Williamson-Conway pair counterattacked their way to a stand of 97 but SL fought back with four wickets in second session
Nishan Peiris celebrates his maiden Test wicket • AFP/Getty Images
Tea New Zealand 129 for 5 (Conway 61, Williamson 46, Peiris 3-44) and 88 (Santner 29, Jayasuriya 6-42, Peiris 3-33) trail Sri Lanka 602 for 6 dec by 385 runs
Devon Conway came out all guns blazing in the afternoon session, and was well supported by an enterprising Kane Williamson as New Zealand followed on but Sri Lanka’s spinners fought back well to gain control of the Galle Test. Despite a positive start to the session, New Zealand suffered a middle-order collapse – similar to what happened in the first hour of the day – as 97 for 1 became 121 for 5 with debutant offspinner Nishan Peiris picking up three wickets in the second innings. At tea, they had a deficit of 385 runs.
The Williamson-Conway pair counterattacked their way to a stand of 97 in just 18 overs. It was worth nine more than what New Zealand’s entire line-up had managed in the first innings, as they folded for 88, their lowest all-out Test total against Sri Lanka, in response to the hosts’ mammoth total of 602. As a result, New Zealand had fallen behind by 514.
After a string of low scores in Test cricket, Conway smashed his first half-century in one and half years. In the second innings, he hit ten boundaries and a six in his innings of 61 at just short of a run a ball, opting to play Sri Lanka’s spin duo of Prabath Jayasuriya and Peiris a lot more positively than in the first. Seeing Conway’s attacking intent, Dhananjaya de Silva brought himself on after drinks.
That move initially seemed to have made little difference, as Conway reverse swept and swiped Dhananjaya for boundaries in his first over. He employed both sweeps, the conventional and the reverse, plentifully against the spinners, and earned the rewards too. Of those 19 shots, he smashed 33 runs, with six boundaries.
As a result, Sri Lanka had spread their fielders out, with multiple men patrolling the boundary. But in Dhananjaya’s second over, the 19th of the innings, Conway looked to loft over extra cover, only for Dinesh Chandimal to turn around and run forward to grab the ball dropping over his shoulders.
By then, Williamson had chugged along steadily too, keeping himself busy with regular singles and twos, and the occasional boundary. But Peiris removed Williamson in the 23rd over, courtesy of another well-judged catch. Ramesh Mendis, the substitute fielder, whom Peiris replaced for his Test, was placed at long-on, and moved calmly to his right to take the ball with a reverse cup, even as he had to keep his eyes on the dipping ball for a long time.
Soon New Zealand lost quick wickets, with Peiris bowling Rachin Ravindra out, and Jayasuriya having Daryl Mitchell chip to an alert Pathum Nissanka at short leg.
Earlier, New Zealand had a horror start when resumed at 22 for 2 in the first innings. Their batting collapsed soon after, as they lost 7 for 47 after overnight batter Williamson had edged to slip off Jayasuriya. The left-arm spinner finished with 6 for 42, his ninth five-for in Tests, wiping out New Zealand’s middle order in the company of Peiris, who took 3 for 33.
Himanshu Agrawal is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
