Sri Lanka battled to a rain-affected draw in the first Test against New Zealand on Wednesday after the Black Caps were unable to break an epic stand by Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews. The tourists were 287 for three in their second innings -- still, nine runs away from an innings defeat -- when the umpires called time with only 13 overs bowled on the final day. Mendis was unbeaten on 141 and Mathews 120 not out at stumps after a 274-run stand that, along with the weather, allowed Sri Lanka to salvage a draw. The fourth-ranked Black Caps entered the two-match contest buoyed by their first away Test series win over Pakistan in 49 years. They are looking for a fourth straight Test series win after also defeating England and the West Indies in the past 12 months.

Source: dna December 19, 2018 04:07 UTC