Kiwis level series with last ball victory

Elmo Rodrigopulle from New Zealand

CRICKET: In a nail biting finish the New Zealand Blackcaps beat the Sri Lankans by one wicket in the last ball of the match in the second one-day international to share the series one-all with three to go.

That the match went to the wire at the Queenstown Events Centre was good for the game.

When Sanath Jayasuriya came on to bowl the final over the scores were tied on 224.Jayasuriya bowled five dot balls and then with excitement running high last man Michael Mason lifted the final ball over the bowler's head for four to give his side victory.

A tie would have been a just result.

It was a game of fluctuating fortunes with the pendulum swinging from one side to the other. The Sri Lankans were in with a chance when Muttiah Muralitharan got among the wickets. But James Franklin batted sensibly to make 45 and steer his side home. Earlier James Marshall 50 and Brendon McCallum 32 gave their side a great start putting on 52 for the first wicket.

When Sri Lanka batted it was all Kumar Sangakkara who played a masterly innings to make 89. James Franklin was made man of the match.

Napier, where the Sri Lankans had the sun on their backs, Queenstown was overcast and cold and not to the liking of the Lankans when the captains walked out to toss. Daniel Vettori won the toss and asked Mahela Jayawardena's side in.

The side winning the toss here has not lost a game.

Sri Lanka brought in Farveez Mahroof for Dilhara Fernando and the Black caps tossed in the big hitting Craig McMilllan for Nathan Astle who was injured.

The wicket was not one for the batsmen like in Napier. It was seam friendly and the ball was not coming on to the bat, thereby cramping the free scoring Lankan batsmen.

Disaster struck in the second over with the score on 4 when Sanath Jayasuriya who had a great game in Napier was bowled off his body by Michael Mason playing a pull stroke too early for one.

Then 10 runs later Jayawardena who has not being having a good run with the bat according to his standards was bowled off bat and pad by Mark Gillespie who moved one in off the seam for 2. He made only 2.

Upul Tharanga seemed to be carrying his Napier form playing some exquisite cover drives and after adding 36 for the third wicket went when he tickled a delivery that Mason moved off the wicket to Ross Taylor in the slips for 23 with 4 fours.

The elegant Kumar Sangakkara who has good success with the bat on this tour was immediately on to his run making act, playing some eye catching cover drives going down on his knees. He flicked off his toes and played some late cuts with excellent timing.

With Marvan Atapattu who made 22, Sangakkara added 52 for the 4th wicket in 76 balls, when Atapattu who has yet to find his form of old was bowled by spinner Daniel Vettori trying to drive from the crease. He made 22 with 2 fours.

With Chamara Silva, Sangakkara rotated the strike with good running between the wickets taking the singles and twos.

Then Silva after making 31 with 2 fours holed out to Marshall at mid wicket after adding 74 for the 5th wicket in 103 balls with Sangakkara.

Sangakkara who was shaping for a three figure score was unfortunately run out for 89 when Andre Adams deflected a ball on to the wicket at the non-striker's end with Sangakkara short of his ground Sangaskkara hit 10 fours in his 121 ball innings.

Of the tailenders Farveez Maharoof blasted 29 off 24 balls to take Sri Lanka to a score of 224 for seven in 50. It was apparent that the Lankans had fallen short by about 30 to 40 runs.

Gillespie 2, Mason 2 and Franklin and Vettori with one each were among the wickets.

SRI LANKA Innings

U. Tharanga c Taylor b Mason 23

S. Jayasuriya b Mason 1

M. Jayawardene b Gillespie 4

K. Sangakkara run out 89

M. Atapattu b Vettori 22

C. Silva c H. Marshall b Franklin 31

T. Dilshan c Taylor b Gillespie 8

F. Maharoof not out 29

C. Vaas not out 9

EXTRAS (lb-3 nb-1 w-4) 8

TOTAL (for 7 wickets, 50 overs) 224

Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-14 3-50 4-102 5-176 6-177 7-192

Did not bat: L. Malinga, M. Muralitharan

BOWLING: M. Gillespie 10-0-46-2 (nb-1 w-3), M. Mason 10-1-50-2 (w-1), J. Franklin 10-0-46-1, A. Adams 10-0-42-0, D. Vettori 10-0-37-1.

NEW ZEALAND Innings

J. Marshall run out 50

B. McCullum lbw b Maharoof 32

R. Taylor run out 15

P. Fulton lbw b Muralitharan 2

D. Vettori b Malinga 19

C. McMillan c M. Jayawardene b Muralitharan 2

H. Marshall c&b Dilshan 29

J. Franklin not out 45

A. Adams lbw b Muralitharan 6

M. Gillespie c Maharoof b Vaas 11

M. Mason not out 4

EXTRAS (lb-5 nb-4 w-4) 13

TOTAL (for 9 wickets, 50 overs) 228

Fall of wickets: 1-57 2-87 3-91 4-121 5-126 6-141 7-175 8-194 9-223

BOWLING: C. Vaas 10-0-46-1 (w-1), L. Malinga 10-0-53-1 (nb-1 w-1), F. Maharoof 8-0-40-1 (nb-1), M. Muralitharan 10-1-31-3 (w-1), S. Jayasuriya 5-0-28-0 (w-1), T. Dilshan 7-0-25-1

Result: New Zealand won by 1 wicket

QUEENSTOWN EVENTS, CENTRE, Sunday