Top-order batters Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman helped New Zealand get to 255/9 against Sri Lanka in the 2nd ODI in Hamilton. The duo added 112 runs for the second wicket in an affair reduced to 37 overs owing to rain. Although both Rachin Ravindra and Chapman completed their half-centuries, the Lankans bounced back on the back of Maheesh Theekshana’s hat-trick.
Rachin Ravindra completed his fourth half-century in ODI cricket. He has now raced to 944 runs from 27 ODIs at an average of 42.90. His tally also includes three tons. On the other hand, Chapman got to his second half-century in the format. He also owns two hundreds Chapman now has 655 runs from 28 ODIs at an average of 32.75.
New Zealand seemed to be running away with the game when Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman were going great guns before Sri Lanka showed vigil to restrict the hosts to 255/9 in a rain-marred second ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday, January 8.
Maheesh Theekshana’s hattrick was in vain as New Zealand sealed the three-match series against Sri Lanka with another massive 113-run victory in a rain-curtailed second ODI in Hamilton. After a lengthy rain delay, Rachin Ravindra (79) and Mark Chapman (62) hit half-centuries to propel the hosts to 255 for 9 with Theekshana tying up the lower-order. However, barring Kamindu Mendis, neither of the Sri Lankan batters stepped up as the visitors folded for just 142 in reply.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch report: “There is a little bit of wind around, and I don’t think there will be rain. Dimensions – 72 meters down the ground. 59 meters on one side and 67 meters on the other side. There is a nice even covering of grass, but it is quite thin. Quite often it swings in Hamilton, and there will be some help for the fast bowlers,” reckon Katey Martin and Craig McMillan.
Toss : Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to field in a rain curtailed match of 37 overs with no changes in the playing XI. New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner batting first made one change in the playing XI with Tom Latham coming in for Mitchell Hay.
Maheesh Theekshana’s hattrick restricts NZ to 255 for 9 after Rachin Ravindra’s breezy 79 and Mark Chapman’s 60 powers quick start for hosts
After pre-toss showers delayed the start of proceedings, Sri Lanka opted to bowl first in order to make the most of the conditions on offer. But an early wicket of Will Young is all they could manage in the PowerPlay before the two half-centurions combined for a century stand.
Earlier, Asitha Fernando had bowled Will Young with an outstanding jagging delivery, but neither Rachin Ravindra or Chapman were tested for long by Sri Lanka’s seamers. In fact, it was the spinners that introduced even a little discomfort – between them, Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga took six wickets.
Contrast this to New Zealand’s top order, who put their team in a powerful position inside the first 22 overs, with Rachin Ravindra stroking 79 off 63 and Chapman hitting 62 off 52.
What was most impressive about their stand was how comfortable both batters made brisk run-scoring appear. Rachin Ravindra was strong through the offside as usual, but found plenty of runs to leg, using the sweep and the pick-up shot off the pads to especially good effect.
Chapman meanwhile, was decidedly stronger on the legside, scoring 46 off his 63 runs in that direction. He hit two sixes – one top edged over the keeper, and another over midwicket off a short ball from Eshan Malinga to bring up his fifty off 44 balls as well as the century partnership. Rachin Ravindra had also got to his half-century with a six – down the ground off Hasaranga. He took 43 balls to get there.
Both Rachin Ravindra and Chapman looked flawless at the crease in their 112-run partnership for the second wicket. Both were equally aggressive, but it was the opener who got to his fifty first – with a six off Wanindu Hasaranga straight down the ground – in 43 deliveries. Chapman followed soon enough, and also with a maximum – off Eshan Malinga – as New Zealand cruised to a comfortable 143 for 1 in the 20th over until Theekshana struck on the last ball.
This was the start of a spin-inspired late comeback from the visitors as Rachin Ravindra lasted only a little longer. He did hit three boundaries in a quick timeframe to take the hosts past 150, but Hasaranga took him out at the end of the 23rd.
Sri Lanka fielded well, and induced errors at a greater rate in the back half of the innings. Asalanka pulled off an excellent diving catch at short cover to get rid of Rachin Ravindra, and Theekshana’s hat-trick featured some tumbling catches in the deep from Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Kamindu.
Daryl Mitchell’s run-a-ball 38 was well complemented by skipper Mitchell Santner’s quick cameo of 20 in 15 deliveries – where he took Asitha Fernando to the cleaners – before Sri Lanka came back to clip their wings. Theekshana dismissed Santner in the very next over, followed by Nathan Smith and then Matt Henry at the start of his next – and final over – to complete a hattrick. He finished with overall figures of 4 for 44 in eight overs, playing a major hand alongside Hasaranga in restricting the hosts who looked set, at one point, to post 280+.
Kamindu Mendis lone 64 runs in vain as William Rourke’s 3-fer and excellent ground fielding and catching gives NZ thumping 113 run win over SL
Sri Lanka’s top-order woes continued for a second successive game. They were reduced to 23 for 4 in the first ODI, and 22 for 4 today courtesy Jacob Duffy’s twin early strikes and a run-out of their captain. Kamindu fought a lone battle from there on. He led two useful partnerships – worth 57 with Janith Liyanage (22 off 31) and of 47 runs with Chamindu Wickramasinghe (17 off 27). However, the latter’s run-out also came at a crucial juncture to douse any hopes.
