New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Kiwis Grounded

The super eight match on Thursday between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was anticipated as a thriller as both the teams are performing well in this cricket world cup. The match was a crucial fix because the result of the match would have a bearing on the standing of both the teams in this round. It was a fight for both the teams to make entry into the semi finals of this cricket world cup.

Fleming got lucky with the coin

The Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss for New Zealand. They elected to bat first in the match where the pitch seemed to get slower on the later part of the match. They deviated from the general trend of this cricket world cup where fielding first is being considered as a trickier decision. However the slowness of the wicket and presence of some of the world class spinners in the Lankan side propelled the decision of the Kiwi captain to bat first. The wicket also showed some signs of offering seam to the ball in the early hours of the match.

Dismal start by the Kiwis

The Kiwis lost the foundation to a big total at the very beginning of the match. They lost the first wicket in the very first over of the match with just 1 run on the board. The skipper Stephen Fleming was lbw on the bowling of Chaminda Vaas scoring a golden duck. On the 3rd over of the match with just 3 more runs added to the scoreboard New Zealand lost their second wicket in the form of RL Taylor. He was also picked by Chaminda Vaas caught scoring just a golden duck. New Zealand was in a dire situation with 4 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 2.1 overs.

Middle order stabilizes

The other opener PG Fulton and the middle order bat Scott Styris chipped in with crucial contribution to stabilize the Kiwi innings. They both were involved in a 66 run partnership to take the Kiwi innings to 71 runs. In the 20th over of the match PG Fulton was caught by Silva on the bowling of Chaminda Vaas. The next to follow was Craig McMillan who scored a single from 7 balls caught by Silva on the bowling of Murlitharan. New Zealand again slumped down to 77 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 22.2 overs. The next batsman Jacob Oram then paired with Scott Styris to accumulate 64 runs to take the score to 141 runs in 37.3 overs. After the fall of Jacob Oram wickets kept on falling at regular interval and Kiwis were reduced to 155 for the loss of 7 wickets in 40.5 overs. Even the 200 run mark was seemingly impossible for the Kiwis.

Styris stood tall…

Scott Styris held on one side of the wicket while wickets kept falling on the other. But when New Zealand innings seemed to get wrapped up under 200 runs then he was joined by tail ender JEC Franklin. They both got involved in a partnership of 64 runs to take New Zealand past 200 run mark. Styris completed a gritty century in the process. He remained unbeaten on 111 runs from 157 balls. JEC Franklin was not out on 25 runs from 27 balls. New Zealand posted a fighting total of 219 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

The veteran bowlers shine…

The veteran bowlers in the Sri Lankan side chipped in with extra effort to contain the Kiwi innings to a lower total. The stalwarts Muttiah Murlitharan and Chaminda Vaas shared 3 wickets each to devastate the Kiwi Innings. The other successful bowler in the side was TM Dilshan who took one wicket for 44 runs in 8 overs.

Steady start for Lankan…

Sri Lanka saw through the initial overs of their innings well by scoring at a good rate. They were firmly placed at 30 runs in 4.4 overs. At this juncture they lost Upul Tharanga who scored 11 runs from 21 balls. The second wicket partnership between Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumara Sangakkara actually settled Sri Lanka in the match. They both were involved in a partnership of 100 runs. Jayasuriya scored 64 runs from 80 balls was caught by McCullum on the bowling Jacob Oram. Kumara Sangakkara remained unbeaten at 69 runs from 104 balls.

Few hiccups before victory……

Sri Lanka lost few wickets after the fall of Sanath Jayasuriya before they headed towards the victory mark. The Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene fell for 15 runs from 16 balls and LPC Silva was out on 23 runs from 34 balls. Sri Lanka although lost couple of wickets but were firmly placed at 180 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. From their Sangakkara along with TM Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to an easy win. Dilshan made 14 runs from 24 balls.

Sri Lanka clinched victory…

Sri Lanka cruised to the victory mark by scoring 222 runs from 45.1 overs loosing 4 wickets. They comfortably won the match by a formidable margin of 6 wickets. The win in this match boosted the chances of Sri Lanka to go to the semi finals of this tournament. However New Zealand could not fight back and were overpowered by dominating Lankan batting.

Man of the match

The old warhorse Chaminda Vaas was invested with the title of man of the match for his superlative bowling. Chaminda Vaas depleted the top order of the New Zealand batting line up. His efforts did not let the Kiwis settle in the match. He finished with a bowling statistics of 9-2-33-3.