"We need to show the public that we can fight," strong words at the toss by Ross Taylor. It does show that the team is not immune to all the flak they are inviting. Where did it all go wrong I wonder?

Right then, everyone is in the middle. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum are ready to go. Kulasekara has the ball.

"This is great! How often do we get four tests on at the same time. One starts, another finishes today. Bangladesh just need to hold on until the first ball of the Sri Lankan innings...," Yes Stogy, lovely day. I am kind of missing Pakistan today though.

9.30 am The news from the centre is that New Zealand have won the toss and they will bat first. They are leaving out James Franklin and a debut is being handed out to Todd Astle. For Sri Lanka, Tillakaratne Dilshan comes back into the squad after missing out the last match due to a back injury. Dimuth Karunaratne, who scored an emphatic half-century in the second innings in Galle, has to sit out.

9.15 am Good Morning and welcome to the second and the last Test match of this series. The teams have moved to Colombo, at the P Sara Oval, after a one-sided finish in Galle. The P Sara pitch offers some bounce and that may be the tonic New Zealand need to be competitive as pointed out in Andrew Fernando's preview.

Clear skies, bright sun in Colombo after yesterday night's thunderstorms, tells our man on the ground cum met department Andrew Fernando. A good day for cricket, I can promise you that, as four Tests are going on in parallel today. To borrow a term from the American jargon, today is definitely the 'Super Sunday.'

0.1

Kulasekara to Guptill, no run, outside off, not much bounce there, left alone by the batsman

0.2

Kulasekara to Guptill, no run, straightaway some movement, pitches on good length and just straightens to beat the bat

0.3

Kulasekara to Guptill, no run, outside off on good length, left alone by Guptill

Two slips and a gully in place.

0.4

Kulasekara to Guptill, FOUR, first runs, just a defensive push and I thought it was going to go as far as the bowler, but it sped to the boundary

0.5

Kulasekara to Guptill, no run, length ball on off, Guptill comes forward to defend it on the off side

0.6

Kulasekara to Guptill, OUT, edged to first slip! Kula has stuck to his line and he gets the reward. That was outside off, very similar to the last five deliveries and drew the batsman in defence. But the ball nipped away after pitching and took a healthy edge to Angelo at first slip. Big blow for New Zealand

MJ Guptill c Mathews b Kulasekara 4 (3m 6b 1x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

Kane Williamson walks in

1.1

Eranga to McCullum, no run, edged and goes to the second slip on the bounce

1.2

Eranga to McCullum, no run, outside off, swings away, McCullum comes forwards but lets it go

Three slips in place for Eranga.

1.3

Eranga to McCullum, 1 run, length ball outside off, the batsman stays back and punches it through cover to open his account

Not much bounce on the show here.

1.4

Eranga to Williamson, no run, 137 kph, bowls it full on the off, the batsman comes forward to defend

1.5

Eranga to Williamson, no run, on the off and middle line, fuller length, Williamson stayed on the crease and defended that towards mid-on

1.6

Eranga to Williamson, no run, outside off, length ball, the batsman leaves it alone

2.1

Kulasekara to McCullum, no run, back of length outside off, the batsman goes back to defend that on the off side

2.2

Kulasekara to McCullum, 1 run, that is more like Kula's length, floated up on off, McCullum comes forwards and dabs it towards cover

2.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, 127.4 kph, length ball outside off, defended off the front foot

2.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, 2 runs, comes forward with a big stride drives this full ball through cover

2.5

Kulasekara to Williamson, 1 run, back of length outside off, pinches a single by dabbing it towards point

2.6

Kulasekara to McCullum, 1 run, inside edge, goes to fine leg. Again, Kula just bowls that good length outside off, and it jags back a bit

3.1

Eranga to McCullum, no run, length ball on the middle, tucked away to square leg

3.2

Eranga to McCullum, 1 run, 140.7, on the off and middle, flicked to fine leg off the inside half of the bat

3.3

Eranga to Williamson, 3 runs, bowls it a bit short outside off and the batsman goes back to punch it handsomely through cover

3.4

Eranga to McCullum, no run, he is bowling a good fuller length, allowing the ball to move in the air a bit, defended off the front foot

3.5

Eranga to McCullum, OUT, another one this time, that's hit the pads in front of off! McCullum immediately points to the bat and he is got a reason to be disappointed with that, the ball took a big inside edge on to the pads. The ball was full and comes in with the angle and beats McCullum on the drive.

