New Zealand

Dilruwan Perera celebrates a breakthrough © Associated Press Toss Sri Lanka chose to bat v New Zealand Sri Lanka’s captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and opted to bat in the second Test against New Zealand at the P Sara Oval after a persistent drizzle had wiped out the entire morning session. The hosts made

3:00 AM ET Big Picture Chaos has been a constant in Sri Lankan cricket in 2019. Captaincy change – check; coach sacking – check; interim committee – check; sports ministry interference – check; contract terminations – check. Yet, quite incredibly, Sri Lanka are on a three-match winning streak in Tests, on the verge of consecutive

11:27 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and senior pacer Trent Boult have been rested for the T20 leg of the ongoing Sri Lanka tour. In Williamson’s absence, Tim Southee will lead a squad that includes a fit-again big-hitting keeper-batsman Tim Seifert and three spin options in Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle and

2:39 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand women’s captain Amy Satterthwaite will be taking an indefinite break from cricket as she prepares to have her first child with her wife and team-mate Lea Tahuhu. A New Zealand Cricket statement said Satterthwaite will return to the game “when the time is right”, but she will continue

Dimuth Karunaratne celebrates his Test century © AFP Sri Lanka 249 (Dickwella 61, Mendis 53, Patel 5-89, Somerville 3-83) and 259 for 4 (Karunaratne 122, Thirimanne 64, Mathews 25*) beat New Zealand 249 (Taylor 86, Nicholls 42, Akila 5-80, Lakmal 4-29) and 285 (Watling 77, Latham 45, Embuldeniya 4-99, De Silva 3-25) by six wickets

6:00 AM ET Yes, the previous best chase at this venue was only worth 99, and sure, 268 seemed like an excellent total to defend, but this particular surface got slower, not harder to bat on. So, at least, said Kane Williamson after New Zealand’s six-wicket defeat. His analysis was not without strong evidence. New

Will Somerville taps one through the off side © Getty Images Lunch Sri Lanka 267 and 0 for no loss need 268 runs to beat New Zealand 249 and 285 (Watling 77, Latham 45, Somerville 40, Embuldeniya 4-99) At the end of day three, with New Zealand’s lead at 177 with three wickets in hand,

11:05 AM ET If New Zealand are the team that do great things that barely get noticed in the wider cricket world, BJ Watling is the New Zealand of New Zealand. Pull up to a cricket ground when he is in action and watch him closely. Take in his every movement, observe every run he

Niroshan Dickwella cuts © Getty Images Innings Sri Lanka 267 (Dickwella 61, Lakmal 40, Patel 5-89) lead New Zealand 249 by 18 runs After being ignored for the 2019 World Cup and then missing the cut for the ODI series at home against Bangladesh, Niroshan Dickwella proved his worth to the Test side with a

11:39 AM ET Much like the Sri Lanka seam bowler, the New Zealand spinner is a second-class citizen. If you’re not bowling with the seam upright and at at least 120kph, the place is practically designed to make you feel insecure. Early in the summer, pitches can be virtually indistinguishable from the outfield. In the

3:00 AM ET New Zealand 249 (Taylor 86, Dananjaya 5-80, Lakmal 4-29) v Sri Lanka The lower half of New Zealand’s batting order unravelled dramatically on the morning of day two, with the wicket of Ross Taylor setting in motion a collapse that cost them five wickets for 44 runs. Seam bowler Suranga Lakmal claimed

Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls stitched together an important stand in the second session © AFP On a day in which a 100-run fourth-wicket stand formed the centre piece of New Zealand’s progress, one of the architects of that partnership suggested it was the mental capacity to deal with balls that beat the bat that

3:00 AM ET Toss New Zealand chose to bat v Sri Lanka New Zealand’s tour began with a win at the toss and Kane WiIliamson elected to bat. Galle will favour spin so batting first was likely to hand New Zealand an advantage, particularly as they named three fingerspinners in the XI – Mitchell Santner,

3:00 AM ET Big Picture Sri Lanka won their last Test assignment – it was a historic one too – in South Africa, but so much has happened since. New Zealand have had a different kind of high, and a heartbreak to boot, at the World Cup, but are determined to move on and make

