New Zealand humbled Sri Lanka in match number 41 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Bengaluru on Thursday. With this win, the Kiwis have almost guaranteed themselves a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face India. Sri Lanka posted a low score of 171 in 46.4 overs. Kusal Perera and Maheesh Theekshana scored useful runs. For the Kiwis, Trent Boult was on fire. Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson were superb as well.

In response, the promising Rachin Ravindra and his opening partner Devon Conway added 86 runs for the first wicket. Daryl Mitchell played a useful knock as the Kiwis chased down Sri Lanka’s score in just 23.2 overs for losing five wickets. NZ have raced to 10 points in the ongoing World Cup.

Here, we present the list of major records broken.

600 international wickets for Boult

Boult came into the contest with 598 international scalps, and with the help of a three-wicket haul, he raced past 600 international scalps. He now has 601 wickets, becoming the third New Zealand player after Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori to achieve the mark. In ODIs, the left-arm pacer has clocked 210 scalps.

250 List A wickets for Boult

Boult also went past the mark of 250 wickets in the List A format. He now has 252 wickets, playing his 142nd 50-over match.

50 wickets in ODI World Cups

Boult has also gone past 50 wickets in ODI World Cups. He owns 52 scalps now at an impressive 24.38. Boult became the sixth bowler to take 50-plus wickets in the global event. Glenn McGrath leads the way with 71 scalps. Muthiah Muralidaran claimed 68 scalps. Lasith Malinga owns 56. Mitchell Starc has 59 wickets and Wasim Akram too picked 55 victims.

3rd left-arm quick and 3rd-fastest to take 50-plus ODI World Cup scalps

Boult is now the third left-arm quick to take 50-plus scalps in ODI World Cups. He joins the likes of Akram and Starc. Meanwhile, Boult is now the third-fastest to the milestone in terms of innings. Boult (28 innings) is only behind Starc (19) and Malinga (25).

Fastest fifty of the 2023 World Cup.

Fastest half-century in 2023 World Cup

Kusal Perera slammed a fiery 51-run knock. Notably, he got to his fifty off 22 balls, slamming the fastest fifty of the 2023 World Cup edition. He broke the record of Travis Head and Kusal Mendis (25 balls each).

Joint-second-fastest half-century for SL in World Cups

Perera also became the joint-second-fastest to a fifty for a SL batter in ODI World Cups. He matched Dinesh Chandimal. Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews holds the record (20 balls) for SL. Meanwhile, Perera struck his 17th ODI fifty and a fifth in ODI World Cup history.

Santner equals a massive record of Daniel Vettori

Mitchell Santner was sensational for NZ with his left-arm spin. He picked up two scalps for 22 runs from his 10 overs. Santner now owns 16 wickets in the 2023 edition of the World Cup. It’s the joint-most by a New Zealand spinner in a single edition of the World Cup. Vettori claimed 16 scalps in the 2007 World Cup. 

SL clock the worst power play returns in World Cup 2023

SL became the first side in the 2023 World Cup to lose 20 or more wickets in the power play overs (1-10). Versus NZ, the Lankans lost five wickets on Thursday. SL went past Bangladesh and England (18 and 16 wickets lost). Meanwhile, SL are the only side to lose five wickets or more inside 10 overs of a match. Barring today, they lost six scalps for 14 runs versus India.

Highest 10th-wicket stand for SL in ODI World Cups

SL were placed at 128/9 when Dilshan Madushanka joined Theekshana in the middle. The duo survived over 14 overs and added 43 runs for the final wicket. The 43-run stand is now the highest 10-wicket stand for Sri Lanka in ODI WCs. They went past Vinothen John and Rumesh Ratnayake, who added 33 runs against England in 1983. 

Most balls faced by a 10th-wicket pair in ODI WCs

Theekshana and Madushanka smashed the record of facing the most deliveries by a 10th-wicket pair in a World Cup game. The pair faced 87 balls. As per Cricbuzz, they went past Netherlands Tim de Leede and Jeroen Smits’s 71-ball partnership against England in the 2003 event.

