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Tea New Zealand 155 for 6 (McCullum 68, Flynn 53, van Wk 9*, Herath 3-40, Eranga 2-40)) v Sri Lanka
A three-figure score remained elusive for Brendon McCullum © Associated Press
New Zealand may have been denied by the weather on a couple of occasions during the limited-overs series but they had themselves to blame after failing to take advantage of good batting conditions under sunny skies in the first Test in Galle.
The visitors could have applied more patience to their approach during the first hour in which they lost three wickets and though Brendon McCullum and Daniel Flynn stabilised the innings with a 90-run stand, New Zealand's recovery was pegged back when the pair was dismissed after lunch. Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath were the highlights of Sri Lanka's day so far, during which they showed discipline and probed the opposition batsmen enough to prompt mistakes that won them wickets.
Eranga, who last played a Test in September 2011, was chosen ahead of the more experienced Chanaka Welegedera for this match. Bowling with a slightly higher action and with an extra yard of pace, Eranga consistently aimed in the channel outside off and gained a fair degree of away movement. His partner Nuwan Kulasekara swung the ball on occasion and relied, as he always does, on the delivery that bends back in after pitching. Both were struck for boundaries during a quick start for New Zealand, but a wicket wasn't far away.
Martin Guptill and McCullum cashed in when the ball was overpitched or dragged short, but were tentative against the good-length deliveries that nipped away. Both edged Kulasekara through the slips and gully, and that helped set Eranga up for his first wicket. He prompted Guptill to drive a good length delivery that just shaped away to take the outside edge which was snapped low by Angelo Mathews at third slip. In the same over, Kane Williamson needlessly poked at a delivery he could have left alone, as he had done off his first ball, and was caught by Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.
Ross Taylor, very early in his innings, seemed uncomfortable against Kulasekara's in-dippers, struggling to cover the line. The second time he inside-edged Kulasekara, off his eighth delivery, he lost his off stump. Three down for 40 were poor returns for New Zealand on this track, and McCullum and Flynn set about trying to rebuild the innings. There were moments of discomfort when the ball was pitched not too wide of off, but they were largely more watchful than their top-order team-mates had been. That watchfulness disappeared against a steady supply of bad balls.
Flynn, who had three slips and two gullys for him at one stage, collected boundaries through cover and point when considerable width was offered, and pulled the slower of the three seamers, Angelo Mathews, past midwicket. Herath was introduced in the 18th over and got one to turn away sharply, but McCullum wasn't flustered. He covered the line of the ball well, defended solidly and dispatched long hops from Herath as well as offspinner Suraj Randiv through square leg for three boundaries, one of which took him past 4000 runs in Test cricket.
The innings picked up momentum after lunch as the generous dose of short deliveries continued. Flynn cut through point, but was also enterprising, sweeping the spinners from outside off. McCullum pulled Randiv for six, then welcomed Eranga in his new spell by crunching him through extra cover and then behind square. He was confident against spin, charging out to Herath to launch him for a straight six, but was castled next ball by a lovely delivery that drifted in and then spun away to beat the bat. McCullum hasn't had a three-figure score in Tests for more than two years, and that landmark eluded him again when he looked set to achieve it.
Herath didn't turn the ball much but varied his pace and occasionally had the batsmen struggling to pick up his length. McCullum fell to a delivery that was bowled flatter, quicker and on a good length as opposed to the tossed-up ball that he'd smashed for six seconds earlier. He went round the wicket to Flynn and James Franklin, who added just 12 in the next 13 overs, and just a hint of spin was enough to beat Franklin's defence and trap him in front. And when Flynn fell at the stroke of tea, caught-behind chasing a wide one from Herath, New Zealand were six down with Sri Lanka left to bowl at a lower order that hasn't exactly caught the world by storm with its resistance.
A three-figure score remained elusive for Brendon McCullum © Associated Press
New Zealand may have been denied by the weather on a couple of occasions during the limited-overs series but they had themselves to blame after failing to take advantage of good batting conditions under sunny skies in the first Test in Galle.
The visitors could have applied more patience to their approach during the first hour in which they lost three wickets and though Brendon McCullum and Daniel Flynn stabilised the innings with a 90-run stand, New Zealand's recovery was pegged back when the pair was dismissed after lunch. Shaminda Eranga and Rangana Herath were the highlights of Sri Lanka's day so far, during which they showed discipline and probed the opposition batsmen enough to prompt mistakes that won them wickets.
Eranga, who last played a Test in September 2011, was chosen ahead of the more experienced Chanaka Welegedera for this match. Bowling with a slightly higher action and with an extra yard of pace, Eranga consistently aimed in the channel outside off and gained a fair degree of away movement. His partner Nuwan Kulasekara swung the ball on occasion and relied, as he always does, on the delivery that bends back in after pitching. Both were struck for boundaries during a quick start for New Zealand, but a wicket wasn't far away.
Martin Guptill and McCullum cashed in when the ball was overpitched or dragged short, but were tentative against the good-length deliveries that nipped away. Both edged Kulasekara through the slips and gully, and that helped set Eranga up for his first wicket. He prompted Guptill to drive a good length delivery that just shaped away to take the outside edge which was snapped low by Angelo Mathews at third slip. In the same over, Kane Williamson needlessly poked at a delivery he could have left alone, as he had done off his first ball, and was caught by Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.
Ross Taylor, very early in his innings, seemed uncomfortable against Kulasekara's in-dippers, struggling to cover the line. The second time he inside-edged Kulasekara, off his eighth delivery, he lost his off stump. Three down for 40 were poor returns for New Zealand on this track, and McCullum and Flynn set about trying to rebuild the innings. There were moments of discomfort when the ball was pitched not too wide of off, but they were largely more watchful than their top-order team-mates had been. That watchfulness disappeared against a steady supply of bad balls.
Flynn, who had three slips and two gullys for him at one stage, collected boundaries through cover and point when considerable width was offered, and pulled the slower of the three seamers, Angelo Mathews, past midwicket. Herath was introduced in the 18th over and got one to turn away sharply, but McCullum wasn't flustered. He covered the line of the ball well, defended solidly and dispatched long hops from Herath as well as offspinner Suraj Randiv through square leg for three boundaries, one of which took him past 4000 runs in Test cricket.
The innings picked up momentum after lunch as the generous dose of short deliveries continued. Flynn cut through point, but was also enterprising, sweeping the spinners from outside off. McCullum pulled Randiv for six, then welcomed Eranga in his new spell by crunching him through extra cover and then behind square. He was confident against spin, charging out to Herath to launch him for a straight six, but was castled next ball by a lovely delivery that drifted in and then spun away to beat the bat. McCullum hasn't had a three-figure score in Tests for more than two years, and that landmark eluded him again when he looked set to achieve it.
Herath didn't turn the ball much but varied his pace and occasionally had the batsmen struggling to pick up his length. McCullum fell to a delivery that was bowled flatter, quicker and on a good length as opposed to the tossed-up ball that he'd smashed for six seconds earlier. He went round the wicket to Flynn and James Franklin, who added just 12 in the next 13 overs, and just a hint of spin was enough to beat Franklin's defence and trap him in front. And when Flynn fell at the stroke of tea, caught-behind chasing a wide one from Herath, New Zealand were six down with Sri Lanka left to bowl at a lower order that hasn't exactly caught the world by storm with its resistance.