NZ vs SL: Daryl Mitchell smokes his fifth Test century
Daryl Mitchell smoked a timely ton in the ongoing opening Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter scored 102 off 193 deliveries, a knock laced with six fours and two sixes. His efforts helped the hosts post 373. As the Lankan team managed 355 while batting first, the Kiwis earned an 18-run first-innings lead. Here we look at Mitchell's stats.
A fighting hundred from Mitchell
The Kiwis suffered a top-order collapse at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch and were reeling at 151/5. Mitchell, who arrived to bat at number five, led the fight back with the lower-order batters. He recorded half-century stands with Tom Latham and Matt Henry. In the process, he reached his fifth Test ton. Mitchell eventually fell prey to Lahiru Kumara.
A look at his career stats
Mitchell has raced to 1,218 runs in 17 Tests with the help of five tons and seven fifties. 190 reads his highest score in the format. His average of 58 is the highest among Kiwi batters with 1,000 or more runs in Tests. Notably, he is also the fifth-fastest NZ batter to complete 1,000 Test runs, accomplishing the feat in 22 innings.
Golden run since the England series
Though Mitchell made his Test debut back in November 2019, the away series against England in June last year truly marked his arrival in the format. He has since amassed 815 runs in eight Tests at an astronomical average of 74.09 (50s: 4, 100s: 4). Only England's Harry Brook (80.90) boasts a higher average among batters with 800 or more runs in this period.
How has the match proceeded?
Kusal Mendis (87) and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (50) helped SL post 355 while batting first. Tim Southee claimed 5/64. In reply, NZ got off to a poor start before Mitchell fought back. Besides him, Matt Henry contributed with 72 runs as the hosts posted 373. Notably, SL need a win in this fixture to stay alive in the ICC World Test Championship final race.
