Sri Lanka win by 5 runs in ‘Super Over’

20-over game ends in heart stopping tie:

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE reporting

The Sri Lankan cricketers held their nerve in the “Super Over’ to beat New Zealand by 5 runs, after the 20 overs a side game ended heart stopping tie in the first game of the Super Eight World Cup Twenty20 at the Pallekele Stadium under lights, yesterday.

Sri Lanka batting first in the ‘Super Over’ made 13 for one in the over bowled by Tim Southee and Lasith Malinga restricted the New Zealanders to 8 for one to give the Sri Lankans a 5-run victory.

In the 20 overs a side game New Zealand batting first made a formidable 174 for 7 and Sri Lanka who started well had to huff and puff in the latter overs and found themselves on par at 174 for 6 in 20.

New Zealand made 174 for 7 in 20 overs and Sri Lanka in reply made 174 for 6 in 20. In the Super over to decide Sri Lanka batting first made 13 for one and in reply New Zealand made 8 for one to give Sri Lanka victory by 5 runs.

Dilshan belligerent 76

Tillekeratne Dilshan who made a belligerent 76 in 53 balls with 5 fours and 3 sixes was the ‘Player of the match.

It was not going to be easy chasing 175 for victory for the Sri Lankans. But they seemed to have mapped out strategy. The strategy was to give Tillekeratne Dilshan the freedom of playing his big shots,with Mahela Jayewarene to push to the gaps for runs and probe for the boundaries.

The first over from spinner Nathan McCullum went for 17 runs with Dilshan hitting 2 four and a six. Stung to the quick Jayewardene changed gear and lofted 2 sixes and the openers posted the 50 in just 25 balls.

It was champagne batting which sent the full house cheering wildly and into raptures.

The first six overs produced a stunning 68 runs with Dilshan on 33 and Jayewardene on 34.Jayewardene was playing strokes from the book, while Dilshan was hitting big.

Run feast ends

The run feast ended when Jayewardene mistimed a flick to leg and was held by Daniel Vettori off Jacob Oram for 44 in 26 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. It was an exemplary innings while it lasted. The six he drove on the off was a class act.

Kumar Sangakkara joined Dilshan and continued the tempo putting on 39 in 29 balls when Sangakkara going well on 21 in 14 balls with 4 fours was needlessly run out at 119.

New Zealand opened with Rob Nicol and Martin Guptil and the two openers reveled on a good batting surface and playing some strong strokes on the off side put on A 57-run stand in 45 balls, when Guptil trying to loft Akila Perera was well taken by Thisara Perera at long off for 36 in 30 balls with 6 fours.

Coming on to bowl in the 8th over, snared Guptil in the 3rd ball and it was a wicket that the young man will remember for the rest of his cricketing life. In the first ball of his third over a lofted drive from Rob Nicol hit him flush on the face. But Perera showed he has guts as he recovered after attention to complete his over to a loud cheer from the crowd.

Century maker

The only century maker in the tournament Brendon McCullum joined Nicol and blazed away to 25 in 16 balls with two sixes and trying to hit Ajantha Mendis over square leg was pocketed by Thisara Perera. He put on 42 in 29 balls with Nicol.

With Ross Taylor, Nicol put on 38 in 20 balls when Nicol skied a ball to Lahiru Thirmanne at mid wicket off Perera after making a bright 58 with 3 fours and 4 huge sixes in 40 deliveries.

In the mean time Akila Dhananjaya Perera had a memorable first outing in the big league and considering the strength of the Kiwi batting his figures of 2 for 32 in 4 was good reward.

New Zealand lost the wickets of Ross Taylor bowled for 23, Jacob Oram caught at deep mid off by Tillekeratne Dilshan for 6. Both wickets fell to Nuwan Kulesekera.

Nathan McCullum was bowled by Lasith Malinga for 3 and in the final ball Kane Williamson was run out for 4 and the New Zealand innings ended at 174 for 7 in 20 overs with James Franklin remaining unbeaten on 8.

Ajantha Mendis was the most expensive of the bowlers going for 48 in his 4 for overs for one wicket. Nuwan Kulesekera chipped in with 2 for 33. The Sri Lankan ground fielding was not up to the mark.

It was warm and sunny in picturesque Pallekele and cricket fans were streaming in when Captains Mahela Jayewardene and Ross Taylor walked out to toss. Taylor was all smiles as he won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that looks flat and good for a near 200 runs.

Off spinner Ajantha Mendis who had the dream figures of 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe and who missed the game against South Africa and kept the Sri Lankan selectors in a world of uncertainty till the morning of the match suffering with a side strain, although only 90 per cent fit was declared fit to play.

Sri Lanka dropped opener Dilshan Munaweera and Rangana Herath and gave Akila Dhananjaya Perera, looking a clone of Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal his first big game. Now that the best teams have entered the Super Eight rodeo, the games from now on are all about pressure and must win games and it will be interesting to watch which teams will ride the pressure and enter the semis and finals.

New Zealand 
R. Nicol c Thirimanne b Dananjaya	58 
M. Guptill c Perera b Dananjaya		38 
B. McCullum c Perera b Mendis		25
R. Taylor b Kulasekara			23 
J. Oram c Dilshan b Kulasekara		 6 
N. McCullum b Malinga			 3 
J. Franklin not out			 8 
K. Williamson run out			 4 
Extras: (lb4, w5)			 9 
Total: (for seven wickets, 20 overs)	174 
Fall of wickets: 1-57 (Guptill), 2-99 (B McCullum), 3-137 (Nicol), 4-154 (Taylor), 
5-159 (Oram), 6-164 (N McCullum), 7-174 (Williamson).
Bowling: Kulasekara 4-0-33-2 (w2), Mathews 2-0-14-0, Malinga 4-0-30-1 (w1),
Mendis 4-0-48-1 (w2), Dananjaya 4-0-32-2, J. Mendis 2-0-13-0 

Sri Lanka 
M. Jayawardene c Vettori b Oram		44 
T. Dilshan run out			76 
K. Sangakkara run out			21
J. Mendis c Taylor b Franklin		 8 
A. Mathews not out			12 
T. Perera b Franklin			 5 
L. Thirimanne run out			 5 
Extras: (lb1, w2)			 3 
Total: (for six wickets, 20 overs)	174 
Fall of wickets: 1-80 (Jayawardene), 2-119 (Sangakkara), 3-131 (J. Mendis), 
4-161 (Dilshan), 5-167 (Perera), 6-174 (Thirimanne).
Bowling: N McCullum 3-0-25-0, Mills 2-0-15-0, Southee 4-0-44-0 (w1), 
Oram 3-0-26-1, Vettori 4-0-29-0 (w1), Franklin 4-0-34-2 

Super over: 
Sri Lanka 13-1, New Zealand 8-1