Daryl Mitchell's 81 guides NZ to thrilling triumph: Key stats
Daryl Mitchell smoked a fiery half-century as New Zealand recorded a thumping two-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test. He backed his 193-ball 102 from the first innings with a quick-fire 81 off just 86 balls. He missed out on becoming the fifth NZ batter to slam twin centuries in a Test. Here we look at his stats.
A match-winning effort from Mitchell
Chasing 285, Mitchell arrived with the scorecard reading 90/3. He batted aggressively and bolstered the scoring rate. Mitchell's approach also allowed Kane Williamson (121*) to play the anchor's role. The duo added 142 runs for the fourth wicket. Mitchell eventually fell prey to Asitha Fernando. Nevertheless, his efforts didn't go in vain as the Kiwis crossed the line on the final ball.
Highest Test average for a NZ batter
Mitchell has raced to 1,299 runs in 17 Tests with the help of five tons and eight fifties. 190 reads his highest score in the format. His average of 59.04 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.
Mitchell missed out on this feat
As mentioned, Mitchell would have become just the fifth Kiwi batter to slam twin centuries in a Test. Glenn Turner, Geoff Howarth, Andrew Jones, and Peter Fulton are currently the only New Zealand batters with the milestone.
How did the match pan out?
Kusal Mendis (87) and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne (50) helped SL post 355 while batting first. Tim Southee claimed 5/64. In reply, NZ managed 373, with Mitchell and Matt Henry (72) making key contributions. SL finished at 302 in their second innings with Angelo Mathews slamming 115. Chasing 285, NZ crossed the line on the final ball, thanks to Williamson's 121*.
