New Zealand secured a dramatic two-wicket victory off the final ball of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
Kane Williamson hit 121 not out as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the series as the winning run came courtesy of a bye from the final ball of the match as New Zealand chased a target of 285.
New Zealand’s highest previous successful fourth-innings run chase also came in Christchurch in 1994, when they scored 324-5 to beat Pakistan by five wickets at the Lancaster Park ground.
The winning run for New Zealand was scored with a dramatic final-ball bye
Asitha Fernando (3-63) bowled beautifully for Sri Lanka but a bumper from the final ball meant Williamson and Neil Wagner ran through for the winning run, with Williamson securing the victory by diving full length to get his bat down in the crease before a direct hit broke the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Wagner, who will miss the second Test due to a bulging disc in his back and torn right hamstring, came to the crease with New Zealand needing five runs from three balls.
Williamson hit a boundary with three balls left, before Fernando’s final two balls were both short deliveries, with the penultimate delivery a dot ball.
The victory ends any hopes of Sri Lanka qualifying for the World Test Championship final and India will face Australia in June at The Oval.
New Zealand went into the final day resuming on 28-1 in their second innings, needing 257 more runs to win, but rain meant that over four hours of play was lost.
The result ends Sri Lanka’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June
Once the bad weather cleared, 52 overs were allowed in one extended session to achieve a result.
When play resumed, Tom Latham (25) was bowled by leg-spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and Henry Nicholls was caught in the deep for 20 to bring first-innings centurion Daryl Mitchell to the crease.
Mitchell hit 81 runs in a 142-run partnership with Williamson for the fourth wicket to put New Zealand on the cusp of victory.
But Sri Lanka weren’t out of it yet as they chased a spot in the World Test Championship final.
Fernando gave the visitors renewed hope with yorkers to dismiss Mitchell and Tom Blundell (3) before Michael Bracewell (10) was caught at deep mid-wicket.
That set up a dramatic finish with New Zealand needing 15 runs from the last two overs and the nervy finish intensified when skipper Tim Southee holed out in the deep and Matt Henry was run out.
Williamson kept his nerve though and saw New Zealand home.
Sri Lanka would have qualified for the WTC final if they had beaten New Zealand 2-0 in the two-match series, and Australia denied India victory in the ongoing fourth Test in Ahmedabad.
India will now take on Australia, who had already qualified, in the final at The Oval in London starting on Wednesday June 7.
The second Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka starts at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Friday.
