New Zealand completed an innings victory against Sri Lanka in Wellington to win the series 2-0, following their exhilarating win in Christchurch last week. The Black Cpas rode on the back of a Kane Williamson masterclass double-hundred after being put in to bat first, with Henry Nicholls also registering a double-century alongside the former captain. They scored a mammoth 580-4 in their only innings, which was too much for Sri Lanka to overhaul after they were asked to follow on.

Sri Lanka collapsed in the first innings but made a decent effort in the second, with Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, and Dhananjaya de Silva scoring half-centuries. The last four batters playing out 215 balls combined in some dogged resistance at the death.

It was during one of the partnerships between the tailenders that the weather conditions resulted in some extraordinary scenes. The wind in Wellington was bordering on extreme as it forcefully blew across the ground. While windy conditions are not normally as troublesome as rain in cricket, the strength and speed of the winds were so extreme in this case that it forced the coverage to be restricted to a camera at one end of the ground.

Bracewell was bowling his 35th over with Kasun Rajitha and Prabath Jayasuriya on the crease, looking to survive for another day. Bowling from over the wicket, Bracewell delivered what seemed to be a normal flighted delivery outside the right-hander’s off stump, until the ball changed directions mid-way through the air. The wind, blowing from right to left, made the ball drift and land right on the edge of the pitch, leading to surprised reactions from the players and commentators.

Watch the wind make the ball drift outside the pitch:

Just when you think you’ve seen it all in cricket. High winds so single end coverage in Wellington. Here’s the supporting evidence… pic.twitter.com/AzQerm4h9b

— Rob Williams (@robwilliams_tv) March 20, 2023