BB McCullum lbw b Eranga 4 (16m 10b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00

Ross Taylor is in early and he will have to bring out that fight he talked about at the toss

3.6

Eranga to Taylor, no run, short and wide, 140.6 kph, no problems with that one, Taylor leaves it alone

Thomas: "There is nothing special about the Sri Lankan bowling order. No Murali nor Malinga and we still get rolled for embarrassing totals. I think it's a learning experience as when NZ face up against SA with the likes of Steyn and Morkel we are going to have a devil of a time. And my point is proved as Guptill falls early."

4.1

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, fuller Kula length, Williamson comes forward in defence and punches it back down the pitch. Kula gets a foot on that to prevent runs

4.2

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, back of length, slower now, the batsman has to wait to push it towards cover

4.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball on the off, the batsman stays on the crease and defends it down the pitch

4.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, back of length, not much bounce and pace, Williamson gets solidly behind that one

4.5

Kulasekara to Williamson, FOUR, back of length, but width is provided and Williamson stays back and punches it through cover nicely for the second boundary of the morning

4.6

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball outside off, left alone easily

Dan: "I was celebrating when NZ got through the first three balls without giving away a wicket... now you see why!"

5.1

Eranga to Taylor, 1 run, back of length outside off, Taylor went for the cut but gets a bottom edge towards slips. The ball is not stopped cleanly and the batsmen take a single

5.2

Eranga to Williamson, 1 run, fuller length ball on off, defended towards mid-on with soft hands

5.3

Eranga to Taylor, no run, 138.7 kph, short ball outside off, doesn't get too much carry as the keeper takes it waist high

5.4

Eranga to Taylor, no run, fuller length outside off, Taylor practices restraint and lets it go

5.5

Eranga to Taylor, 3 runs, driven through midwicket easily. The ball was full on the middle and Taylor obliges by just timing it through the gap. The balls slows down close to the boundary

5.6

Eranga to Williamson, 1 run, length ball outside off, again dropped in front of cover with soft hands and the batsmen call for a quick single

6.1

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, fuller length outside off, 124.7 kph, defended off the front foot

A short cover is in place

6.2

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, bowls it fuller outside off, looking for some swing, but the batsman gets right behind it and drives it to mid-off

6.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, now he pulls the length back a bit but stays accurate, defended down the pitch

6.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball on off stump line, the batsman gets solidly behind that

6.5

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball, 125 kph, outside off, draws the batsman forward who plays it with soft hands towards point

6.6

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, another teaser outside off, the batsman stretches out but leaves it alone

"@Stoggy, knowing this NZ batting line up, this test will probably finish before England vs. India and Aus vs SA, and I'm only leaving out West Indies vs Bangladesh because Bangladesh are 9 down," Alex has lost all hope

7.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, stays on the crease to a full ball outside off and tries to guide it to third man from there, gets beaten by the pace

7.2

Eranga to Taylor, no run, comes from wide off the crease, bowls a length ball on the middle which is turned to square leg

7.3

Eranga to Taylor, 3 runs, bowls it full outside off and Taylor come forward to time it through cover but the outfield slows the ball down

7.4

Eranga to Williamson, no run, fuller length, slight inward movement, and with a bit of width, but the batsman doesn't take the bait

7.5

Eranga to Williamson, no run, length ball on off stump, defended off the back foot towards mid on

7.6

Eranga to Williamson, 1 run, slower ball, 123 kph, the batsman gets behind it and tucks it towards the gap at midwicket for a single

The ball has been changed after eight overs! There was some issue with its shape.

8.1

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball outside off, the batsman gets an inside edge as he comes forward in defence

8.2

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, that one jagged back like it does usually for him, starts way outside off and comes back to beat the forward defence, but that was going over the top of the stumps

8.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, length ball outside off, defended towards cover

8.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, 1 run, edged! but drops short of second slip. That was actually played well, with soft hands but the danger is lurking

8.5

Kulasekara to Taylor, 1 run, misfield by Sangakkara at extra cover allows a single. The ball was outside off and Taylor drove it away from his body

8.6

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, appeal for leg before, but there was some bat on that one. Kula is now getting that consistent movement into the batsman

"I'm assuming this is the part where Todd Astle reveals himself to be none other than Nathan Astle magically turned into a 20-something year old and becomes our batting saviour yet again, and who can now bowl leggies!" quips BJ

9.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, length ball on the middle, Taylor gets squared up as he tries to play that to square leg

9.2

Eranga to Taylor, 2 runs, allows the ball to come to him this time, and turns it past the right of the square leg fielder for some runs

