New Zealand face an uphill struggle to avert a 2-0 series defeat as they closed on 182 for six, having been set a 494-run victory target by Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the second Test yesterday.
The tourists were soon in trouble after Sri Lanka declared on 311 for five, losing openers Tim McIntosh (seven) and Martin Guptill (28) before tea.
McIntosh was clean bowled by pace bowler Dammika Prasad and Guptill was caught behind off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath’s first ball of the innings.
PHOTO: AFP
Their problems deepened with Daniel Flynn (50), Ross Taylor (27), Brendon McCullum (13) and Jess Ryder (38) all being dismissed before the close.
Herath was the chief wicket-taker for Sri Lanka, following his three-wicket haul in the first innings, with four for 73 from 21 overs.
In the final session, Herath had Taylor caught at slip while Flynn and Ryder were trapped lbw.
Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took just one wicket, bowling the out-of-form McCullum for 13.
All rounder Jacob Oram was unbeaten on seven at stumps with captain Daniel Vettori on five, New Zealand still needing another 312 runs to win.
Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara led from the front with a stylish 109, his 20th Test century, in a 175-ball knock that included 12 boundaries and one six.
Mahela Jayawardene (96) gave solid support during an authoritative 173-run partnership that quashed any remote hopes of New Zealand fighting their way back into the contest.
Jayawardene followed his first-innings 92 with a fluent 96 from 153 balls, an innings that included five boundaries and a six.
The right-hander missed a 27th Test century — and a possible world record 10 hundreds at a single venue — when he edged an Iain O’Brien delivery to slip after New Zealand took the second new ball.
Off spinner Jeetan Patel was the only wicket-taker of the morning, as Sangakkara edged to Taylor at slip while attempting an extravagant lofted drive.
Patel, the most used of the bowlers, claimed two for 122 from 34 overs. Vettori took two for 62 from 24 overs.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
RSS