Sports
New Zealand clinch T20 series with 45-run victory
Sri Lanka were left licking their wounds after squandering a golden opportunity in the opening T20 International against New Zealand. The Kiwis, seizing the moment, wrapped up the three-match series with a game to spare, courtesy of a commanding 45-run win in the second game at Mount Maunganui yesterday.
Opting to bowl first, the tourists found themselves put under pressure as New Zealand piled up a competitive 186. In response, Sri Lanka’s batting line-up crumbled, folding for 141 in 19.1 overs. The hosts outfoxed the Sri Lankan batters with clever variations in pace, coupled with sharp fielding.
For a brief spell, Sri Lanka’s hopes flickered brightly as long as Pathum Nissanka held the fort. At 71 for 1 after nine overs, the tourists seemed to have a foot in the door. However, Jacob Duffy slammed it shut, removing Nissanka for 37. The opener’s knock included three elegant fours and two towering sixes off 28 balls, but his dismissal marked the beginning of the end.
The experienced Kusal Perera injected some life into the chase with his innovative stroke play, including audacious switch-hits that had the crowd on their feet. But he too fell to Duffy’s guile, departing just two runs shy of a well-deserved half-century. Without significant contributions from the middle order, Sri Lanka’s innings began to unravel like a poorly tied shoelace.
As the required run rate climbed like a runaway elevator, Sri Lanka’s batters wilted under pressure, gifting New Zealand regular breakthroughs. Duffy emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, scalping four wickets for just 15 runs in his four overs. Quick Matt Henry and skipper Mitchell Santner chipped in with two wickets apiece, further tightening the noose.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka’s bowlers started on a disciplined note, keeping the Kiwi batters in check. However, Mitchell Hay took the game by the scruff of the neck, hammering an unbeaten 41 off just 19 balls. His whirlwind knock, peppered with four boundaries and two sixes, gave New Zealand the final push they needed to cross the 180-run mark.
Fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana redeemed himself after a forgettable outing in the first game, conceding a much-improved 37 runs in his four overs. However, Maheesh Theekshana had a day to forget, leaking 52 runs in his four overs without claiming a wicket.
With the series already decided, the final game in Nelson will be a dead rubber. It also marks Sri Lanka’s sole outing in the South Island before they return to the North Island for the three ODIs, scheduled in Wellington, Hamilton, and Auckland.
Brazil are the unlikely candidates to have claimed two cricket records as one of their bowlers took a record nine wickets – including five in a row – in their 189-run T20 Women’s International victory against Lesotho in Botswana.
Having won the toss on Thursday, at the BCA Kalahari Women’s T20 International Tournament, Brazil posted a daunting 202-8 with wicketkeeper Monnike Machado hitting 69 off 41.
The fun, for the Brazilians, was only just beginning, though, as Laura Cardoso claimed a hat-trick with the last three deliveries of her first over – the second of the Lesotho innings – to set in motion the incredible feat that eventually saw the Africans bowled out for 13.
The 21-year-old then continued her wicket-taking achievement with a Women’s T20 International first of five dismissals in a row as she struck with the first two balls of her second over. This was all part of claiming the first nine Lesotho wickets to fall, but being denied the chance to take all 10 after a change of bowling following her third over. Her final wicket was Ret’sepile Limema, who fell to the fifth ball of the fifth over, with Cardoso replaced for the following over at that end. Her nine wickets, nevertheless, is the best return in either men’s or women’s T20 internationals.
The right-arm seamer did, indeed, come close to another hat-trick, when she claimed wickets with the last two balls of her second over, which itself totalled four victims.
Cardoso, who has has taken 55 wickets in 48 T20 matches for Brazil, replaces Indonesia’s Rohmalia Rohmalia at the top of the Women’s T20 best bowling rankings, as she finished with figures of 3-2-4-9.
Rohmalia had claimed seven wickets in 2024 in a match against Mongolia in Bali. Only three other women have claimed seven in a T20 international.
The men’s record, and the overall in the format, had been held by Bhutan’s Sonam Yeshey after he took eight wickets for seven runs against Myanmar last year.
The previous record for the number of wickets in consecutive deliveries was four, and was jointly held with the most prominent occasion in women’s cricket being when Shakera Selman pulled off the feat for the West Indies against Pakistan in 2018. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga are among the most notable bowlers from the men’s game to have claimed four consecutively in the format.
Although a huge winning margin, Brazil’s overall win does not compare with Argentina’s record after they beat Chile by 364 runs in 2023. The Argentinians had struck 427-1 to set up their victory.
Lesotho’s part in the record extends to no further than Cardoso’s haul, with the record-lowest total belonging to Mali, who were bowled out for 6 in 2019 by Rwanda.
Brazil, who lead the six-team tournament with five straight wins, play Mozambique on Friday.
[Aljazeera]
| Date | Match |
|---|---|
| May 3 | 1st ODI |
| May 6 | 2nd ODI |
| May 9 | 3rd ODI |
| May 12 | 1st T20I |
| May 14 | 2nd T20I |
| May 15 | 3rd T20I |
[Cricbuzz]
Opposition NCM against Energy Minister defeated
Chinese Ambassador assures Lanka China will not allow a fuel crisis to develop here
Minister Jayatissa blames administrations since 2010 for not following proper procedures when procuring coal
Motor Traffic Commissioner General further remanded
Newly renovated sanitary facilities at Colombo Central Bus Stand vandalised again
ADB predicts slower economic growth this year along with higher inflation
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features6 days agoRanjith Siyambalapitiya turns custodian of a rare living collection
-
News6 days agoGlobal ‘Walk for Peace’ to be held in Lanka
-
News4 days agoLankan-origin actress Subashini found dead in India
-
Business1 day agoIsraeli attack on Lebanon triggers local stock market volatility
-
News2 days agoAG: Coal procurement full of irregularities
-
Features6 days agoBeyond the Blue Skies: A Tribute to Captain Elmo Jayawardena
-
Features6 days agoAspects of Ceylon/Sri Lanka Foreign Relations – 1948 to 1976
-
Business2 days agoHayleys Mobility introduces Premium OMODA C9 PHEV