batters are published on cricinfo." --- All right, taken
END OF OVER:49 | 9 Runs | NZ: 274/9 | RR: 5.59
- Blair Tickner6 (4b)
- Ish Sodhi10 (15b)
- Chamika Karunaratne9-0-43-4
- Kasun Rajitha7-0-38-1
Ah, a slip in
Tickner facing his first ball
Gary: "Jeepers @CJ, that was a bigger jinx than @Ashish!"
Free hit