9.3

Eranga to Taylor, FOUR, edged and over the top of slips. That was a length ball and he slashed at it hard and since there was no third man, it looked like a safe shot to play

9.4

Eranga to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, left alone by Taylor

9.5

Eranga to Taylor, FOUR, a chance! Taylor went for a drive on a ball that was full and outside off and the edge flied past a diving Angelo Mathews for another boundary. That went really quick

9.6

Eranga to Taylor, no run, defended off the back foot towards cover

10.1

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, cuts the batsman in half this time. Kula bowls it outside off and the batsman doesn't come fully forward to that. The ball jags back and beats the bat

10.2

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, goes away this time and the batsman plays it with soft hands towards second slip

10.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, 1 run, back of length and jags back in, but the slow pace on that allows the batsman to turn it to square leg

10.4

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, 123.1 kph, big inward movement from Kula. The ball was outside off and Taylor went forward to play at that, but the ball came in to him and he got an inside edge

10.5

Kulasekara to Taylor, 1 run, back of length on off, Taylor waits on the crease and punches it to the right of mid-on

10.6

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, comes back big time from outside off! It was back of length, pitched outside off and came back to hit the batsman on the thigh

"As a kiwi I am happy to know we have a star executing excellent cricketing decisions with style and finesse. Billy Bowden has been impeccable this week," says Stu

11.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, back of length on off stump, defended down the pitch

11.2

Eranga to Taylor, no run, testing line outside off by Eranga, Taylor watches that carefully and lets it go

Jeremy: "Supporting NZ is like being an addict. I'm just looking for that one match to make all this pain worthwhile"

11.3

Eranga to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, Taylor comes forward to defend it down the pitch

11.4

Eranga to Taylor, 2 runs, length ball outside off, Taylor comes forward and punches it through cover

11.5

Eranga to Taylor, no run, beaten this time! The ball was exactly the same as the previous one, but just held on to its line and beats Taylor on his drive

11.6

Eranga to Taylor, 2 runs, short and wide, batsman chops it on the ground and the ball goes over the fielder at point

12.1

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, more inward movement, length ball, pitches on off and hits the batsman on bats, but the movement was taking it down the leg side

12.2

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, goes straight this time, left alone by the batsman

12.3

Kulasekara to Williamson, no run, back of length on off stump, defended off the front foot to mid-off

12.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, 1 no ball, short ball bowled at 123 kph, that goes over the head of the batsman. Kula had overstepped too.

12.4

Kulasekara to Williamson, 1 run, short ball on the body, 123 kph, pulled easily along the ground to fine leg

12.5

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, no movement, Taylor comes forward to smother that down the pitch

The keeper is standing up for this ball.

12.6

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, back of length outside off, defended towards cover

Drinks

Bowling change then, Angelo Mathews comes in now.

13.1

Mathews to Williamson, 1 run, on the stumps, tucks it away to the leg side and get a single to the leg side

13.2

Mathews to Taylor, no run, outside the off stump, length ball and he plays it without too much of a foot movement, gets an inside edge

13.3

Mathews to Taylor, no run, pitched right up to the bat on the off stump, takes his foot out and drives it straight back but hits the stumps at non-striker's end

13.4

Mathews to Taylor, no run, outside the off stump and he leaves it alone through to the keeper

13.5

Mathews to Taylor, no run, outside the off stump, pitched up to the bat, driven to mid-off but not for runs

13.6

Mathews to Taylor, 1 run, on the off stump, angling into the bat, plays it off the stumps to fine-leg and they are off for a single

Spin is in. Rangana Herath takes the ball. One slip and a short leg in place

14.1

Herath to Taylor, no run, tossed up on the middle and defended towards leg side

14.2

Herath to Taylor, no run, beaten in the flight! That was outside off and came in with the arm, got an inside edge to the pads

14.3

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, tossed up on off, Taylor pushes it towards mid-on

14.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery outside off, not much turn, the batsman lets it go

14.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, more flight and some turn, easily left alone

14.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, and there comes the Jaffa! Tossed up on middle and leg and the batsman stays back to that. The ball turns and beats outside edge, but that wasn't far from the stumps

15.1

Mathews to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, driven to cover

15.2

Mathews to Taylor, 1 run, length ball on off, Taylor gets squared up and gets a leading edge towards cover

15.3

Mathews to Williamson, 1 run, short ball at 128 kph, easily pulled to long leg

15.4

Mathews to Taylor, no run, back of length outside off, defended towards cover off the back foot

15.5

Mathews to Taylor, 1 run, fuller length, outside off, Taylor pushes it with soft hands towards mid-off and pinches a single

15.6

Mathews to Williamson, no run, back of length on the stumps, defended towards the leg side

"Could be worse lads - we could be South African supporters. Actually, I'm not sure that the plural still applies, given how they're going in Adelaide at present," there comes the silver lining from Gareth.

