Sri Lanka up against 300+ and NZ chill

Sri Lanka are up against it in the first Test against New Zealand, already more than 300 runs behind and battling Dunedin's inclement weather.

Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne, left, and New Zealand’s BJ Watling

Sri Lanka have reached 7-262 at lunch on day three of the first Test against New Zealand in Dunedin. (AAP)

New Zealand are in a commanding position in the first Test against Sri Lanka with a 308-run lead and two days - one of them potentially chilly - to play.

The hosts were 1-171 in their second innings at stumps on Saturday's third day in Dunedin after opener Tom Latham had compiled a chanceless 72 and Kane Williamson was 48 not out.

Skipper Brendon McCullum will ponder how early he can declare to give his bowlers time to dismiss Sri Lanka a second time. The pitch is flat, although it has given glimpses of low bounce, but possible heavy showers and even hail are forecast for Sunday.

During his innings, Williamson became just the second Kiwi, after McCullum, to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year. The mark came with a lofted on-drive off Rangana Herath and followed his 929 runs in 2014.

The 25-year-old's runs have come from seven Tests (including this one) through 242no against Sri Lanka earlier in the year and also a century at Lord's and two tons against Australia.

Before the second innings, his average this year stood at 90.7.

Saturday at University Oval was the coolest and windiest day of the match - conditions predicted to be the most alien for the tourists and they certainly found it an unwelcome situation.

It might have prompted skipper Angelo Mathews to open the bowling in New Zealand's second dig with the wind coming over his left shoulder - an unusual decision given his pedestrian pace.

Dinesh Chandimal, who made 83 in Sri Lanka's first innings, said the plan was for Mathews to get a bit of swing and seam.

"The thinking was that he gave us a really good chance to get wickets early in the innings. We also thought we could slow down the game a bit using him. He bowled well but, unfortunately, the wickets didn't come."

Chandimal admitted the cold and windy conditions were tough for a side used to the subcontinent but they had to try to adjust.

First innings century-maker Martin Guptill was dropped twice on his way to 46, but then faced a ball from Herath which kept low and skidded under his bat and into middle stump.

The left-arm spinner - one of the few experienced players in the Sri Lankan side - took 1-39 off eight overs, and Chandimal said the Kiwi batsmen had played him well.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had been hoping to get closer to New Zealand's first innings of 431 when they resumed at 4-197.

However, they quickly lost their overnight batsmen Chandimal and Kithuruwan Vithanage in Tim Southee's first two overs.

New Zealand bowled short with catchers on the legside and Sri Lanka went to lunch seven down and the final wickets fell soon after the break.

Sri Lanka were dismissed for 294, a deficit of 137 runs. Top scorers were Dimuth Karunaratne with 84 and Chandimal (83).

Wicketkeeper BJ Watling took six catches, the second time he had picked up six dismissals in an innings.

Southee ended with 4-79 and Neil Wagner 3-87.

Southee admitted the conditions weren't great, even for the home side.

"It wasn't pleasant, that's for sure. It was cold and obviously the gusty wind, it wasn't nice to be out there."


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4 min read

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Source: AAP



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