Kane Williamson powered New Zealand to one of their most memorable Test wins, putting in a desperate dive to beat a direct hit from bowler Asitha Fernando to complete a two-wicket win in a hair-raising thriller.
Eight wickets down with Williamson on strike, New Zealand needed eight runs off the last over to seal a game that had see-sawed dramatically over the last half hour. At one point, New Zealand needed 58 runs in 10 overs with seven wickets in hand, but key wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell pulled Sri Lanka back into the game. A victory would have pushed the tourists close to a World Test Championship final spot, but Williamson was the man standing in their way.
He completed his 27th Test century and was the lone-man standing for the hosts as the last few overs unfolded. A boundary of the fourth ball of the last over, a beautiful square drive that bisected the off-side field, took them within touching distance. A bouncer wasn’t given wide thereafter, with New Zealand needing one off the final ball. In a dramatic touch to the entire scene, the floodlights were switched on for the final ball.
Fernando banged in another short one, and Williamson missed, but sprang to the other end. The bowler collected the throw from the wicketkeeper and hurled it onto the stumps. In real time, it was difficult to know if Williamson had made it.
Replays showed that a full-stretch dive had saved him, taking New Zealand to their target and completing an incredible two-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
Watch the dive that saved New Zealand:
A thriller in Christchurch. #NZvSL pic.twitter.com/7hv2j4bEjJ
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 13, 2023
https://twitter.com/sparknzsport/status/1635173092434780161?s=46&t=NJFEOxqPze29s88iUGSFKA