16.1

Herath to Taylor, no run, flighted on the off and middle, defended down the pitch

16.2

Herath to Taylor, no run, charges down a couple of steps to a tossed one, but only manages to hit it back to the bowler

16.3

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, length ball outside off and Taylor goes for his big sweep, gets some inside edge towards long leg

16.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, floated outside off, the batsman lets it go

16.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, closer to the stumps now, defended off the back foot

16.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted on off stump, grips the surface and turns a bit, watchfully defended

17.1

Mathews to Taylor, no run, width provided and Taylor goes for a cut, unfortunately, finds Dilshan at point

17.2

Mathews to Taylor, no run, fuller length way outside off, Taylor comes forward and lets it go

17.3

Mathews to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, Taylor drives it to mid-off

17.4

Mathews to Taylor, no run, back of length on off stump, Taylor goes back and defends it down the pitch

17.5

Mathews to Taylor, FOUR, inside edge gives him a boundary. It was a length ball outside off and Taylor got into an awkward position as the ball cut into him.

17.6

Mathews to Taylor, no run, length ball on off stump, punched towards mid-on

18.1

Herath to Williamson, no run, big appeal for lbw! That was the arm ball, floated on the stumps. The batsman went back to cut and got hit on his back pad. The height probably saved him there.

18.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, comes right forward this time to defend it back to the bowler

18.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, more of same, flighted ball, defended back to the bowler

18.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, pulls the length back and the batsman goes back to defend

18.5

Herath to Williamson, 1 run, similar length as the last ball but some width is given, the batsman goes back to punch it through cover

18.6

Herath to Taylor, no run, tossed up on off, Taylor comes forward in defence

"While all the talk is on failures of NZ batsmen, i really wonder how Paranavithana still finds a place in SL line up after all his failures," says Tharindu reminding us that Sri Lanka is also playing this match.

19.1

Mathews to Williamson, no run, short and wide, but it doesn't bounce much. The batsman goes for a cut but can't get any timing behind that one

19.2

Mathews to Williamson, no run, length ball on off stump, 123 kph, the batman comes forward to defend it back to the bowler

19.3

Mathews to Williamson, no run, fuller length outside off, a bit wide, easily left alone by Williamson

19.4

Mathews to Williamson, no run, same wide line outside off, the batsman doesn't bother about it and lets it go

19.5

Mathews to Williamson, no run, back of length, closer to the stumps, defended towards point

19.6

Mathews to Williamson, no run, 128 kph, back of length delivery, on the stumps, punched to mid-off off the back foot

"Well, that's a surprise. Came back after taking the dog for a walk, and NZ had not lost a wicket," more kiwi-bashing, this time by Mike

20.1

Herath to Taylor, no run, floated on a length, defended towards the leg side

20.2

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, charges down immediately and Herath flights it towards the pads, but Taylor takes it on the full and flicks it to deep square leg

20.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted ball on the middle, defended down the pitch

20.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up on middle, and the batsman uses his feet to get to the pitch of that and drives it to cover

20.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, slow and flighted, Williamson goes back and punches it to cover

20.6

Herath to Williamson, FOUR, positive shot there by Williamson. It was tossed up on off and KW used his feet to get to the pitch and just timed it over mid-on for a well-controlled boundary

21.1

Mathews to Taylor, 2 runs, back of length outside off, punched off the back foot past point

21.2

Mathews to Taylor, no run, short of length but that goes down the leg side

21.3

Mathews to Taylor, no run, length ball on off stump, punched straight back towards mid-on

21.4

Mathews to Taylor, no run, 127 kph, length ball on off and middle bowled from wide off the crease, defended towards the leg side

21.5

Mathews to Taylor, no run, more accurate bowling from Angelo and Taylor defends it off the front foot

21.6

Mathews to Taylor, 3 runs, fuller length ball on the middle, Taylor gets across and times it past midwicket nicely for some more runs

Joe Pagani has sent me a long comment, the last line of which is: "I just want this pain to stop." Sorry Joe, I have limited space here.