12:24 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff A wider pool of contracted players, extending to the domestic level for the first time, and a significant pay hike for centrally contracted New Zealand women players are among the key features of the new Women’s Master Agreement. When finalised, the agreement will replace the previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU),

1:02 PM ET Andrew Fidel Fernando Just how wholesome can Kane Williamson get? He’s fielding in a ground in the northernmost reaches of Colombo, as New Zealand warm up for their Test series in Sri Lanka, which begins next week. His bowlers aren’t having a lot of luck on a surface that seems to have

1:30 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Mike Hesson has parted ways with Kings XI Punjab after a ten-month tenure as coach of the IPL franchise. Hesson announced his decision to step down through a post on Twitter on Thursday. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Kings XI franchise,” his tweet said, “and wish to thank

2:23 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff One month on from that incredible World Cup final and all the agony it sparked in them, New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka in a Test match in Galle. The encounter is the sole focus now, senior batsman Ross Taylor has said, especially since it marks the start of

12:46 PM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Brendon McCullum, the former New Zealand captain, has called time on his cricket career four years after his international retirement. The ongoing Global T20 Canada, where he is representing the Toronto Nationals, will be his last. This means McCullum will not turn up for Glasgow Giants as one of the

1:43 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand begin their World Test Championship campaign in Sri Lanka, a country in which they haven’t played long-form cricket in seven years. And their record in the country isn’t great either – six losses in 15 games. In an effort to change all that, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has

Jul 27, 2019 ESPNcricinfo staff New Zealand have named four spinners in their squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka which marks the beginning of the World Test Championship for both teams. Offspinner Will Somerville and left-armer Ajaz Patel are reunited after their role in helping New Zealand to their 2-1 victory over Pakistan

3:13 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff Brendon McCullum knows what it is to lose a World Cup final. In 2015, under McCullum’s captaincy, New Zealand enjoyed a bumper run to the final, only to lose to Australia by seven wickets at the MCG. Four years later, New Zealand reached another World Cup final, this time at

2:16 PM ET New Zealand’s crushing disappointment after the World Cup final against England on Sunday was mitigated by the knowledge that they had played a huge part in one of the most thrilling cricket matches of all time, according to Martin Guptill, the opening batsman whose ill-fortune came to epitomise his side’s cruel luck.

Jimmy Neesham smashes a six in the Super Over © Getty Images Jimmy Neesham has paid tribute to his former high-school cricket coach who passed away during the closing stages of the World Cup final on Sunday when Neesham carried New Zealand to the brink of the title. David Gordon worked at Auckland Grammar School

12:47 AM ET Alagappan Muthu What if it’s July 14 again. What if Lord’s is still packed. And hushed. Trembling as one of the greatest ODI finishes of all time is still unfolding. Well, that’s the reality for most of the New Zealand players right now. Even one of their best ever players could not

7:56 PM ET Andrew Miller at Lord’s It was a contest that could not be separated by runs scored, in regulation play nor during the Super Over, but were England inadvertently awarded one run too many during the chaotic scenes of Trent Boult’s final over to Ben Stokes? In what was later pinpointed by New

9:35 AM ET ESPNcricinfo staff “Yeah, in a heartbeat,” Kane Williamson said when asked if he’d swap his Player of the Series trophy for one extra run at the end of the greatest World Cup final in history. He might have to keep that line handy again as the ICC announced another individual milestone for

9:10 PM ET “Did I sleep at all? Hmm. I did sleep. I did.” Kane Williamson talks in the dry, wry, inimitable tone of his. We are standing at arm’s length. I am trying hard to find an emotion in the man’s face. This is no ordinary man. This man, this leader of men, lost

12:13 PM ET Gary Stead, New Zealand’s head coach, has suggested that the possibility of sharing the World Cup was something that “should be considered” after his side were denied in a heartbreaking finish at Lord’s on Sunday. The teams could not be separated after 100 overs and also tied the Super Over, but England

10:06 PM ET Jarrod Kimber at Lord’s “It was just one of those things, hey”. Kane Williamson, World Cup final press conference. Over 44.5 Jos Buttler has changed how batsmen hit the ball. His golf swing power fade shots have shown that big sixes aren’t solely about how big you are. Not that he isn’t