Black Caps v Sri Lanka: Live Cricket Updates – Day Five of the First Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

The Black Caps have somehow pulled off yet another stunning win in the final moments of the Test.

Kane Williamson captured Sri Lanka on the last ball of a thrilling match at Hagley Oval two weeks after England’s win looked to have provided enough excitement for the summer.

The former skipper produced an expertly paced unbeaten century, creating a boundary through point to level the scores with two overs to spare.

Williamson then ducked under one puck and swung at another unsuccessfully, but raced through for the game-winning ice clearance and narrowly beat the throw that could have produced the third-tying game in history had it come out of bounds a touch earlier.

His masterful innings of 121 guided his side to a target of 285, which represented the third most successful chase in this country’s Test history.

Just a couple of weeks after Neil Wagner powered the Black Caps to a barely believable one-run win over England, the result was just as dramatic.

Williamson’s steady build-up was initially well complemented by Daryl Mitchells’ aggression as the pair formed a pivotal fourth score of 142 from 157. But with Mitchell and Tom Blundell quickly removed after half an hour’s play, the hosts still needed 46 for 39 with five cards in hand.

A boundary driven by Michael Bracewell reduced the target to 20 off the last three overs; his wicket a couple of balls later left Sri Lanka needing four more. Fifteen needed from the last two and after Tim Southee’s hole, eight was the magic number as Matt Henry joined Williamson for the final over.

Henry’s desperation wasn’t enough to avoid a run-out, with Wagner rushing to the crease in a way that belied a bulging disc in his back and a torn hamstring.

Celebrating his 37th birthday, Wagners needed an unlikely turn of pace to win the match as Williamson cemented his status as the best batsman in this country.

The 32-year-old’s 26th Test ton last month was instrumental in helping his side get back into the second Test, which England dominated. The No. 27 came up in the twilight this afternoon with 32 more runs needed to beat Sri Lanka, and as it found openings while charging hard between the shots, the half-finished job was finally, astonishingly, completed.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Initially, the rain would prove to be a spoiler in an even test, as the teams were unable to take to the field until mid-afternoon for the 52-over target.

With New Zealand trailing on 28-1 and needing 257 at a run-rate of less than five, early losses to Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls might have put the home side out of a serious chase.

But playing on a pitch that remains tricky for batting, a compelling Test that has seen control shift back and forth, there were several swings yet to come.

The first occurred when Williamsons stay had almost ended on 33, luckily to see wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella spill the edge low to his right.

Nicholls fell next time, but joining Williamson with their side still needing 195 runs from 34 overs, Mitchell announced his intention with a first-ball six.

The required Run Rate soon rose above six, but Williamson started chasing the boundary and brought up 50 as the target fell short of 150 with 24 overs remaining.

Sri Lanka were going into defensive mode and spinner Prabath Jayasuriya hit three wides in one over the negative line outside leg.

By the final hour, New Zealand now needed 101 more from 90 balls. From such a position, with the sun still shining, it seemed that there could only be one winner. Mitchells third and fourth sixes added to that feeling, making the equation a remarkably achievable 78 from 72.

The pressure from the fielders soon led to a costly foul field as New Zealand only needed singles to win. But then there were a couple more complications to come as Mitchell pulled unhappily onto his stumps.

Fifty-three runs were needed from 48 balls when Blundell joined the drama, and when Fernando rushed the wicketkeeper after just five balls, Sri Lanka had a sniff. Cheap scores from Bracewell, Southee and Henry added to that feeling, but a desperate dive from Williamson would soon become the defining image of another day of breathtaking cricket.

Day Four Report:

New Zealand need to complete their third most successful chase if they are to win back-to-back Tests for the first time in a year.

On a mixed penultimate day of an even first Test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, the tourists set their hosts up for victory before upping the ante on that task.

The Black Caps resume tomorrow at 28-1, trailing 257 with Devon Conway dropping to fifth. It brought together two players that the home side could have hand-picked when considering such a significant challenge.

At the other end, unbeaten on 11, is Tom Latham, who averages 60 in his previous nine innings this summer. The other, unbeaten at No. 7, has Kane Williamson, who will make a century against England tomorrow in the type of graft required.

Only twice in New Zealand’s Test history have they chased down more to win the match, 324 against Pakistan in 1994 and 317 against Bangladesh in 2008.

Number one on the list was also achieved in Christchurch, albeit at Lancaster Park. In Hagley Oval’s short history, the most successful chase was the Australians’ 201-3 in 2016, while the highest fourth-innings score was the Black Caps’ 256-8 in a 2018 tie against England.

In short, it’s a big question. But this team need only cast their minds back a couple of weeks to look back on a more unlikely victory, a one-run victory over England, their first Test win since topping South Africa last summer.

The win over the Proteas was the second bounce for the Black Caps, having previously beaten Bangladesh, after which they went seven Test runs without success.

Given that barren streak, ending this summer with a win over England and Sri Lanka would be an impressive feat regardless of what happened in the second Test in the following weeks.

This is especially true given the absence today of Neil Wagner, the Basin Reserve hero who was unable to bowl and missed the second Test with a bulging puck in his back and a torn hamstring.

That left Tim Southee with one less bowling option as the tourists started day four with a lead of 83-3 in 65 overs. But with the skipper and Matt Henry having combined to take nine wickets in the first innings, Southee would hardly have been too concerned.

However, it might have described his feelings when Angelo Mathews started collecting runs at a steady pace.

After Blair Tickner removed nightwatchman Prabath Jayasuriya with four straight scalps to Central District seamer Mathews, led the middle-order rearguard to help Sri Lanka gain control of the back on day three for the hosts.

The 35-year-old kept the score steady as he ticked away against the old ball on an increasingly benign surface – precisely the kind of conditions in which Wagner often thrives.

Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal put on 105 for the fifth wicket as Southee had to ask Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell for 20 in a fairly harmless over.

With the Test almost out of New Zealand’s hands, Southee, no doubt relieved to have his new cherry, immediately produced swing and made a breakthrough in the second over.

But even after sneaking through Chandimals defence, Mathews shared another decent partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva (47 no) before the senior man reached his 14th Test ton.

Henry then grabbed the key from the door and bowled out Mathews for 115 to help end the tail as Sri Lanka lost their last five wickets for 42 runs.

A late innings performance was just what the Black Caps required. Conway getting Kasun Rajitha straight back to the bowler was less desirable.

If Latham, Williamson and the rest of the batsmen don’t make the chase tomorrow, the walk-on Wagner will be batting. More final day drama awaits.