22.1

Herath to Taylor, no run, flighted on the pads, defended towards the leg side

22.2

Herath to Taylor, no run, 83.6 kph, tossed up on off stump, defended off the front foot

22.3

Herath to Taylor, no run, flatter delivery, short and a bit wide, Taylor cuts it but can't beat the fielder at point

22.4

Herath to Taylor, no run, tossed up off stump line now, defended back to the bowler

22.5

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, floated further up and Taylor punches that on the walk towards long-on

22.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, full and flighted on the middle, the batsman drives it inside out towards mid-off

Kula is back.

23.1

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, defended down the pitch

23.2

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, fuller delivery and Taylor drives it straight to mid-off

23.3

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, some away movement for Kula, but Taylor gets nicely behind that and plays it towards point

23.4

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, drives it on the walk again. The ball was full and on off stump, he drove it to mid-on

23.5

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, 121 kph, fuller length outside off, driven straight to cover this time

23.6

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, back of length outside off, not much bounce at all, Taylor gets nicely on top of that

Alex: "@Tharindu, dont be too harsh on Paranavitana, he'd be an all time great if he was a kiwi"

24.1

Herath to Williamson, FOUR, short and wide, the batsman goes back and cuts it hard through point

24.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up on the middle, 79 kph, defended off the front foot

24.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, more slow flighted stuff from Herath, defended down the pitch

24.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, he is testing the batsman's patience, floats it up again and is defended towards the off side

24.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, takes quick steps down to get to the pitch of the ball and defends on the leg side

24.6

Herath to Williamson, FOUR, charges at this one again and drives it inside out through cover, all along the ground. Pretty shot there.

25.1

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, length ball outside off, Taylor goes across and gets behind it to drive it to cover

25.2

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, 100 kph leg-break by Kula, well-spotted by Taylor, who just comes forward to smother it down on the pitch

25.3

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, 126 kph, back of length on the off stump line, punched towards mid-on off the back foot

25.4

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, back of length outside off now, but Taylor goes back and across every time, punches this to mid-off

25.5

Kulasekara to Taylor, no run, fuller length outside off, Taylor drove that one back down the ground but the bowler makes the stop with his right hand

25.6

Kulasekara to Taylor, FOUR, now he finds the gap between mid-off and extra cover with a well-timed drive off a fuller length ball on off

Suraj Randiv replaces Herath just before lunch.

26.1

Randiv to Williamson, no run, 87 kph, bowls it wide outside off and the batsman hangs his bat at that and missed the shot

26.2

Randiv to Williamson, no run, flatter delivery, short of length, defended off the back foot

26.3

Randiv to Williamson, no run, another flatter delivery around off stump, turns in a bit, defended off the back foot

26.4

Randiv to Williamson, no run, tossed up delivery on off, defended down the pitch

26.5

Randiv to Williamson, FOUR, flights this one right up but gives a lot of width, Williamson comes forwards and drives it nicely through cover

26.6

Randiv to Williamson, no run, tossed up on, defended towards leg side with the turn

Herath changes ends.

27.1

Herath to Taylor, no run, flighted, but slides down the leg side

27.2

Herath to Taylor, 3 runs, again drifts towards the pads and Taylor just tickles it fine. The ball is pulled back just before the boundary

27.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, flatter delivery on the middle, the batsman goes back to defend and gets an inside edge

27.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery, the batsman uses his feet and drives it inside out, but straight to cover

27.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up ball, defended towards the leg side

27.6

Herath to Williamson, 2 runs, flatter and shorter delivery on the middle, Williamson goes back and punches it through square leg for a couple

28.1

Randiv to Taylor, 2 runs, flighted delivery outside off and Taylor paddles it from there to play it towards fine leg

28.2

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, floated outside off and Taylor pulls out the big sweep but doesn't get the timing right as he plays that towards square leg

28.3

Randiv to Williamson, no run, flatter delivery outside off, the batsman goes back to defend

28.4

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, flighted delivery on the pads, turned past the short leg fielder for an easy single

28.5

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up on the middle, defended towards the leg side

28.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flighted and slow outside off, Taylor won't get to his fifty in this session as he comes forward to defend that

"I think we should focus and worry about Williamson getting a 50, before casting thoughts higher, especially to a double century," Jake has his feet firmly on the ground.

"Even after Dimuth got a 50, he is dropped and in comes Dilshan..bored of watching the same old guys batting and failing..come on SL selectors bring some young batsmen to play. When will the seniors retire?" Viran de Silva, I am sure this question resonates well with the feeling of fans from a neighbouring country too.

"I know he hasn't lived up to his skill very often yet, but this time I can feel a double century from Kane Williamson!" Rob is riding on his hope. Well, for the sake of some good competitive cricket, let's hope that your wish comes true.

