NZ vs SL: On the one hand, an exciting Test series is being played between India and Australia. On the other hand, the first match of Sri Lanka and New Zealand Test series ended on a thrilling note. The game remained exciting in the rain-interrupted half from the first to the fourth innings.
New Zealand was set a target of 285 runs to win in the fourth innings. On the fourth day, New Zealand scored 28 runs losing one wicket. New Zealand needed 257 runs to win on the fifth day with nine wickets in hand. Sri Lanka made the match exciting by bowling brilliantly.
But in the end, Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson took the match by two wickets, showing a great game. Kane Williamson was emotional after the victory, whose video went viral on social media.
Kusal Mendis Played A Blistering Inning
In this match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka being played in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Tim Southee decided to bowl before winning the toss. Batting first, Sri Lanka did not get off to a good start. The first wicket fell on the score of 14 runs. After this, captain Dimuth Karunaratne shared a century partnership of 137 runs with Kusal Mendis. Karunaratne got out after scoring a half-century.
Kusal Mendis scored 87 runs in 83 balls with the help of 16 fours. After these two players, no batter made any significant contribution. Angelo Mathews scored 47, Dinesh Chandimal 39, and Dhananjaya de Silva scored 46 to take the team’s total to 355 runs. Captain Tim Southee took five wickets, and Matt Henry took four from New Zealand.
Daryl Mitchell Hit A Strong Century, Henry Made A Comeback
Chasing 355, New Zealand got off to a good start as Devon Conway put on 67 runs for the first wicket, followed by Williamson, who came in at number three and returned to the pavilion after scoring one run. After that, Henry Nickels, who came at number four, was dismissed after scoring two runs.
Daryl Mitchell, who is running excellently, once again scored a brilliant century to get his team out of trouble. Mitchell played an inning of 102 runs. At one point, it looked like Sri Lanka would take the first-innings lead, but Matt Henry, who came in to bat lower down the order, brought New Zealand back into the match with a blistering performance.
Henry played a blistering inning of 72 runs in 75 balls. Asitha Fernando took the maximum of 4 wickets from Sri Lanka. Lahiru Kumara got three successes in his account. Rajitha got two, and Jayasuriya got one wicket.
Angelo Mathews Showed His Strength, Hit the 14th Century.
The Sri Lankan team, which came out to bat in the third innings, did not start well. Captain Karunaratne got out cheaply. Kusal Mendis, who came at number three, could not do anything and returned to the pavilion after scoring 14 runs. Angelo Mathews, who came in at number four, showed his experience and scored the 14th Century of his Test career.
Apart from Mathews, Chandimal, 42, and Dhananjaya de Silva contributed 47 runs. Sri Lanka ended their innings with 302 runs. In the fourth innings, a target of 285 runs was set in front of Sri Lanka. Tickner took four wickets for New Zealand, Henry took three, and Saudi took two.
New Zealand Won The Match By Going To The Last Ball
Chasing the target of 285 runs, the start of the New Zealand team was not good. Devon Conway returned to the pavilion on nine runs. New Zealand needed 257 runs to win on the fifth day. He scored a century while playing a brilliant inning against former captain Kane Williamson. Darrell Mitchell came and batted furiously to bring New Zealand to the threshold of victory.
After Mitchell was dismissed for 81, the New Zealand team looked to falter. But former captain Williamson took advantage of his experience to win the team on the last ball of the previous over. After winning the match, Kane Williamson was seen getting emotional on the ground, whose video went viral on social media.
Watch Video
— Jalaluddin Sarkar (Thackeray) ?? (@JalaluddinSark8) March 13, 2023
What a Test match – Kane Williamson has done it for New Zealand and India. pic.twitter.com/9JJeUjNZAM
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 13, 2023