Sri Lanka’s required rate was 6.92 right from the beginning. Although this seems a monumental challenge, the pitch was good to bat on, and with rain having delayed the start of play by two-and-a-half hours, a damp ball was also proving a challenge for some bowlers. But Sri Lanka needed a strong start to put some wind in the sails of this chase, and what they got instead was a collapse.
Pathum Nissanka holed out to mid-off in the second over, badly miscuing a lofted drive against Duffy. Kusal Mendis then edged behind in Duffy’s next over, before Avishka Fernando slapped a ball from Henry straight to point immediately after. Captain Charith Asalanka’s horrendous judging of a run extended Sri Lanka’s nosedive.
He’d blocked one towards Mitchell Santner at mid-off and called his partner through. Santner swooped in the ball, hit the stumps with an under-arm throw, and caught Asalanka meter’s short. Kamindu had been out in very similar fashion, taking on the same fielder, only on Sunday.
At Asalanka’s dismissal, Sri Lanka still had 234 runs to get off 194 deliveries, and only two specialist batters and two allrounders left to do it with. They didn’t get especially far. Kamindu reached his half-century in the 24th over, with back to back fours off Daryl Mitchell. However, William O’Rourke sent him packing soon after on 64. He was the eighth batter dismissed, reducing Sri Lanka to 131 for 8 and the tall pacer cleaned up the tail too all by himself to shoot down the visitors inside 31 overs and secure a big win.
Even in the field, New Zealand outdid them. Their ground fielding was spectacular again, and the catch of the day belonged to Nathan Smith, who bounded along the deep-third boundary, threw himself off his feet and got his outstretched right arm to a ball that might otherwise have landed over the boundary to dismiss Malinga.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mitchell Santner the winning skipper said : We opened up really well, lost wickets in the middle but seamers did their thing on a wicket that offered a little bit.
Knew we had to bowl well at the start, credit to Theekshana and he bowled wide and made us hit to the bigger side and they stuck to their line and lengths for a long time and made it challenging for us. Usually it swings here under lights, but the bounce our bowlers got has proven to be challenging. Good game-time for the guys.
Charith Asalanka the losing skipper said : It was a fair score in this kind of small ground. Again bad batting in the powerplay cost us the game. We have to quickly find a way to get out from here (these kind of situations). I expected 2-3 wickets in the powerplay, but we couldn’t do that, but credit goes to New Zealand bowlers for the way they bowled. Comeback is the key and we have to get out from here.
Rachin Ravindra Player of the Match for his 79 runs said : Nice natural tempo to go out there and play cricket shots (in ODIs). I enjoy the ODI format although you don’t see many games happening now, it’s a format I grew up watching.
We kept reacting to the ball, I’ve also got a pretty nice bat so I can’t complain. (On his dismissal) Probably could’ve hit it over the top but it was a nice catch, we don’t play for milestones. We were wanting to chase, it was a little bit sticky to start, the way our boys bowled was fantastic.
New Zealand strode to 255 for 9 in their 37 overs, with a 112-run second wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman the bedrock of that innings. And then Sri Lanka’s top order crashed and burned again. They were 4 for 22 inside the first five overs, their hopes of levelling the series almost completely dashed.
Kamindu Mendis attempted to revive the innings, but his 64 was not nearly enough to revive this innings. Sri Lanka slipped to a 113-run defeat, having also lost heavily to New Zealand in the first ODI. New Zealand take the series despite being significantly depleted by absences and injuries. Sri Lanka are essentially at full strength, but the failure of their top five continues to dog them, even in a rain-reduced match such as this.
New Zealand had some stutters too. They were modest at the death, as Maheesh Theekshana in particular was effective, taking a hat-trick across his last two overs, as New Zealand mustered no more than 63 in the last 10 overs, losing five wickets in that period. But they did not stumble so spectacularly as to undo the work of the Rachin Ravindra-Chapman stand. They had contributions through the middle, with Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner chipping in.
And then they had their confident seam bowlers, who imposed themselves even with the older ball. Will O’Rourke took 3 for 31, Jacob Duffy 2 for 30, while Matt Henry and Nathan Smith claimed a wicket apiece. The only semblance of a partnership had been between Kamindu and Janith Liyanage, as the pair put on 57 together for the fifth wicket. Outside of that, New Zealand were picking their way through the batting order, and ultimately had them all out inside 31 overs.
All-out for 178 in the previous game, and now 142. They were 23/4 in the last game and 22/4 today. Sri Lanka had the momentum at the halfway stage, and all they needed to do was negate the new ball spell as run-scoring proved to be pretty straightforward after 10-14 overs. Not to be.
The fact that they lost 2 wickets to run-outs at crucial junctures did not help their cause either. Kamindu waged a lone battle with a 66-ball 64 that included five sixes and 3 fours, but the next best score for the visitors was Liyanage’s 22. That said, New Zealand have been spot on with the ball. Their fielding was exceptional too and never allowed Sri Lanka to build any sort of momentum right throughout.
New Zealand – 4, Sri Lanka – 1 (T20Is & ODIs included). We got one more to go in the ODIs and it will be at the Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday. Can Sri Lanka better that scoreline with a win Or will the Kiwis hand a clean sweep would be interesting to watch.