Unique records for Theekshana

Theekshana has recorded the second-highest World Cup score by a Sri Lankan batter playing at number nine or lower. He is only behind Guy de Alwis, who scored 59* against Pakistan in the 1983 event. Theekshana has now survived the second-most deliveries by a player batting at number nine or lower in ODIs (91 balls). He is only behind India’s Jai Prakash Yadav, who survived 92 balls against New Zealand in 2005.

Second-lowest World Cup score for SL versus NZ

SL’s 171/10 is their second-lowest total at the ODI World Cup against the Kiwis. SL’s lowest score versus NZ remains 136/10 achieved in the 2019 edition. 

Ravindra breaks Sachin’s record

Ravindra scored a 34-ball 42. He slammed three fours and three sixes. He is now the top scorer at the 2023 World Cup. Ravindra owns 565 runs at an average of 70.62. As per Cricbuzz, Ravindra has recorded the most runs in a single World Cup edition, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Notably, Sachin scored an impressive 523 runs in the 1996 World Cup event.

Most runs in a debut World Cup campaign

Another massive record from the blade of Ravindra’s bat is that he has become the highest scorer by any batter in his maiden World Cup. He broke the record of England’s Jonny Bairstow, who smashed 532 runs in the 2019 World Cup. 

The post From Kusal Perera to Trent Boult: List of records broken in NZ vs SL ICC World Cup 2023 match  appeared first on Crictoday.

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Pakistan will have to beat England by 287 runs to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Or, if they chase, they’ve got to chase down whatever England get in 16 balls.

With New Zealand’s 5-wicket win over Sri Lanka in 23.2 overs, Pakistan and Afghanistan are almost out of the race.

The victory means New Zealand is fourth with 10 points from nine games and a net run-rate of plus-0.922. Pakistan and Afghanistan can still overtake the Black Caps but will need to win their final league games against England (Nov. 11) and South Africa (Nov. 10) respectively.

The big winning margin, especially chasing down the total with 26.4 overs to spare, virtually eliminates Afghanistan, which has a net run-rate of minus-0.338. Pakistan needs another big winning margin against England in Kolkata to upset the apple cart on the league stage’s penultimate day.

India, South Africa and Australia have already qualified for the knockout stages as the top three sides in the table. New Zealand seems likely to face hosts India in the first semi in Mumbai on Nov. 15 while South Africa plays Australia in the second semi in Kolkata on Nov. 16.

The post Pakistan will have to beat England by 287 runs to qualify for the semi-finals appeared first on Crictoday.

New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in 23.2 overs to almost confirm their place in the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023. New Zealand’s win by a big margin has eliminated Pakistan and Afghanistan from the semi-final race.

Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl first in Bengaluru. The Island Nation was bowled out for 171 in 46.4 overs, with Trent Boult taking 4 wickets. Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson and Rachin Ravindra dismissed two batters each, respectively.

Kusal Perera hit the fastest fifty in the history of the ICC ODI World Cup. He reached the milestone in 22 balls. Overall, he accumulated 51 runs off 28 balls, laced with 9 fours 2 sixes.

New Zealand completed the chase easily. Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) added 86 runs for the opening wicket. The remaining task was completed by other batters. It was New Zealand’s fifty win.

The post New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in 23.2 overs, almost elimination Pakistan and Afghanistan from semi-final race appeared first on Crictoday.

New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka in match number 41 of the World Cup 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, November 9. The Kiwis are fourth in the points table with eight points from eight matches. They have been struck on eight points for a while now. Their last win in the World Cup came on October 18 against Afghanistan. Since then, they have lost four matches in a row. In their previous game, they went down to Pakistan by 21 runs [DLS method] in a rain-shortened match despite scoring 400-plus as Fakhar Zaman played a scintillating knock. A win against Sri Lanka on Thursday should be enough for them to book a place in the semi-finals. However, weather again stands in their way as there is a prediction for rain in Bengaluru.

