SRI LANKA SLIP IN LOW SCORING NAIL-BITER
Lasith Malinga was at his deadly best and Sri Lanka were razor-sharp on the field but New Zealand stumbled across the line by a solitary wicket in a breathtaking Group A match of the Champions Trophy cricket tournament here in Cardiff yesterday.
It was only New Zealand’s second ODI win in the last 15 matches against Sri Lanka whose impudent batting in the morning had curtailed their total to an utterly inadequate 138 all out. New Zealand’s last win over Sri Lanka came in 2009.
New Zealand had an early wobble in their chase, but finally skipper Brendon McCullum and his brother Nathan put on a match-winning 35 run stand, New Zealand’s highest of the innings, for the seventh wicket.
It lifted the total from a precarious 80 for 6 to 115 in ten overs and with both batsmen looking pretty solid, it seemed as plain sailing for New Zealand till Malinga, recalled for his final spell, removed both batsmen in successive overs to poise the match on a knife edge.
The last pair Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan survived a tensionfilled last over by Malinga, but managed to knock off the final four runs required for victory in TIllekaratne Dilshan’s next over,-the 37th of the innings.
Malinga proved unplayable and menacing as he claimed figures of four for 34, almost pulling off a miraculous victory for Sri Lanka while Shaminda Eranga, Rangana Herath and even part timer Tillekratne Dilshan who had brilliant figures of 6-1-8-1 in his first spell, all performed with their heart out to atone for a disappointing batting display in the morning.
Eranga called into the side ahead of seasoned Nuwan Kulasekara to the surprise of many, justified his inclusion with two vital blows early to ensure there was a contest at hand despite the paltry Sri Lankan total.
Eranga bowled magnificently with a lot of pace and bounce to obtain an early breakthrough, removing opener Luke Ronchi who edged a ball to wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara in the fourth over.It was a much required blow in defending a small target, and was well supported by his pace partner Malinga and left arm spinner Rangana Herath who respectively had Kane Williamson and dangerous Ross Taylor lbw in successive overs.Eranga who was called in for his second spell soon after this double blow, struck immediately with his first ball, removing the massive threat of in-form opener Martin Guptill.
Guptill was in amazing form in this English summer with two ODI centuries against England, including a massive unbeaten 189, which equaled the highest ODI score on English soil.
Eranga however had him caught superbly in the slips by Mahela Jayawardene with a vicious rising delivery for 25 off 24 balls as New Zealand slumped dangerously to 49 for 4 and fell deeper into the abyss with the dismissals of James Franklin and Daniel Vettori before the revival by McCullum brothers. Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara waged a lone battle but the rest of the Sri Lankan batting appeared pathetically below par as the New Zealand attack completely dominated the proceedings after Sri Lanka won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first.
Sangakkara faced 87 balls to make 68 in a two-hour-forty-minute stay, cracking eight boundaries but he was only batsman who remained unruffled by New Zealand’s pacemen and spinners.
Sangakkara was the eighth wicket to fall with the total on 135 in the 37th over, and the end came swiftly for Sri Lanka nine balls later to the addition of three more runs with more than 13 overs to spare.
Sangakkara had to walk-in on just the second ball of the match when Sri Lanka’s innings began disastrously as the explosive young opener Kusal Janith Perera who showed some tremendous form in the warm-up games was dismissed in the first ball of the match.
Kyle Mills induced an edge from Perera to the third slip Brendon McCullum and followed it up with some excellent seam bowling that put the Lankans on a straight jacket while his left-arm new ball partner Mitchell McClenaghan bowled with plenty of fire from the other end, claiming the crucial wickets of Tillakaratne Dilshan, skipper Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera to finish with four for 43. Dilshan was beaten by an in-dipper to be bowled for the second highest Sri Lankan score of 20 while Mathews who showed glimpses of good touch was bowled down the led side when he missed an attempted flick. Thisara Perera who made 15 was the only other batsman to earn double figures as the Sri Lankan team made a collective total of 67 apart from Sangakkara. Spinners Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum complemented their pacies brilliantly, producing superb spells that stunningly restricted a lineup traditionally strong against spin.
Vettori whose inclusion in the match was in doubt even on the eve of the match due to fitness issues claimed one for 16 in six overs while McCullum had two for 23 in eight overs. Vettori incidentally was playing his first ODI since the world cup semi final against Sri Lanka two years ago.