Angelo Mathews’ resilience could not deny New Zealand their first Test victory in Sri Lanka in 14 years as the visitors won the second Test by 167 runs to level the two-match series yesterday.
Mathews struck a defiant 84 before being the last man out as Sri Lanka, resuming on 47 for four, folded for 195, 25 minutes after tea.
The victory also ended New Zealand’s five-match losing streak, their worst in 57 years.
Photo: AFP
“It was good to win after losing so comprehensively in Galle,” New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor said, referring to his team’s 10-wicket defeat inside three days in the first Test.
“We got a lot of stick in the week leading up to this match, but we were very determined to get a competitive total,” he said.
“Test match wins away from home don’t happen very often, so we will enjoy this and hopefully get some momentum going forward,” Taylor said.
His Sri Lanka counterpart Mahela Jayawardene blamed the top order batsmen for the defeat.
“We lost wickets up front and so the momentum was not there. Credit to New Zealand as they bowled well throughout the series with the new ball,” he said.
Sri Lanka slipped to 63-5 soon after the resumption on the final day when Thilan Samaraweera (7) was run out after a horrible mix-up with Mathews.
Vice captain Mathews batted for exactly five hours before being caught at second slip by Martin Guptill off the bowling of left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult (3-33).
Mathews hit 11 fours and an on-driven six off Jeetan Patel’s off-spin and faced 228 deliveries.
Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene (29) resisted together for 35 overs before Jayawardene became leg-spinner Todd Astle’s first wicket at the highest level.
Suraj Randiv, who resisted for three hours in the first innings on his way to a Test-best score of 39, failed to score in the second, edging Boult to Guptill at second slip.
Sri Lanka were still fighting at tea as Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara (18) resisted for an hour up to the final interval, but the end came quickly after that break, aided by the second new ball.
Kulasekera fell in the first over of the final session, caught by Kane Williamson in the gully off Boult.
In the next over, Tim Southee (3-58) removed the scoreless Shaminda Eranga for his eighth wicket of the match when Williamson took a brilliant low, right-handed catch, his fifth of the match.
“Tim Southee and Trent Boult led the attack throughout the whole series, they were very consistent and we fed off them,” Taylor said.
Taylor was adjudged player of the match for his knocks of 142 and 74, while Rangana Herath was named player of the series after taking 20 wickets, including 11 in Galle.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was