Sri Lanka are ninth in the points table with two wins from eight matches. While they have been knocked out of the tournament, they still have a chance to push for the 2025 Champions Trophy qualification. In their last match, the Lankans went down to Bangladesh by three wickets in a hot-tempered game that saw plenty of skirmishes, the boiling point being Angelo Mathews’ timed-out dismissal. In the end, though, Sri Lanka lost. On that note, here are five player battles to watch out for.

Rachin Ravindra vs Dilshan Madushanka

Rachin Ravindra has been absolutely sensational for New Zealand in World Cup 2023. In fact, he is currently the third-leading run-getter in the tournament, with 523 runs at an average of 74.71 and a strike rate of 107.3. He has already notched up three hundreds in the World Cup. The talented left-handed batter kicked off the tournament with an unbeaten 123 against defending champions England. Ravindra then hammered 116 against Australia and 108 versus Pakistan. In addition, he has also hit two fifties. The southpaw has exceeded expectations in the tournament. Can he continue his golden run?

Promising left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka has been the biggest positive for Sri Lanka in the ongoing World Cup. Even as most of the others have blown hot and cold, Madushanka has been consistently personified. In fact, he is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 21 wickets from eight matches at an average of 22.24. Madushanka has stood out with both his accuracy and variation, making life difficult for batters. He claimed a three-for against Australia, four-for against the Netherlands, five against India, and another three versus Bangladesh. Can he strike early and get the big scalp of Ravindra?

Pathum Nissanka vs Tim Southee

Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka has done reasonably well for the team at the top of the order. However, he will be disappointed that he hasn’t converted his starts into big scores. Nissanka is 15th on the list of leading run-getters in the 2023 World Cup, scoring 330 runs in eight innings at an average of 47.14 and a strike rate of 90.91. The batter should have been much higher on the list. He has scored four consecutive half-centuries in the tournament and has been dismissed for 40s in two of his last three innings. Can he come up with a big one against New Zealand?

Seasoned Kiwi pacer Tim Southee has played the last two matches for the team after making a comeback from his injury. He had a forgettable game against South Africa, registering figures of 2/77 in his 10 overs. Southee did a decent job in the rain-shortened game against Pakistan, finishing with figures of 1/27 from five overs. With qualification for semis on the line, New Zealand will need an experienced pacer to step up. Can he prevent Nissanka from getting another of his impressive starts?

Kane Williamson vs Maheesh Theekshana

Kane Williamson has been amazing with the willow despite being in and out of the side due to injuries. After missing New Zealand’s initial matches, he came in against Bangladesh and made 78 before being forced to retire hurt as a throw struck his thumb. Williamson again had to miss a few games. He returned for the clash against Pakistan and straightaway contributed 95 off 79 balls, missing out on a well-deserved hundred. Williamson will look to carry on his impressive form with the bat.

Sri Lankan skipper Maheesh Theekshana sank to the ground after Bangladesh knocked them out of the World Cup. He cut a sorry figure as Theekshana was expected to play a key role in Sri Lanka’s campaign but couldn’t make much of an impact. The off-spinner has picked up one or two wickets in most games but failed to be lethal. Against Bangladesh, too, he finished with 2/44. Can Theekshana stand up to the Williamson challenge?

Charith Asalanka vs Trent Boult

Charith Asalanka had a disappointing World Cup 2023 campaign after beginning it with a half-century against South Africa. In the match against Bangladesh, though, he stood up and scored a fine hundred. The left-handed batter’s 108 came off 105 balls, featuring six fours and five sixes. Can he build on the impressive knock?

Kiwi left-arm pacer Trent Boult has been among the wickets but has also been expensive. He picked up a three-for against Australia but went for 77 runs. In the last two matches, Boult has picked up only one scalp. Can he stand up and deliver the goods in the battle against Asalanka?

