Wellington: Brendon McCullum’s return to the scene of his greatest triumph was short-lived today with a second-ball duck as New Zealand staggered to 192-7 at tea on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka took a grip on the match with five wickets in the middle session after winning a crucial toss and making New Zealand bat first on a green wicket and with a howling southerly wind at Wellington’s Basin Reserve.
New Zealand had banked on McCullum being their anchor, but just moments after the captain received a hero’s welcome as he strode to the middle, the crowd were silenced as he was bowled on the second ball he faced.
Kane Williamson tried to hold the New Zealand innings together but was removed just before tea for 69. By tea, Mark Craig and Doug Bracewell were both not out five.
McCullum has been feted on his return to Wellington and was presented with the keys to the city during a lunch-break ceremony to mark his New Zealand record 302 in a 13-hour innings against India last February.
But this time there was to be no marathon session, nor a replay of the rollicking 195 he blasted in a shade over two hours in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
He was back in the middle eight overs after lunch, played at two deliveries and returned to the shed after chopping a fuller ball from Suranga Lakmal onto the stumps.
Ross Taylor had fallen for 35 in similar fashion to Dhammika Prasad in the previous over as the Sri Lankan bowlers adopted a better line and length after lunch.
In the opening two hours New Zealand put on 93-2 as Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep led an attack that persisted with short, wide deliveries that were wasted on the ripe conditions.
They did claim the wickets of Tom Latham (six) and Hamish Rutherford (37), due mainly to poor execution by the batsmen, but the five wickets between lunch and tea were a credit to the bowlers.
Jimmy Neesham on 15 gave Pradeep his third wicket with an edge through to the keeper, BJ Watling was caught in slips off Angelo Mathews for 11 before Williamson copied Taylor and McCullum to chop a ball onto the stumps.
For Sri Lanka, Pradeep has been the most effective bowler with three for 53 while Lakmal has two for 57.
AFP
