New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: 1st Test, Day One - Guptill's century helps Kiwis rack up 409
Martin Guptill’s third Test century, coupled with fifties from Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum ensured New Zealand ended the first day of their home summer in control. After being asked to bat in Dunedin, Guptill and Williamson put on 173 runs for the second wicket to put the hosts in command at tea.
Although Sri Lanka picked up six wickets after tea, conceding 400 runs after asking the opposition to bat is a bad start to their month-long tour of New Zealand. McCullum, who equalled AB de Villiers’ record of 98 consecutive Tests, got to his fifty off just 39 balls, but fell 25 short of his first Test hundred of the calendar year.
Angelo Mathews’ decision to give his seamers first use of any assistance was more due to the inexperience of the batting lineup, which was without Kusal Perera, who was banned, Lahiru Thirimanne, who was dropped and had two batsmen who had played fewer than 3 Tests and one making his debut.
Tom Latham continued his all too familiar run of getting a start but failing to kick on, as he was caught and bowled by Suranga Lakmal. But all that dismissal did, was bring New Zealand’s best batsman to the crease.
Williamson, who was coming on the back of a productive Test series against Australia where he averaged 85.6, put on a record second-wicket partnership for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Tests.
Although he fell 12 shy of a well-deserved century just on the stroke of tea, he had already laid the platform for a big first innings score for the hosts. Although Ross Taylor fell quickly after tea, the New Zealand captain walked in, determined to make hay on a good batting wicket.
Although Guptill was batting on a century at the other end, it was McCullum who scored the lion’s share of the runs in the fourth wicket partnership of 89. His blitzkrieg, which ended on 75 off 57 balls ensured that any hope Sri Lanka had of limiting the Kiwis under 350 was nothing but a pipe dream.
The skipper scored 75 runs in the 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but top-edged a slog sweep off Milinda Siriwardana, with the score at 334. Although the Kiwis lost the next four wickets for just 40 runs, they crossed 400 thanks to Doug Bracewell’s unbeaten knock.
Over the course of his innings, Guptill crossed 2,000 Test runs, albeit the sixth-slowest New Zealand batsman to achieve that mark and also made his first Test century in 40 innings.
Although 500 looked a distinct possibility, the Kiwis might have to settle for much less, as they return on day two, looking to pound the visitors into the ground in the first Test of the tour.
Scorecard:
NZ 1st innings:
| Martin Guptill | 156 (234) |
| Tom Latham | 22 (46) |
| Kane Williamson | 88 (123) |
| Ross Taylor | 8 (12) |
| Brendon McCullum | 75 (57) |
| Mitchell Santer | 12 (12) |
| BJ Watling | 5 (8) |
| Doug Bracewell | 32* (39) |
| Tim Southee | 2 (2) |
| Neil Wagner | 0* (8) |
| Total | 409/8 |
Bowling:
| Overs | Runs | Wickets | |
| Suranga Lakmal | 16 | 69 | 2 |
| Nuwan Pradeep | 20 | 101 | 2 |
| Angelo Mathews | 9 | 28 | 1 |
| Dushmantha Chameera | 17 | 101 | 2 |
| Rangana Herath | 19 | 46 | 0 |
| Udara Jayasundera | 5 | 33 | 0 |
| Milinda Siriwardana | 4 | 24 | 1 |