Daryl Mitchell vs Dushmantha Chameera

Daryl Mitchell has been New Zealand’s standout batter in the World Cup after Ravindra. In seven innings, he has scored 375 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of 108.07. Mitchell’s aggressive knocks have boosted the Kiwis’ scoring. However, he hasn’t converted starts in recent matches, and will be keen to rectify that.

Dushmantha Chameera has played three matches for Sri Lanka after replacing Lahiru Kumara in the World Cup squad. However, he has only managed one wicket in these games and has also gone for a few runs. He must bring his experience to the fore and stop a possible Mitchell assault.

The post NZ vs SL ICC World Cup 2023: 5 player battles to watch out for appeared first on Crictoday.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan foresees New Zealand securing a spot in the 2023 World Cup semi-finals over Pakistan, provided rain doesn’t intervene in their upcoming clash against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on November 9.

In a recent discussion on Star Sports, Pathan expressed his optimism for the Kiwis.

“New Zealand is more likely to win, with a chance over 50%. The only issue is rain, which has benefited Pakistan before. We’ll have to see if the Bangalore rain favours them again,” he said.

Pathan acknowledged the significance of the toss for New Zealand, emphasizing the advantage of chasing on the Bengaluru pitch.

“I think the toss will be crucial for New Zealand since chasing is better on this pitch. Despite the challenges, I still believe New Zealand will be the fourth team,” he added.

With a net run rate of +0.398, New Zealand is in a favorable position compared to Pakistan and Afghanistan, who have net run rates of +0.036 and -0.338, respectively. A victory for New Zealand against the Lankans will all but guarantee their spot in the semi-finals, given their superior run rate.

The post “We’ll have to see if the Bangalore rain favours Pakistan again”: Irfan Pathan on New Zealand’s semi-final chances appeared first on Crictoday.

DUNEDIN, New Zealand (AP) — Fast bowler Adam Milne took 5-26 as New Zealand bowled out Sri Lanka for 141 on Wednesday and went on to win the second Twenty20 cricket international by nine wickets.

Milne became only the third New Zealander to claim a five-wicket haul in a T20 international after Tim Southee (5-18 vs. Pakistan) and Lockie Ferguson (5-21 vs. West Indies), helping the Black Caps bowl out Sri Lanka in exactly 19 overs.

Opener Tim Seifert then hit an unbeaten 79 from 43 balls as New Zealand reached 146-1 in 14.4 overs to win with 32 balls to spare, finishing off with consecutive sixes.

Milne’s bag included the wickets of Kusal Perera (35) and Charith Asalanka (26,) who were half-century-makers in the first T20 match between the teams on Sunday which Sri Lanka won in a Super Over. He also dismissed opener Pathum Nissanka (0) and wrapped up the innings by clean bowling Pramod Madushan and Dilshan Madushanka.

“Any time you get a five-for it’s very nice and after the last game with the Super Over it’s nice to come back and put in a good performance,” Milne said.

Sri Lanka made 196-5 in the first match and looked on course to another high score when it reached 50-2 in the powerplay on Wednesday and 83-2 in the first 10 overs, led by Perera and Dhanjaya de Silva, who made 37 from 26 balls. The pair put on 62 for the third wicket.

But after Milne removed Perera, de Silva fell to the spinner Rachin Ravindra and Sri Lanka’s innings lost some of its momenta. The pitch at the University Oval was slow but the boundaries were short and inviting and the visiting batters found it hard to resist the temptation of the big shot. New Zealand used the slower ball to good effect and a succession of batters fell to catches in the deep.

“I think the spinners did really well through the middle there to tie them up,” Milne said. “I think compared to the last game we were able to take a few quick wickets in the middle and that allowed us to attack a bit more.”

South Africa-born opener Chad Bowes got the New Zealand innings off to a fast start with 31 from 15 balls, including seven fours.

When he was out with the total 40, Seifert took over the assault on the Sri Lanka bowlers and New Zealand rushed to 103-1 after 10 overs.

