The first Test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka included turning points thanks to the lower order’s first innings hitting and their late-day fourth-day ball comeback.
Tim Southee, the squad’s captain, expressed this sentiment after his team had won on the final ball at Hagley Oval, where the hosts had struggled to 285 runs with two wickets still to spare.
Oh, and don’t forget Daryl Mitchell‘s innings, both in the first innings when he batted 102 and kept New Zealand together, and in the second innings when he struck 81 and teamed with Kane Williamson to add 142 runs to the score at the end of the fourth wicket.
Although it looked as though New Zealand might wind up with a huge first-innings disadvantage, Southee struck 25, Matt Henry smashed 72, and Neil Wagner made 27.
“Daryl’s first innings was a massive turning point and it sort of got us back in,”
Southee said after the match.
“And any time the lower order is able to contribute is massive, and it sort of got us into the lead.
“We were able to eke out runs there, and then on day four, when we were able to bowl them out quickly and now give them a position when they were able to declare and dictate how many runs they wanted – there’s a couple of moments there where you look back on as probably turning points in the game.”
Southee had the following to say about Williamson, who led the pursuit, made an incredible final boundary through point, and led New Zealand to their goal:”He’s just a world-class player, and world-class players are able to perform in different conditions and different situations. Even when he was young, he was the guy you leaned on.”
“We saw his class even with that last boundary, when he beat two fielders to the big side of the ground. Just the calmness with which he does it is good for the group. Seeing how calm he is in the middle keeps us all calm as well.”
According to Southee, New Zealand take pride in their ability to remain calm under pressure.
“It’s just about trying to keep calm. When you’ve got one of our best players out there, that helps as well. We’ve seen it in the last two Tests, and in Pakistan as well. It’s a changing group, but the belief in the guys that have come in… we’ve had a couple of bad days but being able to bounce back and know that someone’s going to put their hand up – that’s a sign of a good side.”
New Zealand 373 (Mitchell 102, Henry 72, Asitha 4-85) and 285 for 8 (Kane Williamson 121*Mitchell 81, Asitha 3-63) beat Sri Lanka 355 (Mendis 87, Karunaratne 50, Southee 5-64, Henry 4-80) and 302 (Mathews 115, Tickner 4-100) by two wickets.