They shall not be moved Sri Lankan pair bat all day to deny Black Caps
It’s renowned as a pitch for great escapes, and two Sri Lankan batsmen with points to prove added their names to that remarkable chapter in Basin Reserve test cricket history.
Sri Lankan cricket’s next big thing Kusal Mendis (116 not out) and former skipper Angelo Mathews (117 not out) almost brought New Zealand’s bowlers to their knees on the Wellington tarmac, batting through the fourth day of the first test yesterday. It was just the 22nd wicketless full day of test cricket, the first in 10 years and first on New Zealand soil.
Not only that, but they saved their team from what looked certain defeat, with an awful forecast for day five today making a draw now highly likely.
Mendis and Mathews’ unbroken fourth wicket stand of 246 was the highest Sri Lankan partnership against New Zealand and boosted their second innings to 259-3, a deficit of just 37 at stumps. It joined the Martin Crowe-andrew Jones stand of 467 in 1991, and the Kane Williamsonbj Watling union of 365 in 2015 – both against Sri Lanka – in the ground’s history books.
Should the rain arrive, the Black Caps will be kicking themselves. Having reduced Sri Lanka to 13-3 on Monday night they were on the charge and should have closed it out, but a docile surface and not enough sustained pressure in the strong breeze aided the tourists’ fightback.
Just 23, Mendis stormed onto the test scene two years ago with a stunning 176 against Australia in Kandy. But he’d only passed 50 once in his last 13 test innings and played an awful shot on day one. This was his sixth test ton.
Mathews was dropped as ODI captain amid concerns over his fitness, and he responded during the recent England test series with a series of pointed gestures when raising 50. They were seemingly directed at coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
This time, when he reached his ninth test century late in the day he punched the air, fell to the grass and ripped out a set of pushups.
A smattering of windswept spectators filed in with the prospect the test could be over by midafternoon, such was Sri Lanka’s batting lurch on the third evening.
They trailed by 276. One early wicket for the Black Caps and you sensed the procession would continue.
But the Basin pitch remained a batsman’s dream and Mendis and Mathews knew it, the latter having defied New Zealand’s bowlers on day one when a lot more was happening.
There was no swing for Tim Southee and Trent Boult early, and a ball change in the 22nd over didn’t help their cause.
Mendis straight drove superbly and deflected the short ones at the body. He looked as immovable as Tom Latham did the previous day.
Mathews was more ungainly but just as effective, taking on the bowlers and savaging anything short.
It got increasingly desperate for New Zealand who went searching. Neil Wagner was the go-to and he charged in, bounced them and got lippy as the frustration built. ❚ 1956 v India (Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy), Chennai, day one
❚ 1972 v West Indies (Glenn Turner and Terry Jarvis), Georgetown, day three
❚ 2018 v Sri Lanka (Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews), Wellington, day four
*This was the 22nd occurrence. The most recent was between Bangladesh and South Africa on day one in Chittagong in 2008, when Neil Mckenzie and Graeme Smith put on an opening stand of 415.
No wickets in a full day’s play of test cricket involving New Zealand: