Asitha Fernando was the star bowler as Sri Lanka rebounded after suffering heavy defeats in the first two games to cede the three-match series. They were led by some lethal seam bowling from Asitha Fernando and Eshan Malinga, who claimed three wickets each, as did spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Asitha Fernando (3-26) was the chief destroyer with the new ball as New Zealand’s first five wickets tumbled inside the first seven overs.
Rapid half-centuries from Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka and Janith Liyanage put Sri Lanka on course to a substantial total, before an electric new-ball spell from Asitha Fernando wrecked New Zealand’s chase. Glamorgan have signed Sri Lanka fast bowler Asitha Fernando for the first two months of the season. He is expected to be available for seven County Championship fixtures up until the end of May.
Asitha Fernando , 27, has taken 72 wickets 26.66 in Tests and impressed on Sri Lanka’s tour of England earlier this year, when he finished as the leading wicket-taker on either side as well as winning a spot on the Lord’s honours board for his first-innings five-for.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The forecast is good for the rest of the day. 63m and 66m square boundaries, 66m straight boundary, the pockets are longer. The breeze does play a role, as a bowler you need to make sure that the batters keep hitting it to the longer pockets. Looks a belter, it’s a lot whiter in color, there is some grass, but it’s well rolled and it’s not going to be batting friendly, reckons Frankie McKay and Craig McMillan, in their pitch report.
Toss : Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and chose to bat with no changes in the playing XI. New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner bowling first made one change bringing in Michael Bracewell for Jacob Duffy in the playing XI.
Pathum Nissanka’s fighting fifty alongside fifties from Janith Liyanage and Kusal Perera powers SL to 290 for 6 despite Matt Henry’s 4-fer
Earlier, injured opener Pathum Nissanka top-scored for Sri Lanka with 66 off 42 balls. Pathum Nissanka, was on 50 off 31 balls when he retired hurt after suffering an apparent hip injury, having got his team off to a flying start at 66 without loss in 10 overs. He recovered and returned in the 34th over to add a further 16 runs, hitting six fours and five sixes in total. There were half-centuries from Kusal Mendis (54 off 48) and Janith Liyanage (53 off 52) in a vastly improved Sri Lankan batting effort.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Sri Lanka posted a competitive total of 290/8 in their 50 overs. Pathum Nissanka’s brisk 66 off 42 balls set the tone, followed by solid contributions from Kusal Mendis (54 off 48 balls) and Janith Liyanage (53 off 52 balls). New Zealand’s Matt Henry was the standout bowler, claiming 4 wickets for 55 runs in his 10-over spell, while Mitchell Santner chipped in with 2/55.
The first ingredients of Sri Lanka’s 140-run victory, however, were the fifties to Nissanka and Kusal. Nissanka’s 66 off 42 was unusual. He got to 50 off the 31st delivery he played, but as he was completing that run, appeared to pull a hamstring, and left the field at the end of the tenth over. Kusal then replaced him at the crease and reeled off 54 off 48 to salvage what has otherwise been a modest tour for him.
Nissanka, especially, reveled in taking on the short ball. He crashed five sixes and six fours in his innings, coming back to the middle in the 34th over to swing at a few though he was unable to run or reach particularly far outside off. Kusal hit two sixes and five fours, having made all his runs after the initial fielding restrictions had ended. Both batters were dismissed by wide, turning Mitchell Santner deliveries, that they were trying to drag over the deep-midwicket boundary.
Santner had been among the primary architects of Sri Lanka’s middle-overs slowdown. They had been 155 for 1 (Nissanka was retired hurt also) after 27 overs, but in the following seven overs lost three wickets and made only 28. They recovered through a half-century to Liyanage, who constructed a clever innings that shepherded the lower-middle order and the tail.
Janith Liyanage made 53 off 52 balls before falling in the final over. He had hit five boundaries – two of them sixes – but largely sought to push the game deep and ensure Sri Lanka batted out their 50 overs. Despite some late wickets, Sri Lanka made full use of the small boundaries at Eden Park to finish strongly. New Zealand seamer Matt Henry continued a fine series, claiming 4-55 to lift him to 150 ODI wickets, while captain Mitchell Santner took 2-55 with his spin.
Asitha Fernando’s electric early burst alongside 3-fers from Eshan Malinga and Maheesh Theekshana hands SL thumping 140 run win over NZ.
New Zealand’s chase began disastrously, with Maheesh Theekshana striking in just the second over to remove Will Young. From there, it was a masterclass in swing and precision by Asitha Fernando, who dismantled the top order, taking three wickets in quick succession. New Zealand found themselves in deep trouble at 21/5 within the powerplay. Asitha Fernando ended with figures of 3/26 from his 7 overs, delivering a spell that shattered the hosts’ confidence.
New Zealand had no answers to Asitha bowling one of the white-ball spells of his career. Mark Chapman saw out that new-ball spell, and then gained confidence once the powerplay was over, finding the boundary with the kind of ease that Nissanka and Kusal earlier had. He was especially strong through the off side, hitting all but two of his ten fours on that side of the ground. But thanks to that early collapse, they never looked like threatening the target.
Asitha Fernando swung the ball prodigiously in his five-over opening spell, taking 3 for 17 in that period. By the end of over seven, and chasing 291 for victory, New Zealand were 22 for 5, their chances all but dashed. Mark Chapman battled bravely for a run-a-ball 81, but had no team-mates to go with him.
Asitha Fernando swung the ball prodigiously in his five-over opening spell, taking 3 for 17 in that period. By the end of over seven, and chasing 291 for victory, New Zealand were 22 for 5, their chances all but dashed. Mark Chapman battled bravely for a run-a-ball 81, but had no team-mates to go with him.
New Zealand soon slipped to 48 for 6, then 77 for 7, and though the last rites took some time, Sri Lanka dismissed the opposition for 150, inside 30 overs. This was the third one-sided game in the series. New Zealand had won the other two.
Asitha Fernando’s 3 for 26 wasn’t quite a swing-bowling masterclass, as he occasionally struggled with his lines. But it did feature some spectacular deliveries, as he gleaned substantially more swing than any other bowler in the game.
The ball to take out Rachin Ravindra’s leg stump was magnificent; Asitha Fernando angled it across the left-hander, and got it to tail in very late to slip between bat and pad. All through that new-ball spell, Asitha Fernando had that shape to his deliveries. Asitha Fernando struck twice in the seventh over, removing Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips, both for ducks.
At the other end, Maheesh Theekshana and Eshan Malinga also contributed wickets, dismissing Will Young and Daryl Mitchell respectively. All three of these bowlers ended up taking three wickets apiece. Asitha’s was the best among their final figures. Malinga also swung the ball, though not as much as Asitha, and bowled probing lines. Theekshana got turn out of a pitch that the New Zealand spinners had also enjoyed earlier in the match, particularly when they picked their way through Sri Lanka’s middle order.
New Zealand soon slipped to 48 for 6, then 77 for 7, and though the last rites took some time, Sri Lanka dismissed the opposition for 150, inside 30 overs. This was the third one-sided game in the series. New Zealand had won the other two.
Theekshana claimed 3/35 from 7.4 overs, while Eshan Malinga matched those figures, showing exceptional control and variation. Janith Liyanage also chipped in with a crucial wicket, removing Michael Bracewell. The Kiwis were eventually bowled out for 150, with only Mark Chapman standing tall amidst the wreckage. Chapman’s 81 off 81 balls was a valiant effort, but it was insufficient to mount any significant resistance. His innings, marked by composure and clean hitting, was the sole highlight for New Zealand in an otherwise forgettable outing.
Asitha Fernando (3-26) was the chief destroyer with the new ball as New Zealand’s first five wickets tumbled inside the first seven overs. The victory margin would have been greater, were it not for Mark Chapman’s 81 off 81 balls, the No 3 New Zealand batsman the last out when he was bowled by Theekshana (3-35).
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mitchell Santner the losing NZ skipper said : Not the way we wanted to end the series. Credit to Sri Lanka though. They challenged us early and it was tough to come back from that. I think they got the ball swinging and made it challenging, they bowled well and took the catches in the powerplay.
A lot of positives from the series though. It will be nice to continue (winning going forward), the lads performed well throughout the series. Need to adapt to the conditions in Pakistan, they are going to be different.
Charith Asalanka the winning SL skipper said : It’s always great to comeback like this. We lost both the series unfortunately. Was a special effort from the boys today, feeling really good. A have few more areas to work on, credit to the NZ bowlers. They put us under pressure, they have been playing really well. The hospitality in NZ was very nice, thank you guys.
Asitha Fernando Player of the Match for his 3-fer said : It’s a massive confidence booster, both for myself and the team, we haven’t played like this and it was a pleasure playing this way. There are areas where I can improve, I will get some work done and improve day-by-day.
Matt Henry Player of the Series for his outstanding bowling 9 wickets in the series said : Massively, shame we couldn’t get over the line. Nice to get this momentum going forward with some one-day cricket coming up. Sometimes you want things to go differently. We’ll make sure to take the challenges up going forward.
A consolation win for Sri Lanka but quite a comprehensive one. Earlier in the day, their batters got them off to a brisk start and the fifties by Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and Liyanage helped them post a formidable total – their highest of this 3-match ODI series. In reply, Theekshana dismissed Will Young for a duck pretty early in the innings, and Asitha Fernando did further damage with his three-wicket haul within the powerplay.
Five of their top six batters were dismissed in single digits as the Kiwis were put on the back foot by the Lankan bowlers. Mark Chapman fought hard from one end, but due to the lack of support from his team-mates, the Blackcaps fell short of the target by a huge margin of 140 runs. Eshan Malinga also bowled a tidy spell as he claimed three wickets and erased the tail off.
Four of their top six batters combined for a mere three runs, an alarming statistic that would be of concern ahead of their upcoming tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa. While the match held no bearing on the series outcome, it served as a wake-up call for the hosts as they prepare for sterner tests leading up to the Champions Trophy.
Despite the one-sided nature of the contest, New Zealand found some solace in their bowling efforts, particularly from Henry, whose late strikes prevented Sri Lanka from amassing an even larger total. Michael Bracewell also warmed up for future assignments with an economical spell, while Mitchell Santner’s effective use of spin hinted at the strategies New Zealand might employ on subcontinental pitches
NZ won the T20I series by a 2-1 margin and they have won the ODI series by a similar margin of 2-1. Santner collects the trophy as the Blackcaps pose with it for the cameras. Sri Lanka put up some impressive performances, but in patches.
New Zealand will be a part of the ICC Champions Trophy that starts next month, but Sri Lanka won’t be a part of it. Shows how much they need to improve as a team in order to be a part of such major tournaments. On the other hand, NZ know how to play in major ICC events, so you can expect them to fire in the upcoming Champions Trophy.