KEY POINTS:
CHRISTCHURCH - A jittery New Zealand compounded Sri Lanka's miserable touring record with a five-wicket win in the first cricket test today, although not before a moment of controversy turned the focus on the conduct of Black Caps wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.
New Zealand won the match at Jade
Stadium when McCullum hit a boundary shortly after tea on the third day to reach the victory target of 119, but it was his completion of the Sri Lankan second innings that proved the focal point of his contribution.
The home side made hard work of their chase and the ask may have been even more difficult had McCullum not run out Muttiah Muralitharan as he went to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on reaching a classy century.
The Black Caps revealed a ruthless streak when catching Muralitharan napping in a dismissal which polarised opinion after the tourist were finally dismissed for 170.
Sangakkara glided a single to third man to reach a richly deserved milestone but his celebrations were immediately muted when McCullum broke the stumps as Muralitharan wandered up the pitch to applaud his partner.
Muralitharan left his ground as Chris Martin fired a return to the stumps and when McCullum dislodged the bails his appeal was upheld by South African umpire Brian Jerling because he was on the move to the bowler's end before the formal completion of the over.
McCullum, who employed identical tactics to remove Zimbabwean tailender Chris Mpofu in Bulawayo last year, was unrepentant although Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene was disappointed the spirit of the game had been compromised.
"After (Muralitharan's) 109 test matches you know better than to walk out of your ground to celebrate a guy's hundred when the ball's still alive," McCullum said.
"I realise they're pretty upset about it but as far as I'm concerned it was an opportunity to take a wicket. I'd do the same thing again."
Jayawardene would not take the matter further but was saddened it had happened.
"The whole team is disappointed. Legally it was run out, the ball was alive but we play in an age where we talk about the spirit of the game. Hopefully it won't happen again. It's not the way to play cricket."
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming had no qualms about the dismissal.
"I'm comfortable with it, the game doesn't stop because someone gets a hundred. It's a mistake in judgment from Muralitharan.
"In one sense it's disappointing because it takes the gloss off one of the great hundreds I've seen. It would have been a tragedy if he'd been run out for 99."
New Zealand made hard work of their runchase, though their main impediment appeared sporadic showers until the loss of three wickets for two runs raised the anxiety levels.
Craig Cumming, whose charmed return to test cricket featured three letoffs when he was caught off no balls in this match, finally ran out of luck on 43 when he feathered Chaminda Vaas to Prasanna Jayawardene to prompt a mini-collapse.
Fleming was trapped adjacent third ball for a duck by Vaas then Mathew Sinclair left for four when he clipped champion offspinner Muralitharan to Sangakkara at square leg to leave the home side wobbling at 68 for four.
Sri Lanka's strike weapon was ushered into the attack in just the sixth over but ultimately had too few runs to play with despite Sangakkara's sublime innings.
Having arrived at the crease at 11 for one, the former wicketkeeper resumed today on 63 and monopolised the strike effectively, albeit with plenty of help from a defensively minded Fleming.
He carved early boundaries off Shane Bond and James Franklin before the field scattered to ring the boundaries early in the over, forcing Sangakkara to turn down multiple singles in a bid to dominate the strike.
He found useful support from Lasith Malinga, who failed to score but survived 56 minutes and 28 balls before he was ninth out when he edged Franklin to McCullum after the pair had advanced the score from 99 to 143.
Muralitharan also provided nuisance value before his brain fade, hanging around long enough for Sangakkara to compose easily the knock of the match off 154 balls.
Sangakkara struck a dozen boundaries and showed no nerves in the 90s as he uppercut a six off Bond to reach 95 before knocking off the remainder in singles.
Sri Lanka, who have only won three tests abroad against major test playing nations since 1999, hope to salvage the series in Wellington where the final test starts at the Basin Reserve on Friday.
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka
First innings 154
New Zealand
First innings 206
Sri Lanka
Second innings (overnight 125-8)
U Tharanga c Fleming b Bond 24
S Jayasuriya run out 10
K Sangakkara not out 100
M Jayawardene c Fleming b Franklin 0
C Kapugedera c Oram b Bond 1
C Silva c Vettori b Bond 0
P Jayawardene run out 11
C Vaas c McCullum b Oram 0
F Maharoof c McCullum b Bond 7
L Malinga c McCullum b Franklin 0
M Muralitharan run out 8
Extras (5lb, 4nb) 9
Total (53.1 overs) 170
Fall: 18 (Jayasuriya), 44 (Tharanga), 45 (M Jayawardene), 46 (Kapugedera), 46 (Silva), 74 (P Jayawardene), 80 (Vaas), 99 (Maharoof), 143 (Malinga), 170 (Muralitharan).
Bowling: S Bond 19.1-5-63-4 (3nb), C Martin 11-2-38-0, J Franklin 13-1-34-2 (1nb), J Oram 7-1-19-1, D Vettori 2-0-10-0, N Astle 1-0-1-0.
New Zealand
Second innings
C Cumming c P Jayawardene b Vaas 43
J How lbw b Muralitharan 11
M Sinclair c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 4
S Fleming lbw b Vaas 0
N Astle lbw b Muralitharan 24
J Oram not out 12
B McCullum not out 14
Extras (1b, 1lb, 5w, 4nb) 11
Total (for 5 wkts, 33 overs) 119
Fall: 58 (How), 66 (Cumming), 66 (Fleming), 68 (Sinclair), 103 (Astle).
Bowling: C Vaas 13-3-38-2 (3nb), L Malinga 4-1-35-0 (5w), M Muralitharan 14-5-34-3, F Maharoof 2-0-10-0 (1nb).
Result: New Zealand won by five wickets, lead two-match series 1-0. Second test starts in Wellington on Friday.
- NZPA