A record-shattering sixth-wicket stand between Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott yanked New Zealand out of the mire at 93 for 5 and sent them hurtling to 360 for 5, in what began as a counterattack and then grew into a gargantuan, unstoppable thing of terror. Their unbeaten stand of 267 off 180 balls was the
It had to be black magic. Tim Southee and Trent Boult were swinging a 70-over old ball on the fourth morning. Both ways. Their skill accounted for 13 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets and confirmed Brendon McCullum’s Boxing Day assault as match winning. Christchurch witnessed New Zealand’s fifth victory in 2014, marking it their
Trent Boult ran through the Pakistan top order in a menacing new-ball spell that extinguished early any chance the home side had of batting five-and-a-half sessions to save the Test. The spinners then chipped away at the rest – Mark Craig becoming only the third New Zealand spinner to register a ten-wicket haul – to