Team work helps Sri Lanka win by three wickets

Chinthana Wasala reporting from Dambulla

Sri Lanka made a winning approach to the Tri Nation Tournament with a well made three wicket win over New Zealand aided by excellent teamwork at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

The Lankan victory was crafted off with good bowling performances by Lasith Malinga and Anjelo Mathews followed by Upul Tharanga and Kumar Sangakkara’s two good innings with the bat.

Lankan openers T.M. Dilshan and Upul Tharanga came to bat with a target of 193 in front of them. But Dilshan could not last long as Kyle Mills struck early, caught him off his own bowling and Sri Lanka’s first wicket fell at 11 in the third over.

Dilshan scored only five runs. But thereafter Man of the Match Upul Tharanga teamed up with skipper Kumar Sangakkara to lift the Lankans to a decent score. Both of them hit some hard hit drives and cuts and shared a 85 run partnership before Styris bowled a quick off pitched delivery which flew out after hitting Sangakkara’s bat and Guptill stretched to the best he can and caught at short extra cover. Sangakkara had five boundaries before his wicket fell at 48.

Tharanga carried on. But soon after his 17th ODI half century, new batsman Mahela Jayawardena who was on 5, caught by Taylor at short extra cover giving McCullam a wicket and Sri Lanka were 119 for 3.

Then Thilan Samaraweera joined Tharanga and crafted a 43 run partnership but Tharanga was caught at deep cover by Watling for a well made 70 runs, giving Mills his second wicket. Sri Lanka then faced a shock of losing Anjelo Mathews in the same over, caught at short midwicket for a duck.

In the next over, next man Kulasekera got out for 7. Rangana Herath who was set up the batting order, was easily caught at two by Taylor, giving Mills his fourth in wicket of the match when the score was 180 for 7.

Lankans were looking for a bonus point, which was on offer for reaching the target in 40 overs, but missed it by five deliveries. Samaraweera finished off in style, hitting a boundary off a good off pitched delivery by Mills, and Sri Lanka won by three wickets with 9.5 overs to spare. Samaraweera was on 36 and Kapugedera on 9 not out. Earlier Lasith Malinga and Anjelo Mathews took three wickets each to help Sri Lanka wrap up the New Zealand innings for 192 in 48.1 overs. Malinga took 3 for 35 in his 10 over spell which included seven extras while Mathews’ three wickets cost him 36 runs.

The Kiwis had three changes from the team that trounced India in the tournament opener. Tim Southee, Nathan McCullum and Watling came in for Black caps replacing Elliot, Ingram and Oram.

Having won the toss, New Zealand elected to bat but had a shaky start which saw Guptill being caught at backward point by Kapugedera for a duck, giving Malinga his 100th ODI wicket, putting 2 for 1 on the board. Then Ross Taylor and BJ Watling carried out an effort to lift the scores. But Mathews struck twice in his third over, sending Taylor (16) and the new man Kane Williamson back to the pavilion. Williamson was the second batsman who got out for no runs.

Then Watling and Scot Styris added 52 runs to their innings before another double blow hit the Black Caps. Styris who was on 24, was easily caught at first slip by Mahela off bowling of Rangana Herath. In the very next over, the man in form, Watling departed for 55 runs off a lovely delivery which came in just outside the off stump and caught by Sangakkara.

The debutant Watling did his best after being called in to replace Ingram as the opener and included eight boundaries in his first ever ODI innings being only the seventh Black Cap to achieve that feat.

Malinga’s fifth over which he included all sorts of deliveries, the bouncers, slow yokers, slow full tosses and a wonderful yoker saw another double blow of the New Zealand innings. The fifth in that over, one in a fuller length, kissed the bottom edge of Gareth Hopkins’ bat and was caught at point by Kapugedera. It looked like a bounced catch but the third umpire Tyron Wijewardena made his decision clear and ruled him as out.

The new batsmen Darryl Tuffey faced the worst nightmare when Malinga surprised him with a 142.2kmh yorker which went in to hit the leg stump to make it a two in two to make it 123 for 7 at the end of the 30th over.

Kyle Mills made 11, McCullam 36 but it was Kulasekera who finished off with his only wicket in the match, Southee, caught by Dilshan near the boundary.

NEW ZEALAND

BJ. Watling c Sangakkara b Mathews	55
M. Guptill c Kapugedera b Malinga	 0
R. Taylor lbw b Mathews			16
K. Williamson c Samaraweera b Mathews	 0
S. Styris c Jayawardene b Herath	24
G. Hopkins c Kapugedera b Malinga	11
N. McCullum c Herath b Mendis		36
D. Tuffey b Malinga			 0
K. Mills c Mathews b Herath		11
T. Southee c Dilshan b Kulasekara	13
A. McKay not out			 4
Extras (b5, lb4, nb3, w10)		22
Total (for all out;  48.1 overs)	192
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Guptill), 2-47 (Taylor), 3-47 (Williamson), 4-99 (Styris), 
5-101 (Watling), 6-123 (Hopkins), 7-123 (Tuffey), 8-143 (Mills), 9-178 (McCullum), 10-192 (Southee).
Bowling: Malinga 10-1-35-3 (nb3, w4), Kulasekara 8.1-1-35-1 (w1), Mathews 10-1-36-3 (w1), 
Mendis 10-0-42-1 (w4), Herath 10-0-35-2.

SRI LANKA

U. Tharanga c Watling b Mills		70
T. Dilshan c and b Mills		 5
K. Sangakkara c Guptill b Styris	48
M. Jayawardene c Taylor b McCullum	 5
T. Samaraweera not out			36
A. Mathews c Taylor b Mills		 0
N. Kulasekara c Hopkins b Southee	 7
R. Herath c Taylor b Mills		 2
C. Kapugedera not out			 9
Extras (b4, lb1, w8)			13
Total (for seven wickets; 40.5 overs)	195
Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Dilshan), 2-96 (Sangakkara), 3-119 (Jayawardene), 4-162 (Tharanga),
 5-164 (Mathews), 6-177 (Kulasekara), 7-180 (Herath).
Bowling: Mills 9.5-1-41-4 (w2), Tuffey 5-0-31-0 (w1), Southee 6-0-41-1 (w3),
 McKay 4-0-26-0, McCullum 7-0-23-1, Williamson 1-0-6-0 (w2), Styris 8-0-22-1.