NEW DELHI: Kane Williamson, known for his poise at the crease, endured a rare and frustrating third day in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Dismissed twice within just four hours, his uncharacteristic departures left New Zealand reeling at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday.
The first of Williamson’s two dismissals came at around 10:25 AM (IST) in New Zealand’s first innings.
On the last ball of the 17th over, spinner Prabath Jayasuriya delivered a tossed-up ball on off-stump. Williamson, usually adept at playing spin, misjudged his forward defence, playing with hard hands.
The ball took the shoulder of his bat, resulting in a simple catch at slip by Dhananjaya de Silva. Williamson, dismissed for just 7 off 53 balls, lunged too far forward in an attempt to smother the spin, a rare technical error from the veteran batsman.
Following New Zealand’s collapse to 88 all out in their first innings, they were forced to follow on.
Williamson had another chance at the crease, partnering with Devon Conway in a resilient 97-run stand for the second wicket. This partnership looked promising as New Zealand aimed to avoid an innings defeat.
However, Williamson’s innings came to an abrupt end at 2:15 PM (IST), this time falling for 46. Off-spinner Nishan Peiris tempted Williamson into a mistimed shot, as he tried to place the ball wider of long-on.
Substitute fielder Ramesh Mendis sprinted and took a stunning reverse-cupped catch, tumbling hard but holding onto the ball. It marked Williamson’s second dismissal of the day, cutting short an innings that had the potential for a larger score.
Sri Lanka capitalized on these breakthroughs and was five wickets away from a comprehensive series victory at tea on day 3.
Spinners Jayasuriya and Peiris dominated the day, pushing New Zealand into a corner as they continued to search for a way out of a dire situation.