Paul: "The pain may not stop for awhile - I just want them (the top six Kiwi batsmen) to follow Martin Crowe's advice in his 'open letter' on the cricinfo website..."

Eranga to start the first over after lunch.

We are just about to start a new session. The last one, after a couple of blips, went New Zealand's way. This comment by Iain, "Where is Chris Martin - the way the NZ top 6 are going he would boost the batting stocks," is slightly misplaced at the moment, but it is funny nonetheless.

29.1

Eranga to Williamson, no run, 130 kph, fuller length outside off, Williamson comes forward in defence

Two slips and a wide third slip in place

29.2

Eranga to Williamson, 1 run, 132.4 kph, back of a length on the off stump, comes slow off the deck, the batsman easily dabs it towards the off side to pick up an easy single

29.3

Eranga to Taylor, FOUR, fuller delivery down the legs gives Taylor his fifty! Eranga lost direction and was tickled fine for a boundary.

29.4

Eranga to Taylor, no run, back of a length on off stump, solidly defended towards off side

29.5

Eranga to Taylor, 1 run, length delivery on off, driven on the up to extra cover, who misfields to allow a single

29.6

Eranga to Williamson, no run, fuller length delivery outside off, defended off the front foot

Randiv to continue

30.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up outside off, defended towards point

30.2

Randiv to Taylor, no run, bowls it slow outside off, Taylor gets right behind it to defend it down the pitch

30.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, floated up around the off stump line, Taylor stays on the crease and defends it down the pitch

30.4

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up further, Taylors plays that walking drive but hits it straight to the bowler

30.5

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter delivery outside off, turns in a bit into the batsman who defends off the back foot

30.6

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, sweeps it from outside off to the deep backward square leg region

Taylor stops Eranga in his run up as the Eranga's towel comes off

31.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, length ball on the off stump, Taylor comes forward to drive it straight to extra cover

31.2

Eranga to Taylor, 1 run, back of a length outside off, Taylor goes back to defend, gets an inside edge on to the pads and the ball rolls towards the off side for the batsmen to take a single

31.3

Eranga to Williamson, 2 runs, angled in from wide off the crease, Williamson stays back and just punches it through midwicket for a couple

31.4

Eranga to Williamson, FOUR, short and wide and because it hasn't bounced much, Williamson, instead of cutting it through point, punches it through cover

31.5

Eranga to Williamson, no run, 137 kph, on a length outside off, defended easily off the back foot

31.6

Eranga to Williamson, FOUR, drifting on to the pads and Williamson just flicks it through square leg to move to 49

32.1

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, very close to the leg gully fielder! The ball was tossed up on the middle and leg stump and Taylor wasn't in control of that flick as the ball flew very close to the fielder

32.2

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, fifty for Williamson, he dabs a length delivery to off side

32.3

Randiv to Taylor, 2 runs, flatter delivery on the stumps, Taylor waits on the back foot and turns it to the deep midwicket area

32.4

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, flatter delivery, but the length was short and it allows Taylor to go back and pick up a single on the leg side

32.5

Randiv to Williamson, no run, tossed up outside off, defended off the front foot

32.6

Randiv to Williamson, no run, flighted outside off again and Williamson comes right behind that to defend it down the pitch

Eranga comes round the wicket.

33.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, bowls it full, but Taylor leaves it as it goes away with the angle

33.2

Eranga to Taylor, no run, fuller length on off stump, Taylor comes forward to drive it to mid-on

33.3

Eranga to Taylor, FOUR, beautifully driven through the gap on the on side. It was a length ball on the off stump, and he just wrists it through the gap between midwicket and mid-on

33.4

Eranga to Taylor, no run, bowls if full and a bit outside off, Taylor lets it go easily

33.5

Eranga to Taylor, no run, length ball, pitches on the middle, Taylor meets it outside off and defends it down the pitch

33.6

Eranga to Taylor, 1 run, fuller length delivery with more width, Taylor waits and opens the face to drive it to deep point

34.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, bowls it on the pads and that goes further down with the turn, padded away by Taylor

34.2

Randiv to Taylor, no run, gets it outside off this time, but Taylor gets behind it to defend it down the pitch

34.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up outside off, defended off the front foot

34.4

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, tosses it up wide and Taylor covers the stumps, waits for the turn, and then dabs it to off side for a single

34.5

Randiv to Williamson, no run, charges down to a tossed up delivery but drives it back to the bowler

34.6

Randiv to Williamson, no run, flatter delivery, bowled on a length, Williamson goes back to defend

Eranga continues round the wicket

35.1

Eranga to Taylor, no run, bowls it full outside off and Taylor leaves it with the angle

