New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 2018: Tom Latham's 264* Puts Kiwis Ahead At Wellington

Well, it was quite a day at the office for Kiwis, especially, for Tom Latham. He marked his presence with a stunning unbeaten 264* to his name to leave the visitors Sri Lanka in all kinds of sorts. At the end of Day 3 play, Sri Lanka was trailing by 276 runs in their second innings with 7 wickets in the hand.

During the course of a record ton, Latham broke quite a few records. He became only the second New Zealand batsman to carry his bat through an innings after Glenn Turner, who did twice. Further, he placed at top of the chart for scoring all-time highest tally of 264* by an opening batsman while carrying the bat.

Tom Latham-Kane Williamson stitches 162-run partnership:

After losing Jeet Ravel on 59, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson batted beautifully to put Islanders chasing the leather more often than not. The duo knocked the ball by writing class all over it. Though they were kept in a few tricky situations, the duo batted out beautifully to secure a massive lead.

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The @BasinReserve stands as one to applaud Tom Latham who finishes 264 not-out – the 6th highest Test score by a NZ male.
BLACKCAPS 578 all out, a lead of 296 #NZvSL pic.twitter.com/tontbLg3oY

— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 17, 2018

Kane Williamson suffered a heartbreak when he was dismissed for 91. However, Ross Taylor carried the ship by knocking 50 to his name while Tom Latham was rock solid at the other end. Ironically, Henry Nicholas also chipped in with a  50 before being dismissed.

He was quickly followed by BJ Watling, who was dismissed for a 6-ball duck. However, Colin de Grandhomme stood in the middle to help Tom Latham finish his double century. During the course, Colin entertained the fans with 3 sixes and 3 fours.

However, the wicket of Grandhomme opened the gates for Sri Lanka, who knocked out the tail in a flash. The second innings start was even worse for the visitors, as they lost 3 wickets in a quick span to end Day 3 on a sorrow note.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult combined to rattled the wickets of Sri Lanka’s top 3 batsmen. At the end of Day 3 stumps, Kusal Mendia and Angelo Mathews were batting on 5* and 2* respectively. Earlier, Lahiru Kumar picked 4 wickets for Sri Lanka.

Brief Scores:

1st Innings;

Sri Lanka – 282-all-out.

New Zealand – 578-all-out (Tom Latham 264*, Williamson 91, Lahiru 4/127)

2nd Innings:

Sri Lanka – 20/3 (Kusal 5*; Tim Southee 2/7, Boult 1/12)

Match Progress – Sri Lanka trail by 276 runs with 7 wickets in hand.