This 8th wicket stand has now matured to 49 runs, with Chapman doing all the heavy-lifting. Nathan Smith has provided a good hand from the other end as well. Also, this match draws a fascinating similarity to the 2022-23 New Zealand-India ODI. In that clash, India had set 349, and New Zealand found themselves at 131/6 while chasing with their top order blown away, much like today’s 77/7 collapse. Back then, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner mounted a remarkable 162-run stand, nearly clinching an improbable win before falling short by 12 runs. The match was gone, but the Kiwis showed tremendous fighting spirit and shrunk down the deficit. Bracewell made a striking 140 off just 78 balls while Santner partnered him well for 57. Today’s batting collapse echoes that match, though without the dramatic recovery partnership. Although, there’s a long way to go for New Zealand here, as they still need to climb a mountain. But as it is being mentioned repeatedly by the on-air commentators, it is still a good batting track and Sri Lanka have ceded their momentum in this series as we have seen. But as of now, Sri Lanka is still in the driver’s seat with just three good balls away from a win.
