SL VS NZ 2ND TEST

Right then, that is it from the riveting Test Series. The Lankans have clinched the series in some style. Dhananjaya de Silva collects the trophy and joins his team and they pose together for some pictures. Sri Lanka will now play a T20I series against the West Indies next month on Sunday, the 13th of October, at 1.30 pm GMT and New Zealand will have a Test Series against India next month as well on Wednesday, the 16th of October, at 4 am GMT. However, apart from these, there is plenty of cricketing action going around the world and you can switch tabs and enjoy that coverage as well. Until next time, folks, cheers!

Dhananjaya de Silva, the skipper of Sri Lanka, says he’s been lucky with the toss. Mentions Chandimal gives them a good balance and so does Kamindu batting at his position. States the bowlers were really good. Adds they have been working hard on their fielding and it is paying off.

Tim Southee, the skipper of New Zealand, says it’s not an easy place to come and play cricket. Mentions this game was a lot harder, they had their chances in the first game but could not capitalize. States they are looking forward to the series in India, it’s not going to be easy but they’ll try hard. There were some positives but still disappointed with the overall performance.

Prabath Jayasuriya is the Player of the Series for his exceptional bowling. He took 18 wickets in total. He says the newbie bowled well and hit the right lines and lengths consistently. Mentions the wicket in the previous Test offered more assistance. Adds that they try and keep the basics right and build pressure.

Kamindu Mendis is the Player of the Match for his impressive unbeaten 182. He says that he’s enjoying batting and he loves batting in his hometown. Credits Kusal and Chandimal for the way they batted too. States he bats with the same mind set everywhere and just makes a minor change. Ends by saying it’s a great pleasure to score 1000 runs and he’s looking to improve every day.

Stay tuned for the Presentation Ceremony...

Coming back on Day 4, the Kiwi batters, Glenn Phillips and Tom Blundell showed some intent and went after the bowlers. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers maintained their composure and executed their plans effectively. By sticking to a disciplined wicket-to-wicket line, they were able to create consistent pressure on the Kiwi batters. This strategy paid off in the opening session, as they got three wickets just before Lunch and finished the job soon in the second session of Day 4!

Coming to bat again on Day 3, they lost Tom Latham at the stroke of Lunch. Conway and Williamson were looking good after lunch but once Conway fell, wickets kept on tumbling, and soon they were 121/5 nearing the Tea Break. At the end of Day 3, they saw themselves reeling at 199/5 as Blundell and Phillips had taken an aggressive route.

In reply, New Zealand faced a dismal morning session, losing wickets rapidly as they struggled to cope with the pressure. The lower-order partnership between William O'Rourke and Santner momentarily halted the avalanche of wickets, but overall, the performance was lackluster. Sri Lanka, spearheaded by Prabath Jayasuriya's exceptional six-wicket haul, dominated the proceedings, while debutant Peiris provided valuable support by maintaining tight lines and minimizing scoring opportunities. They bundled out the Kiwis for a mere 88 and enforced a follow-on with New Zealand trailing by a mammoth 514!

Sri Lanka chose to bat first and boy, it worked wonders for them. They posted a formidable total with significant contributions from their batters, including three centuries, notably, Kusal's unbeaten 106 and Kamindu's impressive unbeaten 182. New Zealand's bowling struggled, particularly with Phillips leading the way with three wickets, having bowled a staggering 38 overs. The Lankans batted their way for almost 164 overs before they declared their innings at a whopping 602/5.

End of another dominating performance by the Lankans! They have blown aside the Kiwis in both tests and have completed a clean sweep of 2-0. The first test was still slightly balanced, but more in favor of the home side, and the second test, though the wait was a bit longer than we thought, but was all Sri Lanka! They have beaten New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs!

OUT! STUMPED! There is the final wicket. That's 9 for the game on debut for Nishan Peiris. Smart bowling. He sees Santner come down the track. Drags his length back and fires it outside off. Santner looks to cut but misses and the keeper does the rest. They take it upstairs but replays show that Santner was short. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs!

OUT! STUMPED! There is the final wicket. That's 9 for the game on debut for Nishan Peiris. Smart bowling. He sees Santner come down the track. Drags his length back and fires it outside off. Santner looks to cut but misses and the keeper does the rest. They take it upstairs but replays show that Santner was short. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs!

SIX! That is a strong hit. Nishan Peiris bowls it on off, Mitchell Santner steps out, gets to the pitch of it, and slams it magnificently well over the long on fence for a biggie.

Around off.  Blocked.

FOUR! Cut away! Shorter and outside off. Mitchell Santner hangs back and slaps it past point and this races away.

A wasteful nut to end! Down the leg side. Left alone.