Cricket: Bowlers on top as wickets fall

NZ cricketers celebrate the dismissal of Prasanna Jayawardene yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Five-day tests. Remember them? The first test in Christchurch was done well inside four days, and if you were in possession of fifth-day tickets for the second test at the Basin Reserve, you'd be tempted to try for a quick sale.

There would be few takers.

New Zealand were rolled for 221 yesterday, having been sent in. It was some way short of satisfactory but, by the end of a day in which 15 wickets fell, is looking more like 421 with Sri Lanka on the ropes at 78 for five.

As in Christchurch, Sri Lanka's seamers missed a trick in the first session, but made up for it over the following two-and-a-half hours.

New Zealand's seamers, including the recalled, and resurgent Doug Bracewell, showed the visitors how to make use of favourable conditions. Bracewell took three for 23 from his 7.4 overs to fully justify his recall in place of Neil Wagner.

He said he was told yesterday before the start.

"I was just told to do what I've been doing and that's what I do," said Bracewell, who has been in good form in domestic cricket. "I just stick to what I'm good at and keep it pretty simple and things seem to be going pretty well at the moment."

It didn't go quite so well for New Zealand's three best batsmen, who all played balls on to their stumps yesterday.

One theory was they were undone in part by a slight tendency for the ball to hold up on the grassy pitch. Alternatively, they were simply poorly-executed shots from a technical standpoint.

Brendon McCullum was presented with the keys to Wellington by mayor Celia Wade-Brown at lunch. Fat lot of good that did him, on his first trip back to the scene of his record-breaking triple century last summer.

He tried to cut a ball too close to him, his second ball, and it cannoned into his stumps. There was a time, not so long ago, when that would have been the cue for another outpouring from the grumblers over his too-adventurous batting approach.

McCullum was part of a poor collective mid-afternoon display, as New Zealand lost their last eight wickets for just 80 in 22.3 overs.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor had put on 79 for the third wicket, mostly looking in control, but with enough runs coming from the edge to suggest the Sri Lankan bowlers were cottoning onto the right length.

Taylor's dismissal, when he chopped on a ball from Sri Lanka's best seamer, Nuwan Pradeep, started the slide.

New Zealand like playing the game at a reasonable pace, and it was reflected in some of their shot-making.

Sri Lanka, despite ragged fielding, had every right to feel they'd got themselves back into a test they must win to square the series. That turned to custard, however, in the final 90 minutes.

Trent Boult had the ball on a string, and Southee and Bracewell were good. Sri Lanka's batting wasn't, although Bracewell would concede his first wicket - when Kaushal Silva jammed down on a delivery which bounced up and landed on top of his stumps - was fortunate.

Kumar Sangakkara was 33 not out at stumps, although he wasn't entirely in charge. Twice he flirted with his leg stump off inside edges to Bracewell and on 17 would have been run out, after slipping then setting off, had the throw been accurate or a fielder been stationed at the bowler's end.

On five, he reached 12,000 test runs. Only India's Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), Australian Ricky Ponting (13,378), South African Jacques Kallis (13,289) and India's Rahul Dravid (13,288) have scored more than the classy lefthander.

There's no question Sri Lanka's hopes of getting close to New Zealand today rest on his shoulders.