Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell star in New Zealand's Christchurch heist
Asitha Fernando led a spirited Sri Lanka fight, but it all came down to a scrambled bye off the final ball under the floodlights
08/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Mar 9-13 2023
-
![Sri Lanka]( "Sri Lanka")
355 & 302 -
![New Zealand]( "New Zealand")
373 & 285/8 (70 ov)
Player of the Match
08/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Mar 9-13 2023
-
![Sri Lanka]( "Sri Lanka")
355 & 302 -
![New Zealand]( "New Zealand")
373 & 285/8 (70 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 5
If you need someone to scramble, who better than Kane Williamson?
In a very Kane Williamson sort of way he made sure nothing less than the perfect play would catch him out at the pivotal moment of the Christchurch Test
Williamson slides, Wagner hobbles, New Zealand beat Sri Lanka off the last ball
And other stories from a famous final over - as called by ESPNcricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary
'Heart in the throat stuff!'
A final-ball thriller in Christchurch was celebrated by cricketers around the world
Stats - Kane Williamson's fab fourth-innings feats
Also, the Christchurch thriller was only the second instance of a team reaching their target on the final ball of a Test match
Day 4
Angelo Mathews' 115 helps Sri Lanka set New Zealand a stiff target
Blair Tickner, Matt Henry and Tim Southee shared nine wickets for the hosts
Wagner out of second Test against Sri Lanka; Bracewell called up
Batter Will Young will be released to play in the Plunket Shield between the Tests
'We've got the fast bowlers to exploit the conditions' - Angelo Mathews
He backs Sri Lanka to make a serious push for victory at the Hagley Oval on Monday
Day 3
Daryl Mitchell 102, Blair Tickner triple-strike hand New Zealand advantage
Matt Henry's 72 from No. 9 helped the hosts take an 18-run first-innings lead
Pretty cool to do it when those runs were really needed, says Mitchell after his fifth Test ton
"I never knew if I would actually be able to get one Test hundred, let alone be where we are now"
Day 2
Rajitha, Kumara, Asitha help Sri Lanka grab advantage after day two
Three of New Zealand's top-six batters fell for single digit scores, leaving the hosts on a sticky wicket
How an unfancied Sri Lanka attack got the better of New Zealand's top order
Sri Lanka's seamers tend to be modest in foreign conditions, but they put together an impressive stretch of bowling on day two in Christchurch
Day 1
Mendis 87 leads Sri Lanka's batting charge on day one
All-round batting contributions from visitors put them in promising position against NZ
Mathews says Sri Lanka not getting enough Tests, especially this year
"Everyone's talking about Test cricket dying, but we're not doing any good for Test cricket playing only five Tests a year"
Hagley Oval, Sri Lanka, and the collapse that never came
Mendis, Karunaratne, Mathews, Chandimal and de Silva refused to buckle, and that's not happened often
Others
How Williamson looks at big moments and takes their power away
The New Zealand batter has a system that insulates him from the make-or-break nature of his sport
Sri Lanka's seniors key in their quest for a spot in WTC final
If there is some chance for SL to pull off an unlikely brace of victories in NZ, it is through their experience
Southee lauds 'world class' Williamson, Mitchell after thrilling win
"Seeing how calm he is in the middle keeps us all calm as well," Southee said of Williamson
Bereaved Kane Williamson to join New Zealand's squad late for Christchurch Test
He will be attending a memorial service on Wednesday following the death of his grandmother Joan Williamson-Orr
Will Sri Lanka's perfect preparation reap rewards in New Zealand?
It may come down to how their batters fare against New Zealand's seamers in the first innings
