26/12Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka in New Zealand Test Series at Christchurch, Dec 26-29 2014
New Zealand won by 8 wkts
Player of the Match
Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullumNew Zealand
26/12Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka in New Zealand Test Series at Christchurch, Dec 26-29 2014
New Zealand won by 8 wkts
Player of the Match
Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullumNew Zealand

Time for the presentation:

Angelo Mathews: Our batting didn't step up in the first innings which kept us out of the game. Dimuth showed a lot of character with his first hundred against a quality attack. We will get better and better with time but you can't do much when someone nearly gets a double hundred in a session.

NZ captain Brendon McCullum is also the Man of the Match: Really good all-round performance after losing the toss. We developed some nice partnerships in top and middle order and our seamers make a potent attack. Two of our three seamers bowled really well and they kept running in to get the job done. Really good way to end 2014. The pitch still had a bit in it and our bowlers wanted to bowl when we enforced the follow-on, there were no doubts about that. But credit goes to Sri Lanka for fighting back in the second innings. Every game I'm playing is a bit of a bonus for me. I am happy where I am right now. In the past few months I have tried to improve my weaknesses and it's been good so far. The attitude that every game could be your last helps and I'm pretty lucky to have the batting quality around me, everyone has been standing up. Our focus is how were are progressing as a group.

That's all we have from the first Test, wish you all a great and prosperous 2015 and do join us for the second Test in Wellington starting 3rd January. Enjoy the other two Boxing Day Tests until then, buh-bye!

4.30pm A comprehensive win for New Zealand to end the year and quite a few players chipped in performnces - McCullum's 195 (of course), 80-ball 85 from Neesham and they took a massive lead of 303 runs because of their swing bowlers Boult and Southee. Karunaratne's maiden Test hundred led SL's fightback on the third day but the trail was too much to get on top of, and Boult and Southee did it again in the second innings. NZ end the year with five wins overall, their best so far, and they were unbeaten at home in 2014. SL, meanwhile, end the year with a lost but their win loss ratio was 5:3, so still in their favour.

30.4
4
Prasad to Taylor, FOUR, that's it, another four as Taylor smashes the fullish delivery straight down the ground past mid off for four to seal the eight-wicket win
30.3
0
Prasad to Taylor, no run, bouncer just outside off, he pulls and misses
30.2
4
Prasad to Taylor, FOUR, short and wide and that's been slapped fiercely square of the wicket for four! Crunching sound off the bat
30.1
0
Prasad to Taylor, no run, strays down the leg side, Taylor glances and it deflects fine down leg where the keeper does well to save a few runs

Just six more runs required

JohnBabcock: "Watching the Aussie India test in parallel. Sri Lankan bowlers are a step up from India's - there is no comparison. "

END OF OVER:
30 | 5 Runs | NZ: 99/2

  • Kane Williamson31 (75b)
  • Ross Taylor31 (59b)
  • Tharindu Kaushal13-0-48-1
  • Shaminda Eranga7-2-20-1
29.6
2
Kaushal to Williamson, 2 runs, goes back for the wide delivery outside off and slices it behind square on the off side for two
29.5
1
Kaushal to Taylor, 1 run, outside off this time, pushed off the back foot towards cover point
29.4
1
Kaushal to Williamson, 1 run, wants to drive the fullish delivery through the covers, gets an inside edge on the leg side for one
29.3
0
Kaushal to Williamson, no run, wide outside off, KW comes down to defend and takes it on the pad
29.2
1
Kaushal to Taylor, 1 run, strays down leg with a full delivery, helped past short leg for one
29.1
0
Kaushal to Taylor, no run, flighted on middle, driven with the turn to short midwicket

END OF OVER:
29 | (maiden) | NZ: 94/2

  • Kane Williamson28 (72b)
  • Ross Taylor29 (56b)
  • Shaminda Eranga7-2-20-1
  • Tharindu Kaushal12-0-43-1
28.6
0
Eranga to Williamson, no run, nice and straight on the off stump, KW defends it back
28.5
0
Eranga to Williamson, no run, stays in the crease for the back of length delivery outside off and taps it to gully

JohnBabcock: "Williamson is a very good player of spin. Taylor looks a bit more fragile, but you can't get too critical given his 45 test average!"

28.4
0
Eranga to Williamson, no run, short ball towards the batsman, he stays back to defend it back

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NZ's deadly duo

46

Percentage of NZ's Test wickets taken by Trent Boult and Tim Southee since the beginning of 2013

Karunaratne's achievement

3

Number of Sri Lankan openers who've scored a century in New Zealand: Karunaratne, Marvan Atapattu (in 2005) and Asanka Gurusinha (1995)

A new high

85

Dimuth Karunaratne's previous-highest Test score, versus Australia in Sydney

All or nothing

275

Sangakkara's aggregate in his last 6 Test innings in New Zealand. His scores: 4, 100*, 156*, 8, 6, 1

Consistent threat

4

Trent Boult is the fourth NZ bowler, after Hadlee, Martin and O'Brien, to claim 30+ wickets in consecutive years