SOUTHAMPTON: New Zealand were all out for 249, grabbing a 32-run first-innings lead against India on day five of the World Test Championship (WTC) final on Tuesday.

Skipper Kane Williamson compiled a painstaking 49, while Tim Southee (30) and Kyle Jamieson (21) provided cameos to push New Zealand past India’s first innings total of 217.

Mohammed Shami led India’s fightback with the ball claiming 4-76.

The one-off contest has already lost two full days to rain on England’s south coast, diminishing hopes of a result in the inaugural final of Test cricket’s pinnacle event.

Wednesday has been allocated as a reserve day to make up for lost time.

There was a delayed start to fifth day’s play as well and once New Zealand resumed on 101-2, India clawed back in the contest after Virat Kohli effected three inspired bowling changes.

Shami dismissed Ross Taylor for 11 and clean bowled B.J. Watling, who made one, to wreck New Zealand’s middle order.

The seamer returned after the lunch break to account for the wickets of Colin de Grandhomme and Jamieson.

Williamson hit Shami for a boundary to put New Zealand ahead but fell agonisingly short of what could have been only the second fifty in the low-scoring match.

Ishant Sharma ended the New Zealand skipper’s five-hour vigil, inducing him into feebly poking at a delivery and Kohli grabbed the edge standing wide at the second slip.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 217 (V. Kohli 49, A.M. Rahane 44; K.A. Jamieson 5-31).

NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings, overnight 102-2 from Sunday):

T.W.M. Latham c Kohli b Ashwin 30

D.P. Conway c Shami b I. Sharma 54

K.S. Williamson c Kohli b I. Sharma 49

L.R.P.L. Taylor c Shubman Gill b Shami 11

H.M. Nicholls c R. Sharma b I. Sharma 7

B.J. Watling b Shami 1

C. de Grandhomme lbw b Shami 13

K.A. Jamieson c Bumrah b Shami 21

T.G. Southee b Jadeja 30

N. Wagner c Rahane b Ashwin 0

T.A. Boult not out 7

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-16, NB-6) 26

TOTAL (all out, 99.2 overs) 249

FALL OF WKTS: 1-70, 2-101, 3-117, 4-134, 5-135, 6-162, 7-192, 8-221, 9-234. BOWLING: I. Sharma 25-9-48-3; Bumrah 26-9-57-0 (3nb); Mohammed Shami 26-8-76-4; Ashwin 15-5-28-2 (1nb); Jadeja 7.2-2-20-1 (2nb).

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2021