Seifert reached his sixth T20 half-century from 30 balls with two fours and four sixes. He hit the sixth six of his innings out of the ground from the bowling of De Silva to take New Zealand to 140-1, then the seventh on the next ball to end the match.

Captain Tom Latham was 20 not out, having played the support role in an unbeaten 106-run partnership with Seifert.

“It was a pretty clinical performance,” Latham said. “From eight overs on we clawed things back and the way we were able to keep taking wickets, we were able to stall the run-rate. I thought the bowling performance was outstanding.

“The way Chad and Tim played was the icing on the cake.”

Sri Lanka wasn’t able to recapture the batting form of the first match.

“We lost wickets at regular intervals and 141 was never enough on this wicket,” captain Dasun Shanaka said. “We were looking around the 180 mark when the wickets were there but we lost too many wickets and couldn’t get there.”

The match featured a notable milestone as New Zealand’s Kim Cotton became the first female umpire to stand in a full men’s international between ICC member nations.

The post New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 9 wickets in 2nd T20I, levels series appeared first on Crictoday.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Sri Lanka won the first Twenty20 cricket international in a Super Over on Sunday after New Zealand tailender Ish Sodhi hit a six from the last ball of the 20th over to send the match into a tiebreaker.

The Sri Lankans made an imposing 196-5 batting first and New Zealand came to the last regular over needing 13 runs to win, six to tie.

Sodhi averages 9.6 in T20 internationals and had the huge responsibility of facing the last ball from Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, who had bowled an outstanding over.

The delivery was full and angled into leg stump; Sodhi, with a swooping motion of bat, hoisted it over midwicket and into the stand for six, lifting New Zealand to 196-8 and sending the match to the Super Over.

New Zealand chose Daryl Mitchell, its top-scorer with 66, Jimmy Neesham and Mark Chapman as its batters while Sri Lanka called on Maheesh Theekshana to bowl. Neesham was also one of its chosen batters when it lost to England in the World Cup final at Lord’s four years ago.

Mitchell took a single from the first ball, the second was a wide and Neesham was out to the third ball. Chapman hit a two, then a four and was bowled from the last ball as New Zealand managed only 8-2.

Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka were Sri Lanka’s champions, chosen to bat and Jimmy Neesham to bowl. Asalanka was its top scorer with 67 from 41 balls which included six sixes, making him the ideal man for the Super Over.

Mendis took a single from the first ball, then Asalanka clubbed a six which passed through Chapman’s hands on the boundary. Asalanka ramped the next ball as Sri Lanka reached 11-0 to clinch the a thrilling win. In an additional dramatic note, the match ended in light rain.

“It was a very nervous game and very exciting,” Asalanka said. “The two teams were playing very nicely and at the end it was our day.

“It’s a little ground, the boundaries are small and I tried to hit boundaries. We know as a team that in T20 games we can hit plenty of boundaries with the right mindset.”

Earlier, Sri Lanka opener Pathaum Nissanka, a half century-maker in the third one-day international between the teams three days ago, was caught behind from the opening delivery bowled by Adam Milne.

Far from being deterred, Sri Lanka’s under-pressure top order went on the offensive; Kusal Perera smashed 16 runs from the second over of the innings and Mendis hit two sixes and two fours as Sri Lanka took 22 runs from the third over.

That set the tone of the innings. Mendis slogged 25 runs from nine balls before his luck ran out but Perera went on to a half century from 39 balls and Asalanka posted a half century from 32 balls in a fast-paced innings which saw Sri Lanka reach 50 from only 3.4 overs.

New Zealand was in trouble early, losing Tim Seifert to the fourth ball of its innings and Chad Bowes three balls later when it was 3-2.

“Another great game of cricket here at Eden Park. It tends to produce plenty of thrillers,” said New Zealand captain Tom Latham, who was playing on his 31st birthday.

