[Watch] Tim Southee takes a one-handed screamer on Day 3 of SL vs NZ 1st Test
New Zealand captain Tim Southee took a screamer to get rid of Pathum Nissanka on Day 3 (Friday, September 20) of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Standing in the second slip, the veteran flung himself to his right and took a one-handed catch off Will O'Rourke's bowling.
The dismissal occurred in the third over of Sri Lanka's second innings as the extra bounce from the right-arm speedster left Nissanka in an awkward position while trying to defend. As a result, the ball hit the shoulder of his bat and Tim Southee dived to his right at second slip to pluck it out of thin air.
O'Rourke, who got the first breakthrough for his team in the second innings, had also starred in the opening dig. Playing his first Test in the sub-continent, the 23-year-old took a fifer, dismissing Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Ramesh Mendis, and Asitha Fernando.
Tim Southee and company bowled out for 340, Prabath Jayasuriya takes four wickets
Meanwhile, the Kiwis started the third day at 255-4, with Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell in the middle. With only 50 runs away from Sri Lanka's total of 305, the Black Caps would have fancied taking a big lead but were bowled out for 340.
Tom Latham top-scored for the visitors with 70 as Prabath Jayasuriya finished with figures of 40-5-136-4. Mitchell and Kane Williamson also made half-centuries to lift their side to 340. Ramesh Mendis picked up three wickets while Dhananjaya de Silva snared a couple.
The Kiwis hoped to gain some match practice ahead of the Sri Lanka tour against Afghanistan during the one-off Test in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. However, it proved to be one of the few Tests that was entirely washed out due to persistent rains.
After the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, Tim Southee's men will head to India to play three Tests. New Zealand are currently third in the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) standings behind India and Australia.