Picture : Twitter/ ICC
Glenn Phillips’ blistering century and Trent Boult’s superb four-wicket haul helped New Zealand hand Sri Kanka a crushing 65-run defeat on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Chasing the target, Sri Lanka got off to a devastating start with the team losing four of its batters for a meagre total of eight runs.
Trent Boult was the wrecker-in-chief as he had the Sri Lankan batters dancing to his tune. He got rid of three batters inside the powerplay while his bowling partner Tim Southee grabbed one wicket.
Picture : ICC/ Twitter
Bhanuka Rajapaksa helped his team with aggressive strokes, adding some quick runs to the run tally. He helped his team end the powerplay at 24/4.
Sri Lanka’s woes continued after the fielding restrictions were over as Chamika Karunaratne was sent back by Mitchell Santner in the seventh over.
Rajapaksa was carrying the Sri Lankan run chase but could not see his team through as he was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson for a well-made 34 off 22 balls, leaving Sri Lanka tottering at 58/6.
Sri Lanka never got going with the required run rate climbing up, getting beyond their reach.
Captain Dasun Shanaka kept playing attacking shots throughout his stay but could not see his side in the chase as the run rate kept soaring. He was finally dismissed in the 17th over by Boult, ending his 35-run stay.
Sri Lanka were bundled out for 102 in the 20th over, giving New Zealand a 65-run win.
The Kiwi team rose to the top of the points table with five points from three matches.
Opting to bat first, New Zealand was off to a nightmarish start. Spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva sent back dangerous openers Finn Allen (1) and Devon Conway (1), while pacer Kasun Rajitha dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for 8 off 13 balls, reducing the Kiwis to 15/3 in four overs.
The duo of Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell then took New Zealand safely through the powerplay. At the end of six overs, the Kiwis were at 25/3, with Glenn Phillips (11*) and Mitchell (3*).
The duo kept the scoreboard ticking, helping NZ cross the 50-run mark in 9.4 overs. At the end of 10 overs, the Kiwis were at 54/3, with Phillips (30*) and Mitchell (11*).
The duo brought their 50-run stand in 43 balls. The duo kept NZ in the hunt of a good total with their intelligent strike rotation and well-placed shots.
The 14th over turned out to be extremely favorable for the Kiwis as they smashed Chamika Karunaratne for 18 runs. Phillips got his half-century in just 39 balls.
It was spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who broke the 84-run stand between the duo. He was dismissed for 22 off 24 balls after dislodging his stumps. NZ was 99/4 in 14.3 overs. Mitchell failed to clear the boundary even once in his innings.
The Kiwis touched the 100-run mark in 14.4 overs. At the end of 15 overs, NZ was at 102/4, with Phillips (65*) joined by all-rounder Jimmy Neesham (1*).
Philips continued to motor forward, bringing up his century in just 61 balls. His knock consisted of 10 fours and four sixes. He also helped New Zealand cross the 150-run mark in 18.5 overs.
Rajitha got his second wicket of the match after dismissing Neesham for 5 off 8 balls. Half of NZ’s batting lineup was in the hut for 129 runs.
Pacer Lahiru Kumara took his first wicket of the match, dismissing Phillips for 104 off 64 balls. Ish Sodhi was also run out for just one on the second last ball of the innings.
NZ finished their innings at 167/7 in their 20 overs, with Mitchell Santner (11*) and Tim Southee (4*).
Rajitha (2/23) was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. Theekshana, Hasaranga, de Silva and Kumara got a wicket each.
Brief Scores: New Zealand: 167/7 (Glenn Phillips 104, Daryl Mitchell 22, Kasun Rajitha 2/23) vs Sri Lanka 102/10 (Dasun Shanaka 35, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 32; Trent Boult 4/13).