“Unfortunately we were just on the wrong side. I thought the way we were able to climb our way back towards the back end of our innings was outstanding and I think for Ish to hit that six was quite dramatic, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

The post Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in Super Over in 1st T20I appeared first on Crictoday.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand capitalized on another failure by Sri Lanka’s batters and avoided one of its own to win the third one-day international by six wickets in Hamilton on Friday and to take the three-match series 2-0.

After being bowled out for only 76 in the first match — which New Zealand won by 198 runs — Sri Lanka was dismissed for 157 in 41.3 overs as it batted first after winning the toss in Game 3. The second match was abandoned because of rain.

New Zealand also was in trouble early when it lost two wickets in the second over of its innings and was 6-2, then 21-3. But Will Young, who had been out of form with only 30 runs from his last four ODI innings, ground his way back to form with an unbeaten 86 which guided New Zealand to victory with 17.1 overs remaining.

Young and Henry Nicholls (44) shared an unbroken partnership of exactly 100 runs for the fifth wicket.

Like all batters Friday, Young had moments of alarm in his innings and sometimes was tempted to dangle the bat outside off stump. But he persevered and eventually reached his half century from 71 balls, mostly from playing with sound technique rather than trying to hit out recklessly.

“I’m stoked to spend a bit of time in the middle and contribute a bit to the team,” Henry said. “To end up with a series win was pretty special, too.

“It was a bit of a grind out there to be honest. There was some good bowling and patches when they hit their length. It wasn’t always pretty but we got the job done in the end.”

The New Zealand seamers set up the win with another excellent performance. Henry Shipley, who took 5-31 in the first match, returned 3-32 on Friday and has been a huge success in his first home series.

Matt Henry took 3-14 and produced an outstanding early spell in which he removed Nuwanidu Fernando (2) and Kusal Mendis (0) as Sri Lanka slumped to 23-3 by the end of the first 10-over powerplay.

Sri Lanka wasn’t able to produce sustained partnerships which might break New Zealand’s grip on the match, even when opener Pathum Nissanka became a possible anchor with his innings of 57 from 58 balls.

Apart from Nissanka, only three Sri Lanka batters reached double figures. Of those, captain Dasun Shanaka was the best with 31 from 38 balls.

The New Zealand bowling was relentless. After Henry and Shipley, Daryl Mitchell chipped in with 3-32 from seven overs.

The pitch at Seddon Park was similar to the one at Eden Park in Auckland on which Sri Lanka was bowled out for its lowest-ever ODI score against New Zealand. Bowlers early on were rewarded for a full length as the ball moved a little off the surface or held up and made timing difficult. Bounce which sometimes was sharp, sometimes tennis ball-like, also was difficult to judge.

“I think as a bowling group we talked of being quite ruthless, dictating play and we’re happy with the efforts,” Henry said. “It’s been a great start for Henry (Shipley) and we as a collective have talked about being good for long periods of time.”

Henry first had the wicket of Nuwanidu who leaned forward on a ball pitched into his pads which straightened and delivered an easy catch to Henry Nicholls at slip. Most of the wickets that fell Friday were to catches behind the wicket.

Henry then removed Kusal Mendis for a six-ball duck. The ball again was full, just outside off stump, and Mendis edged to Daryl Mitchell at first slip.

Henry twice had decisions against Nissanka overturned on review before Shipley stepped up and dismissed Angelo Mathews, who defended a straight ball which also moved away and gave Mitchell another slip catch.

Nissanka stayed on until Sri Lanka was 100-6. Few others stayed long enough to build a more challenging total.

New Zealand’s top order also struggled in the conditions. Chad Bowes was caught by Mendis from the first ball of the second over and Blundell also was caught behind from the sixth ball of the over bowled by Lahiru Kumara.

Mitchell gave Mendis another catch from the bowling of Kasun Rajitha and Latham chopped on a delivery from Shanaka which was well wide of off stumps.

Young and Nicholls saw New Zealand home with plenty of overs to spare. New Zealand now is unbeaten in its last six one-day international series at home. It also leads the Super League standings for the ICC World Cup in India later this year.

