Patience the key to sealing Test: Boult

New Zealand will adjust their methods in a bid to break a dogged Sri Lanka rearguard on the third day of the first cricket Test at Hagley Oval.

The tourists resume their second innings at 0-84 on Sunday, still 219 runs shy of forcing the Black Caps to bat again.

Asked to follow on after their team’s abysmal 138, openers Dimuth Karunaratne (49) and Kaushal Silva (33) displayed the requisite backbone.

Escaping defeat is still some way off for Sri Lanka, who will probably need to bat for six of the last nine remaining sessions to harbour thoughts of avoiding defeat.

Left-arm seamer Trent Boult is determined that won’t happen but has warned his teammates wickets won’t come as easily as they did during during two destructive sessions on Saturday.

The second new ball won’t be available until midway through the second session on Sunday, prompting Boult to target a more patient approach rather than all-out attack.

“Keeping it simple and just looking for that variation out of the wicket is going to be key.

Boult says the new Test pitch is still helpful for pace bowlers, particularly with a new ball.

New ball pair Boult and Tim Southee stood out with swing and seam movement, something their teammates and the tourists have struggled to match.

Sri Lankan seamer Dhammika Prasad says his team are still coming to grips with the greener New Zealand conditions.

Karunaratne and Silva are showing the way in terms of application and that needs to be matched by the rest of the batting order, Prasad said.

However, he admits danger lurks at every corner.

“When you’re hitting the seam in the right areas, it’s doing a bit.

“But you have to bowl in the right areas all the time.”

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