New Zealand failed to take the advantage of good batting conditions after skipper Ross Taylor won the toss and elected to take first lease of the wicket on the opening day of the first Test match played at the Galle International Stadium yesterday. The Kiwis would have repented and have to blame themselves for the [...]

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The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

Eranga, Herath send Kiwis into hiding

By M. Shamil Amit Reporting from Galle
1st Test at Galle
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New Zealand failed to take the advantage of good batting conditions after skipper Ross Taylor won the toss and elected to take first lease of the wicket on the opening day of the first Test match played at the Galle International Stadium yesterday.

The Kiwis would have repented and have to blame themselves for the poor batting display they put in. They succumbed to left arm spinner Rangana Herath in the latter stages of their innings after medium pacer Shaminda Eranga had made inroads into the Kiwi camp

Spinner Rangana Herath (left) who took a five-for is congratulated by speedster Shaminda Eranga, who made the initial breakthrough after Sri Lanka bundled out New Zealand for 221. Pics by Amila Gamage

earlier.

The batting was a bit shaky even though they were given a sedate start of 29 runs by the openers Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum before they were separated. Then they lost two more quick wickets for the addition of only 11 runs and slid to 40 for 3.

The early debacle was the result of some accurate bowling by the medium pacies Nuwan Kulasekera and Shaminda Eranga who were chosen ahead of the more experienced Chanaka Welagedera. Eranga in fact was playing in his first Test match since September 2011.
Eranga justified his selection when he made the early breakthrough by dismissing Martin Guptill in the first ball of his third over and then followed it up two balls later by getting rid of Kane Williamson.

McCullum joined by Daniel Flynn began a recovery act with the pair denying any further success for the home team as they saw through the New Zealand innings till the lunch break as they went in with the score on 80 for 3.

The post lunch session saw the duo picking the much needed singles and two’s and the occasional boundary. But after having added a valuable 90 runs stand for the fourth wicket the dismissal of McCullum by Herath. He miscued a sharp delivery and succeeded in only having his wickets disturbed having made a 68 runs that included 12 boundaries and two sixes.

That dismissal saw New Zealand falling back again as they were bogged down and in the process found run making a hard task. Flynn who was on 40 during the dismissal of McCullum managed to reach his half ton which took him 133 balls. It had seven boundaries before he became Herath’s third victim giving a thick outside edge to wicket keeper Prasanna Jayawardena as they went into tea on 155 for 6.

Hearth continued to torment the New Zealand batsmen as he picked up two more scalps to have them struggling on 196 for 8 before Eranga and Kulasekera cleaned up the tail. Hearth ended with impressive figures of 5 for 65 from his 30 overs which had five maidens and was ably supported by Eranga who finished with 3 for 51 and Kulasekera 2 for 31.

It was an inauspicious start for Dimuth Karunaratne who was making his debut to become Sri Lanka’s 123rd Test player. He was unable to make any contribution being dismissed for a duck as Sri Lanka facing five overs ended the day on 9 for 1.
Scoreboard

New Zealand 1st innings

MJ Guptill c Mathews b Eranga 11
(Attempted to drive and edged low to the right at second slip)
BB McCullum b Herath 68
(Quicker ball McCullum beaten and bowled)
KS Williamson c Paranavitana b Eranga 0
(pitched short,out side the off poked at it and caught at first slip)
LRPL Taylor* b Kulasekara 9
(Gets an inside edge and off stump goes flying)

Brendon McCullum stood tall for New Zealand with a well composed 68.

DR Flynn c †HAPW Jayawardene b Herath 53
(Attempted to thrash it got a thick outside edge to the keeper)
JEC Franklin lbw b Herath 3
(Plays and misses and the ball hits the pads in line with the middle stump)
CFK van Wyk† b Herath 28
(Attempted to sweep, missed it completely and the ball hit the base of the off stump)
DAJ Bracewell c DPMD Jayawardene b Herath 12
(Shapes to defend but the ball takes the outside edge and goes low to first slip)
TG Southee c Mathews b Eranga 16
(Tried to slash that square on the off side,
caught at backward point)
JS Patel not out 12
TA Boult b Kulasekera 7
(Nips back in sharply after pitching and hits the top
of middle stump)

Extras (1lb, 1nb) 2

Total (all out in 82.5 overs) 221

Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-29, 3-40, 4-130, 5-142), 6-155), 7-181, 8-196, 9-207, 221

Bowling: KMDN Kulasekara 12.5-5-31-2 (1nb), RMS Eranga 16-5-51-3, AD Mathews 3-0-11-0,HMRKB Herath 30-5-65-5, S Randiv 21-1-62-0

Sri Lanka 1st innings

NT Paranavitana not out 0
FDM Karunaratne lbw b Southee 0
(Half forward, hit on the pads and given out lbw)
S Randiv not out 3

Extras (b 4, lb 2) 6

Total (1 wicket; 5 overs) 9

To bat: KC Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene*, TT Samaraweera, AD Mathews, HAPW Jayawardene†, KMDN Kulasekara, HMRKB Herath, RMS Eranga

Fall of wickets 1-2
Bowling: TA Boult 3-2-2-0, TG Southee 2-1-1-1




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