Category Archives: spinning art

Danny Byrene’s Report: “The rain stays away as 12 wickets fall in the day to leave the match nicely balanced”

Most batsmen go through a period in their careers when they can’t score runs as easily as before, though in Steven Smith’s case it required a piece of sandpaper and a nine month ban to produce the equivalent effect. Ross Taylor went through a lean period in 2018 when he only managed 277 runs from 12 innings at 23.08. His current average is 47.31 having stormed back into form with a double century against Bangladesh at the Basin Reserve in March of this year. He has scored Test centuries against all the competing sides excluding Ireland and Afghanistan with the exception of South Africa. This morning he was hoping to add to his tally of 18 centuries resuming his innings on 86 not out. Play began 15 minutes early to make up for the 22 overs lost to the weather the previous day. Taylor was caught behind off the first ball he faced, a warm-up delivery from Lakmal that he tried to cut behind square leg ( 205 – 6 ). Santner was lbw to Lakmal twenty minutes later not offering a shot ( 216 – 7 ) and Southee took this as a cue to try to hit some sixes. He smashed Dananjaya over long-on despite a fielder being stationed there and was then comically run out from first slip three balls later not realizing where the ball had gone ( 222 – 8 ).

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