After losing the series, Sri Lanka will not qualify automatically for the World Cup and will now have to go through a repechage to qualify.

The post Sri Lanka out of the direct qualification for ICC World Cup 2023; to play qualifiers for the first time in 44 years appeared first on Crictoday.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The second one-day cricket international between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was abandoned on Tuesday because of rain.

Heavy rain fell throughout the day and by the scheduled start of 2 p.m. local time, the covers were on and large pools of water already had formed in the outfield.

Umpires made the decision to abandon the match after a ground inspection at 4:25 p.m. local time. The latest a match could start was 7:02 p.m. but it already was clear that with rain still falling in large puddles in some parts of Hagley Oval, no play would be possible.

New Zealand leads the three-match series after winning the first match at Eden Park on Saturday by 198 runs.

The third match is at Hamilton’s Seddon Park on Friday.

The post Rain washes out 2nd ODI between New Zealand and Sri Lanka appeared first on Crictoday.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Harry Shipley took 5-31 as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 76 on Saturday to lose the first one-day international against New Zealand by 198 runs.

New Zealand made 274 batting first on a drop-in pitch at Eden Park and Sri Lanka was dismissed for its lowest-ever ODI total against New Zealand, its fifth-lowest in all one-day internationals.

Sri Lanka lost its first two wickets at 14, its third at 20 and its fourth and fifth at 31 as its innings unraveled inside the first 10 overs.

When a break was taken after 14.2 overs to honor victims, rescuers and recovery workers involved in Cyclone Gabrielle which battered New Zealand’s North Island on Feb. 14, Sri Lanka was 49-7.

Wickets continued to fall steadily and when Sri Lanka was all out after only 19.5 overs, it was for the second lowest one-day international total at Eden Park. Angelo Mathews, who was playing his first ODI in two years, was one of only three Sri Lanka batsmen to reach double figures.

Sri Lanka’s first wicket fell to a runout in the sixth over. Shipley took his first wicket in spectacular style when his angled delivery to opener Pathum Nissanka jagged back through the batter’s shot and uprooted his leg stump.

He also dismissed Kusal Mendis (0), Charith Asalanka (9), Chamika Karunaratne 11 and captain Dasun Shanaka for a first-ball duck. Shipley was playing his first match for New Zealand in New Zealand after making his debut in India late last year.

“It was pretty cool, not what I was expecting to do when I came to the ground,” Shipley said. “The batters said there was enough there and the score we had on the board was going to be tricky so that gave us confidence to go out there and do that.”

Shanaka said his team went out to bat confident that New Zealand’s total was “chaseable” at Eden Park which is noted for its short boundaries.

“The way we started, I thought it was going to be a very good game,” he said. “The way Shipley bowled, the movement he got and the bounce was responsible for the things that happened tonight so credit should be given to him.”

New Zealand wouldn’t have been confident when its innings ended at 274, not a massive score by Eden Park standards. Finn Allen top-scored with 51 and Rachin Ravindra made 49 on debut as New Zealand posted what seemed a moderate total.

South Africa-born opener Chad Bowes, on debut at 30, struck the first ball of the match and his international career for four to announce that intention. But after reaching 108-2 in the 19th over, New Zealand lost three wickets for 44 runs, its momentum slowed and couldn’t be entirely recovered.

After Allen, whose fifth ODI half century came from 47 balls, several New Zealand batters made starts but couldn’t go on to produce innings which carried New Zealand to a higher total.

Daryl Mitchell made 47, Glenn Phillips a breezy 39 and Ravindra played and important innings which boosted the New Zealand total before holing out to long off one run short of a debut 50.

Sri Lanka needed to win all three matches in the current series to improve its chances of qualifying automatically for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year. New Zealand already has qualified.

The teams play the second match of the three-game series on Tuesday in Christchurch, with the final game set for Hamilton next Friday. The ODI series will be followed by three Twenty20 matches.

New Zealand won the preceding two-test series 2-0.

The post New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 198 runs in 1st one-day match appeared first on Crictoday.