Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Raval goes. Won't get his first Test ton today.

Blimey, Latham goes. Tremendous work from Lakmal again.

4-14 for Lakmal. He's wrecked the NZ batting. 30 wickets at 24 this year for a bowler who scarcely gets a bowl on his own tracks. It's been a great year for bowlers generally.

This is bowlers with 20 wickets by SR this year. My impression is Anderson has been phenomenal in 2018. But look at how many have better SRs. Even spinners who normally have worse SRs than pace bowlers.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine ... pe=bowling

Who knew that Umesh Yadav was taking wickets so quickly this year? Or Akila Dananjaya. Or Jason Holder.

Or that Lyon, Haze and Starc have three of the worst four SRs of any bowler to take 20 wickets! And the other is Ashwin.

A run out and Taylor goes. Superb morning for SL.

There goes CDG to Kumara.

Not an over of spin this morning for SL. Wonder if they've got to lunch without spin previously this year.

Taylor run out backing up, the ball deflected onto the stumps by Kumara. Always feels an unlucky way to go.

New Zealand 178 all out.

Lakmal 5-54
Kumara 3-49

Sl let NZ slip the noose there.

Southee back in the runs! Been a while, but yeah SL really let their foot off the pedal there!

Six wickets for 10 runs for NZ as SL collapse, all to Trent Boult.

Easier batting second time though as it is in NZ.

Haven't seen any of this today being at MCG , but it seems NZ have taken an iron grip (remarkable after being 64/6 yesterday !) and are surely going to finish a very good year for them with a series win...As long as the weather allows I can't see Sri Lanka escaping a second time.

Boult and Southee must be moving up the All Time Opening Bowling Combinations list...

6 wickets in 15 balls for Trent Boult.

Taylor goes, but it looks a question of when NZ declare. Maybe they'll want plenty if the pitch is going to sleep.

Forecast for ChCh looks glorious for the final two days, walking through Christchurch Botanical Gardens in 27C warmth for the final day against England seems like yesterday.

The time factor is just as much as a conundrum with two full days still left to play. Batting for a session and a half would set Sri Lanka something like 570 runs off 190 overs. The target might seem daunting, but requiring 3 runs per over less so.