35.2

Eranga to Taylor, 1 run, fuller length on off stump, Taylor wanted to drive it to mid-off but gets an inside edge towards the leg side

35.3

Eranga to Williamson, no run, 139.6 kph, fuller length on off stump, Williamson drives it to mid-off

35.4

Eranga to Williamson, 1 run, short of length and outside off, Williamson wanted to steer it past point, but the slow pace off the pitch means he ends up chopping the ball towards the fielder

35.5

Eranga to Taylor, 2 runs, on the offstump, Taylor comes across and places it towards midwicket for a couple

35.6

Eranga to Taylor, no run, wide and full outside off, no problems for Taylor as he lets it go

36.1

Randiv to Williamson, no run, tossed up outside off, defended off the front foot

36.2

Randiv to Williamson, no run, on the middle stump line, defended on the leg side

36.3

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, flatter delivery outside off, comes in off the pitch, the batsman goes back and punches it through extra cover

36.4

Randiv to Taylor, no run, 83 kph, tossed up outside off, Taylor comes right forward to defend it down the pitch

36.5

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter delivery, very full, on off stump, defended down the pitch

36.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, keeps it tight on off side, defended towards cover

Rangana Herath comes back.

37.1

Herath to Williamson, 1 run, flighted delivery, but on the pads, tucked away towards square leg

"It's surprising that there were so many comments criticizing the Kiwi batsmen, but no words of praise for this partnership yet. So here I say: Good going guys, You are doing really well! Bravo!!" High time someone said that Akash.

37.2

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, full and flighted outside off, driven to long-off

37.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up and very full, Williamson drives it towards the short-cover fielder

37.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, slower and loopy delivery, defended down the pitch

37.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted ball outside off, defended back to the bowler

37.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, changes his line a bit by tossing it up towards the pads, defended towards the leg side

38.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter delivery on the middle, Taylor defends it down the pitch

38.2

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, flighted delivery on the off, Taylor waits and drives it past the diving short midwicket fielder

38.3

Randiv to Williamson, no run, tossed up outside off, defended to the leg side off the front foot

38.4

Randiv to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery outside off, the batsman comes forward in defence

38.5

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, flatter delivery outside off, short of length which allows the batsman to go back and punch it through cover

38.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up outside off, Taylor gets behind the line to defend it down the pitch

"Thankyou Akash - most of us Kiwis are too scared to say anything!", says Ben

Gaurav: "Requesting the KIWI fans to continue criticizing their batting, don't need any word of praise to curse this batting partnership !!"

39.1

Herath to Williamson, 2 runs, flighted delivery, on the middle, but the length allows the batsman to go back and turn it to the leg side

39.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed right up to the batsman, defended down the pitch

39.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, floated on the middle stump line, defended to the leg side

39.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, slow and flighted outside off, the batsman gets behind the line to defend

39.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, flatter and slightly short of length, the batsman goes back to defend

39.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, flat on off stump, driven towards cover off the front foot

40.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up on off stump, defended back to the bowler

40.2

Randiv to Taylor, no run, floated on the middle, defended towards the leg side

40.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up on middle and off, blocked off the front foot

40.4

Randiv to Taylor, no run, a bit of width on this one, the batsman goes back to defend on the off side

40.5

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flighted on the middle, Taylor gets behind that one and dabs it towards the leg side

40.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, pushed through by the bowler outside off, defended off the front foot towards leg side

41.1

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted and full, Williamson comes right forward to smother the spin

41.2

Herath to Williamson, 2 runs, pulls the length back on this flatter delivery, the batsman goes back and punches it to the on side

41.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, floated on the off stump line, defended back to the bowler

41.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up and full delivery on the stump, again defended down the pitch

41.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, changes the line a bit as he flights this one outside off, left alone by the batsman

41.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, more front foot defence by Kane Williamson. He looks very solid against Herath at the moment

42.1

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, flighted delivery outside off, dabbed on the off for a single to bring up a hundred partnership between these two

42.2

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, tossed up on the middle and leg, driven to deep midwicket easily

42.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter trajectory on the off stump line, the batsman comes forward to defend

42.4

Randiv to Taylor, no run, more of the same again, defended down the pitch

Randiv is coming round the wicket now.

42.5

Randiv to Taylor, no run, and bowls in on the leg stump, Taylor defends without any problems

42.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, on the middle stump line, blocked towards the leg side

So much of flight - defence - flight -defence! How does one type it differently for six balls? I am struggling for words here.

