The lower-order resistance of Rajitha needs to be increased for Sri Lanka to force New Zealand to play again.
In New Zealand By an innings’ worth of 58 runs, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 580 runs for 4 wickets (Williamson 215, Nicholls 200*, Rajitha 2-126) as well as both 358 (De Silva 98, Chandimal 62, Southee 3-51, Tickner 3-84) and 164 (Karunaratne 89, Chandimal 37, Henry 3-44, Bracewell 3-50).
Match Winning Century.
Kane Williamson won Player of the Series honors for his first Test century, which won the contest, and his subsequent game-changing double-ton in the second. At the same time, Henry Nicholls won Player of the Match for his undefeated double-hundred. Furthermore, if there was any question about New Zealand’s dominance in Wellington, all you had to do was consider the reality that Sri Lanka’s second-inning score of 358 was still five runs short of the record-breaking 363-run partnership between Williamson and Nicholls.
For his undefeated double-hundred, Henry Nicholls won Player of the Match honors. In contrast, Kane Williamson won, Having scored the match-winning century in the first Test and Performer of the Series game-changing double-ton in the second. Furthermore, if you ever required evidence of New Zealand’s dominance in Wellington, consider that Sri Lanka’s second-inning score of 358 was still five runs short of the 363-run partnership between Williamson and Nicholls.
But moving from the admirable to the puzzling, this hard-fought series’ final day was characterized by much weaker batting. If day three was made up of rookie errors, day four could only be described as an extended amateur hour, with Kasun Rajitha and his fellow tailenders being left to try and drag the match to an unlikely day five.
Rajitha, the final victim, faced 110 deliveries and remained in the center for 148 minutes—a more extended period than any other Sri Lankan batter, save for Dhananjaya de Silva.
It is not to say that Sri Lanka batted poorly; some of the strokeplay on display for significant stretches of the day was among the finest. However, a string of dismissals with comparable softness to those in this Test has rarely, if ever, been observed throughout a single inning.
Five of the nine wickets lost during the day—six if you consider Dimuth Karunaratne the night before—came from short balls. On top of a long hop from Michael Bracewell, only Prabath Jayasuriya, a known tailender, could likely be excused for this transgression.
In the first over of the day, Kusal Mendis, who had begun the day unbeaten on 50 and may have been harboring expectations of another miracle at the Basin Reserve, was joined by his companion, the first person to die, Angelo Mathews. Down A short, sitting ball was smacked straight to midwicket.
Test Century
Mathews would follow his partner’s instruction two overs later, making this pull shot even more appallingly mistimed. For the short ball that Blair Tickner would serve nonstop throughout the day, New Zealand had lined up three men at short leg, square leg, and deep square leg. Mathews would plan to pull it straight to the second of those men.
With only three recognized batters remaining and Sri Lanka at 116 for 4, those in the stadium and at home were probably dreading the worst. Additionally, New Zealanders were likely considering an early lunch or, at the very least, a lengthy tea break.
Naturally, New Zealand would continue to pelt the duo of Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya with similar after scoring twice with the short ball. However, given their limited success, you would be mistaken if you believed these two would have abandoned the idea.
However, what was most striking about this time was how Sri Lanka benefitted from it. Anything lengthier was easily driven straight through the covers as the wicket flattened out. Tickner and company were thus left to test Sri Lanka’s patience with the shorter stuff repeatedly. Throughout their 126-run stand, the duo made liberal use of it, occasionally crunching it in front of the square and moving it away just fine, less precisely but safely.
When Chandimal top-edged a short ball to a fine leg just two minutes before noon, it was especially shocking because Dhananjaya had appeared to be the more vulnerable of the two to the short ball.
However, what was most striking about this time was how Sri Lanka benefitted from it. Anything lengthier was easily driven straight through the covers as the wicket flattened out. Tickner and company were thus left to test Sri Lanka’s patience with the shorter stuff repeatedly. Throughout their 126-run stand, the duo made liberal use of it, occasionally crunching it in front of the square and moving it away just fine, less precisely but safely.
Their partnership was largely trouble-free, though occasionally, a ball would beat the edge. That is until Madushka became the latest victim of a short hop, this one dragging from outside off direct to catching midwicket, a fielder who had been a mainstay for most of the day. On top of that, a cup of tea.
Dhananjaya was left to bat with the tail, but it wouldn’t last long. He toe-ended a planned scoop to short leg off Michael Bracewell and fell an agonizing two runs shy of a first Test century in New Zealand.
The hosts would have hoped that at that moment, the hosts would have seen the writing on the wall, but Rajitha and Sri Lanka’s tail would hold on for longer than anyone anticipated. Given their desperation, they would go through three reviews in the process, but it was never easy to expect such a long tail to persist for as long as it did. However, the rest of Sri Lanka’s hitters would do well to pay attention to their efforts.
