Devon Conway departs on day two of the second test. Photo / Sri Lanka Cricket
Devon Conway departs on day two of the second test. Photo / Sri Lanka Cricket
“A lot of days are like that in test cricket,” Glenn Phillips said about his side’s first-day woes in the second test against Sri Lanka. “We could come out tomorrow and they could potentially be bowled out for 330. As simple as that.”
The second day was indeed simple. Unfortunately for the Black Caps, Sri Lanka weren’t bowled out, and instead of adding a few extra to their overnight score, they almost doubled it.
The first figure was the sixth-highest total allowed by New Zealand in tests. The second is almost irrelevant; either the tourists will be saved by forecast rain in Galle or they will lose this series 2-0.
Based on the first two days of this test, which followed a closely fought 63-run margin in the opening match, a whitewash is much more deserved than washout.
Insipid and uninspired, the Black Caps were almost helpless to prevent an irrepressible Kamindu Mendis from adding to their agony while equalling Sir Donald Bradman as the third-fastest batter to 1000 test runs.
Almost. Daryl Mitchell did of course spill a straightforward chance to dismiss the batter for 27 on day one, while day two saw Tom Blundell botch his second stumping chance of the innings when Kamindu had reached 122.
New Zealand could perhaps take some solace in that being the sole squandered chance, following an opening day in which as many as five extra lives were granted to their hosts.
And they might justifiably tip their caps to Kamindu, unbeaten on 182 when Sri Lanka decided enough was enough, one of three centurions in the innings.
But the lack of near-misses stemmed naturally from a dearth of chances created, as Kamindu and Kusal Medis (106no) cracked 22 fours and seven sixes while taking apart a toothless attack.
Kamindu Mendis celebrates his hundred against the Black Caps. Photo / Sri Lanka Cricket
Ajaz Patel was the somewhat unfortunate headliner, his wicketkeeper’s lapses seeing the spinner finish wicketless while ceding 135 runs, the sixth-worst mark by a New Zealander.
Appropriately enough, Tim Southee was the most recent bowler to experience such impotence, recording 0-154 against England in 2022. The skipper, along with coach Gary Stead, should be affixed greater blame than Patel for the unravelling in Galle.
Who knows, maybe Matt Henry and Michael Bracewell would have been as ineffective as Southee and Mitchell Santner, maybe the batting-friendly conditions – which did still allow for several opportunities – were too difficult for any foreign bowler to exploit.
The problem is the lack of imagination, the refusal to find an answer for those hypotheticals, the continued trust in a couple of trusted veterans despite their first-test struggles, and the presence in the team hotel of a couple of perfectly adequate alternatives.
Much of what followed the selection decisions should be rendered as footnote.
Phillips, optimistic after the first day and just about every other day, was the only bowler to enjoy success, taking three wickets that should cement Santner’s place in Patel’s category as a spinner never considered in New Zealand.
Once Sri Lanka’s declaration mercifully came, Tom Latham and Devon Conway were both dismissed late in the day, the latter continuing a wretched run while adjudged out to a disputable catch.
The Black Caps then opted to send out Patel as a nightwatcher, ostensibly protecting Rachin Ravindra and the middle order for the miraculous turnaround to come.
It’s a wonder they bothered. It might have been doubtful whether Conway was caught cleanly but this much was certain: the team who fell so far behind in the first two days aren’t capable of resuscitating a cause this lost.
