NZ vs SL: Tom Latham slams his 27th Test half-century
Tom Latham scored his 27th Test half-century in the ongoing 1st Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch. The New Zealand opener held his nerves as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Latham played a patient knock and stitched a 58-run stand along with Daryl Mitchell but just when he looked in cruise control, he was dismissed by Asitha Fernando. Here's more.
A patient knock from Latham
The experienced NZ opener, played a very mature knock of 67 as his side kept on losing wickets on the other end. Latham looked to score big on an even pitch but a sensational yorker from Fernando outfoxed him. He was beaten for pace and minimal movement as his stumps got rattled. Latham faced 144 balls for his 67, slamming seven fours.
Latham's numbers for NZ
Latham is one of the only seven NZ batters to score 5,000+ runs in the longest format of the game, he is also the seventh-highest run-scorer for the Kiwis in Tests. Standing in his 73rd Test match, he has scored 5,105 runs slamming 27 fifties and 13 centuries at an average of 41.84. His highest score of 264* also came against SL in 2018.
Here's a look at Latham's Test numbers versus Sri Lanka
Latham enjoys batting against SL in the longest format and boasts 994 runs against them at 76.46. It is the highest he has scored against any opposition. Till now he has smashed four centuries and a fifty against SL. His highest score of 264* came against them in 2018 at Wellington when he carried the bat.
Here's the match summary so far
SL had a shaky start after they were invited to bat, Dimuth Karunaratne (50) and Kusal Mendis (87) were the only players to score fifties as they posted 355/10. In reply, Latham's fifty was very crucial as the hosts were reduced to 162/5 at stumps on Day 2. Mitchell has continued to fight with a 40*-run knock. SL pacers have shared the five wickets.
