4th Match: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 25 Jul 2001 CricInfo Live Report

4th Match: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Colombo, 25 Jul 2001
Rex Clementine

Sri Lanka innings: 25 overs,
Pre-game: Toss and teams,
New Zealand innings: 25 overs, 50 overs,

ARNOLD AND ATAPATTU KEEP SRI LANKA IN HUNT DESPITE EARLY COLLAPSE

Sri Lanka lost four quick wickets, but a solid 68 run unbroken partnership for the fifth wicket between Russel Arnold and Marvan Atapattu kept them in the hunt. Sri Lanka need a further 142 in another 25 overs at an asking rate of 5.68 runs per over.

Sanath Jayasuriya hit the first ball of the second over for a four, but after the next delivery he was starting his walk back to the pavilion. The Sri Lankan captain, playing forward at a Kyle Mills delivery, missed and umpire Asoka de Silva took a while before ruling the batsman out. Jayasuriya looked unhappy and the television replays showed the ball would have missed the leg stump.

Mills bowled impressively and in the same over he sent Romesh Kaluwitharana back to the pavilion without any addition to the score. Kalu was sent up in the order to make use of the fielding restrictions, but the right hander edged the ball to Adam Parore behind the stumps, trying to play on the on-side.

Umpire Asoka de Silva referred to the third umpire to find out whether Parore had gathered the ball cleanly and Peter Manuel ruled the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper batsman out.

Avishka Gunawardene, a reputed hard-hitting batsman, struggled for runs during his stay at the middle. His innings ended when the left- hander, trying to cut Darryl Tuffey, offered a catch to Chris Harris at backward of point. He made only five in 26 deliveries.

Mahela Jayawardene walked into the middle with Sri Lanka in trouble at 27 for three. He faced just two balls before starting his way back to the pavilion. The batsman pushed the delivery to mid off and hurried for a single. But Matthew Sinclair was quick and Jayawardene was not even in the frame when Sinclair's direct hit upset the stumps. This was Jayawardene's second consecutive duck

Russel Arnold joined Atapattu and the pair pushed the Sri Lankan score past the 50 run mark. The pair continued solidly without taking any undue risks. The 50 run partnership between the two came in the 21st over of the match in 76 balls. At the end of the 25th over the home team were 95 for four with Atapattu on 48 and Arnold on 26.

BLACK CAPS SET SRI LANKA A TARGET OF 237

A late flourish by wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Parore helped New Zealand set Sri Lanka a victory target of 237 in the fourth match of the Coca Cola Cup at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. This is the highest score made during this series.

Parore, who came to the wicket with the Black Caps on 184/5 in the 44th over, smashed 37 runs in 25 balls and 29 minutes with two boundaries and two sixes. The right-hander made the most of the last over of the New Zealand innings bowled by Sri Lankan skipper Sanath Jayasuriya when he smashed 13 runs.

For most part of the last 25 overs of the New Zealand innings, run scoring dried up with Sri Lankan captain, Sanath Jayasuriya opting to bowl spin from both ends. The batsmen just managed 59 runs between the 20th and 40th overs. However, they lost only two wickets in that period.

Stand-in captain, Craig McMillan, played patiently for his 38, facing 54 deliveries with three boundaries before he became the only victim of Muttiah Muralitharan. The batsman, trying to cut Murali on the back foot, missed the ball and was clean bowled with his side on 164 in the 37th over. Muralitharan’s 10 overs cost only 31 runs.

Russell Arnold came on from the Khettarama End replacing Kumar Dharmasena and as he had done in his first spell claimed a wicket with his first ball when Avishka Gunawardene, probably the weakest Sri Lankan fielder, brought out a spectacular catch fielding at short midwicket. Lou Vincent pulled Arnold powerfully but Gunawardene diving to his right held on to the ball. The catch can easily be classified as the best taken in the tournament so far.

New Zealand’s 200 runs came in the 46th over. Gunawardene took his second catch of the day when Chris Harris, driving Kumar Dharmasena, offered him a catch at mid-off. He was gone for 30 with New Zealand on 210.

Daniel Vettori going for a big one was caught by Marvan Atapattu at midwicket, giving skipper Jayasuriya his first wicket. He made three with the Black Caps on 217. At the same score Kumar Dharmasena dimissed Kyle Mills to finish the match with three wickets. He bowled his quota of 10 overs giving away 52 runs.

Fast bowlers bowled just 14 overs for Sri Lanka while the spinners did the bulk of the work. Muralitharan, Arnold, Jayasuriya and Dharmasena all bowled impressively. Of the eight New Zealand wickets that fell, seven went to the spinners.

BLACK CAPS MAKE STEADY START.

New Zealand made a steady start in the fourth match of the Coca Cola Cup tournament against Sri Lanka, despite the absence of skipper Stephen Fleming and Dion Nash who are experiencing stomach trouble. The Kiwis were 120 for three at the halfway mark of their innings, with stand-in captain Craig McMillan and Lou Vincent at the crease.

Sri Lankan new ball bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Suresh Perera bowled accurately in the first five overs and contained the New Zealand batsmen to just 18 runs but failed to see the back of the batsmen.

However, in the second five overs the batsmen took the initiative as both the new ball bowlers erred by pitching too short. The batsmen scored 31 runs between the fifth and the tenth overs.

Sri Lanka could have seen the back of Astle, if Suresh Perera had held on to a caught and bowled chance in the eighth over with the batsman on 14 and New Zealand on 29. New Zealand's 50 runs came in the 11th over of the match in 49 minutes.

Dilhara Fernando took over the bowling from the Khettarama End replacing Suresh Perera who gave away 22 runs in his first five overs. Fernando bowled a rather wayward first over in which he gave away 10 runs but with his first ball of the second over, made the breakthrough for Sri Lanka when he accounted for the wicket of Matthew Sinclair.

The batsman came out of the crease and tried to loft the ball over the head of skipper Sanath Jayasuriya at mid off. But the ball went high in the air giving Jayasuriya ample time to come under it and take an easy catch. When he was dismissed for 21 in the 14th over, the Black Caps were 70 for one.

At the fall of Sinclair, Jacob Oram was sent in to lift the run rate up. The tall New Zealander tried the sweep, reverse sweep and a few other shots against Muralitharan but succumbed to Kumar Dharmasena at the other end when he came out of the crease and went for a big one to be caught by Mahela Jayawardene at long off. He made just 11.

New Zealand's 100 runs came in the 20th over of the match in 90 minutes. Russell Arnold replaced Muralitharan from the Maligawatta End and removed the danger man Nathan Astle with his very first ball. The batsman, trying to cut the ball on the back foot, missed completely and was clean bowled.

MCMILLAN WINS THE TOSS AND DECIDES TO BAT

New Zealand captain, Craig McMillan won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth One-Day International of the Coca Cola Cup at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium.

McMillan has taken over the duties of captaincy for this game since Stephen Fleming is out with stomach trouble. The Kiwis are also minus Dion Nash who bowled well in the Indian game due to a stomach problem. Jacob Oram comes in for Nash while Grant Bradburn is in for Fleming.

Sri Lanka meanwhile have retained the same squad which won both their earlier games in the competition.

At the end of the first round matches, Sri Lanka head the points table with four points in their two games while the Kiwis have two points in two games. India are at the bottom of the table with no points in two games.