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New Zealand start with tense victory Change
Friday, 30 April 2010 20:38
Mahela Jayawardene scored 81 to lift Sri Lanka to 135 against New Zealand at Providence
NZ v SL, Group B, World Twenty20 2010, Providence
New Zealand start with tense victory
New Zealand 139 for 8 (Ryder 42) beat Sri Lanka 135 for 6 (Jayawardene 81) by two wickets
New Zealand edged Sri Lanka in just the sort of cliffhanger the organisers would have wanted to kick off the World Twenty2o in the Carribean. If McCullum is talked of as a match-winner, it is probably Brendon that one thinks of, but it was his brother Nathan who was the hero with an all-round performance, topped off by a six over long-off to seal a tense victory with one delivery to go.
On a track that lived up to it's pre-match billing of being sluggish, basic line-and-length bowling from New Zealand's slow bowlers was enough to curtail Sri Lanka to 135, despite Mahela Jayawardene's polished 81, his highest score in Twenty20s.
Full report to follow
20 overs Sri Lanka 135 for 6 (Jayawardene 81) v New Zealand
Mahela Jayawardene tries to force it away, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, ICC World Twenty20,Group B, Providence, April 30, 2010
Mahela Jayawardene was rarely troubled in his first outing as an international Twenty20 opener © AFP
The track in Providence lived up to its pre-match billing of being sluggish, and basic line-and-length bowling from New Zealand's slow bowlers was enough to curtail Sri Lanka to 135. Mahela Jayawardene adapted best to the conditions and constructed a mostly classical innings, his highest score in Twenty20s, to give Sri Lanka's spin-heavy attack something to defend.
The big guns at the top of Sri Lanka's batting order carried on their form from the IPL: Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, who had forgettable campaigns in India, scratched around at strike-rates below 40, while Jayawardene, who was close to his best towards the end of the tournament, was rarely troubled in his first outing as an international Twenty20 opener.
New Zealand's decision to open with offspinner Nathan McCullum also paid off. He mostly bowled from around the stumps and stifled Dilshan, who was the most destructive batsman of the previous World Twenty20. Timing proved elusive for Dilshan, as did gaps in the field when he did strike the ball well. He was finally dismissed towards the end of the Powerplay, bowled attempting a heave off Jacob Oram.
His opening partner, Jayawardene, was in prime form though. He started off by slamming a short delivery from Shane Bond over square leg for six, and then used his feet to make room and slice the ball repeatedly through the off side. With Sangakkara also not finding it easy, Jayawardene made virtually all of Sri Lanka's runs during the early stages of Sri Lanka's innings.
Despite Jayawardene's efforts, Sri Lanka were progressing at the unTwenty20 rate of about five-and-a-half, and it was debutant Dinesh Chandimal who kickstarted the innings with a massive six over long-on in the 11th over. He and Jayawardene added 59 fluent runs to revive Sri Lanka, before Chandimal holed out to a parried overhead catch at the edge of the long-on boundary from Ross Taylor.
Jayawardene continue to put away the poor deliveries on offer before he too perished to a catch in the deep. A series of yorkers from Tim Southee kept the runs down in the penultimate over, before the innings ended with two more outfield catches in the final over.
Bowlers taking the pace off the ball proved hard to get away, and New Zealand's batsmen will have a tough task overhauling this score against Sri Lanka's spinners.
Siddarth Ravindran is a sub-editor at Cricinfo