43.1

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up on the off stump, defended back to the bowler

43.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, and again, on the offstump, Williamson takes a big stride to defend it down the pitch

43.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, and again, tossed up on off stump line, defended to the left of the bowler

43.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted a little outside off, the batsman comes forward but leaves it at the last moment

43.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, flatter delivery, pushed through to the batsman, defended off the front foot again

43.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, loopy delivery on the off stump, defended down the pitch again.

There has to be a better way of describing these deliveries. Any help will be appreciated.

Eranga continues round the wicket

44.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, on the middle and leg stump line, defended to the leg side

44.2

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up on the off stump line, the batsman get right behind it and defends off the front foot

A leg slip has been placed is addition to a backward short leg

44.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter delivery on the middle, again defended towards the leg side

44.4

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, floated on the pads, Taylor rolls his wrists on top of that to play it towards short fine leg

44.5

Randiv to Williamson, no run, fuller and flighted outside off, defended towards midwicket by Williamson

44.6

Randiv to Williamson, no run, slow and short of length on the middle, Williamson goes back to defend it to the leg side

"Well done to these two lets hope neither of them throws it away after working so well to rescue NZ...and lets hope the others to follow gain confidence from these two," says Ian Landreth.

All that negativity in the morning has suddenly turned to a lot of hope for the feedbackers from NZ, but some people are just hard to please, like David, who says "NZ Fans have just had too much experience with Murphy's Law. As soon as we praise the batsmen, one of them gets out"

45.1

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, flighted outside off, Taylor comes to the pitch of the ball and drives it to deep cover

45.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, 80 kph, slow and loopy delivery on the middle, defended to the leg side

45.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, very full and on the off stumps, squeezed to point off the front foot

45.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, pulls the length back this time, but Williamson continues to stay solid

45.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, pushed through on the off stump line, defended towards the leg side

45.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up on off stump, defended back to the bowler

46.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, floated on the leg stump, driven to the right of short midwicket

46.2

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, flighted and full on the off stump, Taylor drives it to the long-on fielder for an easy single

46.3

Randiv to Williamson, no run, slower delivery, slightly back of length, punched to midwicket off the back foot

46.4

Randiv to Williamson, no run, charges down to a full delivery, but plays it straight to short midwicket

46.5

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, flatter delivery on the pads, pushed to deep square leg easily

46.6

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, tossed up on the pads again, dabbed on the leg side for an easy single

47.1

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, fuller delivery on the off stump, driven to deep point

47.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted on the off stump, Williamson comes forward to defend it back to the bowler

47.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, tossed up on off stump, driven straight to cover

47.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, the batsman stays solidly behind that ball as he plays it down the pitch

47.5

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery, Williamson shows more of his front foot defence

47.6

Herath to Williamson, no run, fuller and flighted, Williamson comes forward and drives it to cover, but can't beat the fielder

More sarcasm from Sean: "From a Kiwi's perspective, you could describe each ball faced without the fall of a wicket, runs or not, as a miracle?"

48.1

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flighted delivery, but down the leg side from round the wicket

48.2

Randiv to Taylor, no run, flatter on the off stump, Taylor goes right back in defence

48.3

Randiv to Taylor, no run, tossed up on off stump line, Taylor comes forward to defend it down the pitch

48.4

Randiv to Taylor, 1 run, flighted on the middle stump, and because the ball is full, Taylor just turns it to deep midwicket easily

48.5

Randiv to Williamson, 1 run, flatter delivery, short of length, comes in a bit after pitching, but the batsman goes back and turns it past the leg slip fielder for another easy single

Back over the wicket

48.6

Randiv to Taylor, no run, and Taylor tries to sweep this from outside off, misses it and gets hit on the pads. An appeal for lbw, but that struck the pads outside the line of off stump

49.1

Herath to Williamson, no run, Williamson continues to stay solid behind flighted deliveries

49.2

Herath to Williamson, no run, another tossed up delivery on the off and middle stump, defended towards leg side

49.3

Herath to Williamson, no run, flighted delivery, the batsman comes right forward in defence

49.4

Herath to Williamson, no run, pushed through flatter on the middle, Williamson dabs it towards the leg side and looks for a single, but Taylor sends him back

49.5

Herath to Williamson, 1 run, flighted delivery outside off, Williamson drives it stylishly all along the ground through cover

49.6

Herath to Taylor, 1 run, pushed through flat by Herath and Taylor drives it to long-on to bring the 150 for New Zealand

This has been the best partnership for New Zealand this year, a startling fact indeed. But it also shows how well these two have played.