Boult brilliance lifts Black Caps
Trent Boult trudged off Hagley Oval at the end of day one frustrated.
The star Black Caps quick had gone wicketless from 10 overs against Sri Lanka and hadn’t been able to generate the same pressure or accurate line and length as his new ball partner Tim Southee.
Fast forward to the opening 40 minutes of day two of the second and deciding test in Christchurch yesterday and Boult was a much happier man.
He’d just produced his best test figures in an innings and delivered a stunning spell, in which he took 6-4 in 15 deliveries, to put New Zealand back in control after a tough opening day.
The left-armer turned the test the Black Caps’ way with a phenomenal spell of swing bowling, in which he was instrumental in skittling Sri Lanka for 104, giving New Zealand a first innings lead of 74.
Boult ripped through the Sri Lankan middle and lower order to finish with his best test bowling in an innings. He nabbed 6-30 from 15 overs, eclipsing the 6-32 he took against England at Eden Park in March.
Yesterday was completely dominated by New Zealand and by stumps they were 231-2 in their second innings, giving them an overall lead of 305.
Sri Lanka struck in the last hour of the day with skipper Kane Williamson out cutting for 48 with Kusal Mendis snaffling a smart catch in the slips.
Tom Latham followed on from his fine batting in Wellington, where he notched an unbeaten
264, finishing 74 not out at the close of play.
The match was in the balance to start day two with Sri Lanka resuming on 88-4, trailing New Zealand’s first innings score of
178 by 90 runs.
Sri Lanka had no answer to Boult’s swing and pace. He bowled quick and full with Sri Lanka’s last four batsmen all falling lbw to Boult. It continued Boult’s outstanding test record at Hagley Oval. His day two efforts mean he’s snared 34 wickets at 21 in his sixth test at the Christchurch venue.
Sri Lanka lost their last six batsmen for just 10 runs as leading batsman Angelo Mathews watched the wickets tumble from the non-striker’s end.
Southee, who shone for New Zealand on day one with a rearguard innings of 68 and three wickets, made an early impact on day two, but this time in the field.
He pulled in a wonderful onehanded grab at third slip diving to his right to send Niroshan Dickwella on his way and give Boult his second wicket.
Boult was on a hat-trick when he removed Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal lbw in successive deliveries.
Dushmantha Chameera survived the hat-trick delivery from the first ball of Boult’s next over, but was clueless against his next ball, falling lbw to a length ball that shaped back.
After a tough time with the bat on day one on a green seamer, New Zealand looked much more comfortable in their second dig. Opener Jeet Raval, who was chasing a maiden international ton in his 16th test, would have been livid at himself after doing the hard work early in his innings.
Raval fell meekly for 74, getting an inside edge to Mendis under the helmet at short leg off offspinner Perera.
Raval and Latham teamed up for their first century-stand in tests for New Zealand with the pair adding 121 for the first wicket.