Double failure by Williamson has NZ struggling
It was a pose as unlike Kane Williamson you could imagine, in a cricketing sense.
Stranded as he advanced down the pitch, swinging in vain as one hand came off the bat, he stood and watched as Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera took a running, tumbling catch at mid-on.
New Zealand’s captain and run machine trudged off Galle International Stadium with scores of 0 and 4 in the first test, his side under immense pressure midway through day three yesterday. At tea the Black Caps were 124-6, a lead of just 106.
In just one other of his 73 tests had Williamson scored fewer runs across two innings: against South Africa in Wellington in 2017 when he posted 2 and 1.
After the Black Caps trailed by 18 runs on the first innings, they regained parity for the loss of Jeet Raval’s wicket and it was the skipper’s time to do what he does best.
Then followed a horror two-over period where Williamson and Ross Taylor – the Black Caps’ big two – both departed to ill-judged shots to a 22-year-old spinner playing his third test.
Williamson was such a batting colossus at the World Cup, and arrived in Sri Lanka on a run of test scores of 89, 139, 91, 2, 48, 200 not out and 74.
In that context a test double failure can elicit a degree of shock. Williamson is ranked second in the world behind the great Virat Kohli, after all, and averages 53.38 with 20 test centuries.
Whether the immense pressure of the World Cup campaign and devastating aftermath of the decider against England took its toll, few would know. That could certainly be excused for the player and leader of the tournament who would have needed some down time.
It wasn’t quite the same calm, assured Williamson in this test, with a sixth series win beckoning along with a potential world No 1 ranking if New Zealand could conjure a 2-0 sweep.
After playing a false shot third ball in the first innings, he was jumpy and looked to advance on young Lasith Embuldeniya which D Karunaratne lbw b Patel ................ 39 L Thirimanne st Watling b Patel ..... 10 K Mendis c Taylor b Patel .................. 53 A Mathews c Taylor b Patel .............. 50 K Perera c Santner b Boult .................... 1 D de Silva c and b Patel ......................... 5 N Dickwella c Williamson b Somerville ................................................... 61 A Dananjaya c Taylor b Somerville 0 S Lakmal b Boult .................................... 40 L Embuldeniya lbw b Somerville ...... 5 L Kumara not out ..................................... 0 Extras (1b, 1lb, 1w) ...................................... 3 Total (all out, 93.2 overs) ................ 267 Fall: 27 (Thirimanne), 66 (Karunaratne), 143 (Mendis), 144 (Perera), 155 (de Silva), 158 (Mathews), 161 (Dananjaya), 242 (Lakmal), 262 (Dickwella), 267 (Embuldeniya).
Bowling: T Boult 20-4-45-2 (1w), T Southee 7-3-17-0, W Somerville 22.2-3-83-3, A Patel 33-6-89-5, M Santner 11-0-31-0.
worked for his team-mates on Wednesday. This time Embuldeniya was wise to it as Williamson telegraphed his intentions.
He danced down again, which usually sees the ball disappear towards the sightscreen in a flat arc. Instead Williamson’s feet didn’t take him to the pitch of it, he reached and got the bottom of the bat as his
■ 2 and 1 v South Africa at Wellington, 2017
■
NEW ZEALAND First innings 249 SRI LANKA First innings
0 and 4 v Sri Lanka at Galle, 2019
■ 0 and 6 v England at Leeds, 2015
■ 0 and 8 v India at Nagpur, 2010
■ 0 and 10 v Sri Lanka at Galle, 2012
ungainly one-handed shot looped in the air.
The Sri Lankans leaped and celebrated, and were even happier in Embuldeniya’s next over when Taylor (3) charged, the left-armer pushed it wider and the veteran batsman’s swipe edged it to slip.
With that, the Black Caps were officially in deep trouble at 25-3, a lead of just seven. Three previous New Zealand tests in Galle saw heavy defeats in 1998, 2009 and 2012 – the latter incidentally saw Williamson score 0 and 10.
He’s allowed to miss out, Williamson, as all great batsmen do from time to time but rarely in successive innings.
It’s just that New Zealand fans are so accustomed to marvelling at their skipper steadying the ship it takes time to digest when it hits choppy waters. For the latest on the first test, go to stuff.co.nz