Sangakkara double ton stuns Black Caps
Sri Lanka started day two in Wellington in dire straits, but by stumps were in a strong position, thanks to Kumar Sangakkara's majestic double century that saved their skins at the Basin Reserve.
Sangakkara made 203 across nearly the whole day to rescue his side from 78 for five at the start of play to 356 all out. At the close, New Zealand were on 22 for none, trailing by 113 runs.
The veteran batsman started the day on 33, with Dinesh Chandimal joining him for the first time in the game after a wicket fell to bring about stumps. The pair proceeded to demonstrate how good a batting wicket it actually is, despite the 15 wickets that fell on day one.
Over the next 44 overs they added 130 runs together, not even reaching three to the over, but with the time in hand the run rate was immaterial. They held on to their wickets, and by the time Chandimal departed for 67, the score had reached 208.
Sanga had not reached his ton yet by this point, and small partnerships with Dhammika Prasad and Rangana Herath saw him dominate the pairings and push past 100, then 150 with the bowlers stuck with him.
His double came up after a period of acceleration, where he scored 58 of the 67 runs he and Suranga Lakmal added. His double ton came off 301 balls, and included three sixes. It was his 11th score above 200, just one behind Don Bradman.
He was the second last wicket to fall, the score on 356, when Trent Boult took a stunning catch at backward point. The paceman leapt high to his left, and fell to the ground while holding on. Lakmal departed on the same score the next over.
New Zealand then had to bat for 11 overs, and made just 22 runs as Tom Latham and Hamish Rutherford ensured they'd start day three with all their wickets in hand. Will this game make it to day five?
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