5th Match: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 14 Apr 2002 CricInfo Live Report

5th Match: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Sharjah, 14 Apr 2002
Agha Akbar

Sri Lanka innings: 15 overs, 30 overs, End of innings,
Pre-game: Pre-Match,
New Zealand innings: 15 overs, 30 overs, End of match,

LANKANS SAIL INTO THE SHARJAH CUP FINAL
SHARJAH—Sri Lanka notched another win, their third out of four in this event, to be the first to make it to the final of this Sharjah Cup 2002, leaving Pakistan and New Zealand to slug it out for the other berth today. And, with both having a win apiece under their belt, the game is indeed a knock-out: the winner lives to fight for the title, and the loser goes home. In case it is New Zealand, they cross over the Persian Gulf to Pakistan for their rescheduled one-day and Test rubber, in that order.

Having set them 244 for victory, Sri Lanka allowed New Zealand only 197 for nine wickets, winning the fixture comfortably by 46 runs. The Lankans were keen to win this tie so that their qualifying for the final did not linger unduly for another day. Sharp in bowling and even sharper in the field, once they had reduced the Black Caps to 38 for three were not willing to give anything away. They had wrested control, more than that, a vise-like hold, and they were in no mood to concede an inch. Only Kumar Sangakkara, keeping wickets missed a stumping and a run-out, but even those reprieves fell in the realm of too little to save the day for the Kiwis.

As the game entered the home stretch, the final 10 overs, the Kiwis were 93 runs adrift, the asking rate 9.3, and Jacob Oram, who had already hit Kumar Dharmasena for a straight six, and James Franklin were on the crease. It really was beyond them to plunder the runs at this rate against an attack that is very good at prising out better-endowed opposition. Oram clouted Dharmasena over long on but the bowler had his revenge next ball by having him stumped. Franklin and Tuffey fooled around for a while, but Arnold bowled the latter and Franklin stayed on with Butler to save the ignominy of getting all-out.

From the word go, the Kiwis really made a mess of their chase, and were reduced to 38 for three. Chaminda Vaas struck first ball, to have Mathew Horne so plumb in front that umpire Venkatraghavan had his finger up as soon as the bowler turned around to raise his hands in appeal.

Out of sorts, Nathan Astle (14, 26 balls, 2 fours) made his best score of this tournament so far before Vaas had him brilliantly caught and bowled. The disaster was compounded when Nuwan Zoysa’s appeal for leg before against Chris Harris was upheld.

The most seasoned Black Caps pair, Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan found the going tough. McMillan took a boundary apiece from Kumar Dharmasena and Upul Chandana. But to make an already near irretrievable situation worse, Fleming got himself bowled round his legs off Dharmasena.

Muralitharan was finally brought into the attack as late as the 25th over. He conceded one and two in the first and second overs of his spell, but as Mathew Sinclair and Fleming went after him.

He conceded 11 in his third, the 29th over, which also saw Black Caps raise the 100 of their innings, 101 off 179 deliveries.

Next over, the 30th, McMillan clouted Jayasuriya for a glorious six straight on to the sight screen first ball to take another 10 runs from the over. And Jayasuriya’s next over too went for 11 runs, as McMillan contemptuously thumped him to the long-on fence and then guided him to deep fine leg for another boundary.

The Kiwi innings seemed to be gaining a fluency of sorts, but it was too good to last. In Muralitharan’s next over, two wickets fell to make any hopes of revival a remote possibility. Sinclair, who had made 56 for the fifth wicket with McMillan, was run out courtesy a ferocious throw by Jayasuriya and Styris was leg before Muralitharan.

McMillan was snared into a false shot by Muralitharan and with Atapattu making no mistake, at 138 for seven, the writing was on the wall for the Kiwis.

Earlier, the fact that the Lankans managed just 243 after being rather well placed at 155 two in the 30th over was a tribute to the Black Caps resilience in the field and some imaginative captaincy.

Having lost skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, leg before to Daryl Tuffey third ball after winning the toss and electing to bat first, Sri Lanka recovered quite considerably, as Marvan Atapattu (82, 94 deliveries, 12 fours) and Kumar Sangakkara (50, 64 balls, 5 fours, 1 six) made 114 runs.

It was Atapattu who took the fight to the Kiwis, by stroking the ball sweetly for fours, mostly in front of the wicket, mostly straight as an arrow in copybook fashion. Sangakkara, having started with a six off James Franklin settled down to play second fiddle to Atapattu, until late in the innings when he raced to his 50 with three fours in as many overs on the off side, only to get out immediately after reaching his fifty.

Atapattu, who scored his third score of 50-plus on the trot, and Mahela Jayawardene continued scoring in singles and twos, until they tore into Franklin, hitting him for two boundaries apiece to gather 18 runs off the over. At this point things seemed to be getting out of hand, when seamer Ian Butler struck twice, removing Atapattu and Arnold in the same over. Harris delivered another blow, by getting Tillekeratne Dilshan caught at the wicket by Sinclair.

Three wickets in the space of 20 deliveries for the addition of 12 runs was a collapse from which the Lankans recovered but never fully.

Jayawardene (39 runs, 55 balls, 3 fours) soldiered on in association with Upul Chandana (21, 36 balls, 1 four), but another three wickets fell in a bunch. Harris claimed Jayawardene’s wicket, and from 5 for 196, the Lankans again plunged to 208 for eight within the space of 21 balls.

Chaminda Vaas, dropped at one by Sinclair off Jacob Oram, scored a run a ball 20 with the help of one four to rally the tail around him and take the total to a respectable 243.

BLACK CAPS IN DIRE STRAITS
SHARJAH—Sri Lanka, sharp in bowling and even sharper in the field, were not willing to give anything away. They had wrested control, more than that a vise-like hold, on the game, and they were in no mood to concede an inch.

Muralitharan was finally brought into the attack, as late as the 25th over. He conceded one and two in the first and second overs of his spell, but as Mathew Sinclair and Fleming went after him,

He conceded 11 in his third, the 29th over, which also saw Black Caps raise the 100 of their innings, 101 off 179 deliveries.

Next over, the 30th, McMillan clouted Jayasuriya for a glorious six straight on to the sight screen first ball to notch 10 runs.

It was only two overs and 21 runs, but the Kiwi innings seemed to be gaining a fluency of sorts. But with 127 runs to go and the asking rate already 6.4 one wondered whether the Kiwis were just a wicket or two, or a few tight overs away from defeat.

BLACK CAPS MAKE A HASH OF IT
SHARJAH— The Kiwis made a hash of their chase, and were reduced to 52 for three by the end of 15th over. Skipper Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan, the two veteran campaigners, were at the crease but with the Lankan spinners yet to be introduced, the task was really uphill, to say the least.

The Black Caps got off to a disastrous start, as Chaminda Vaas struck first ball, to have Mathew Horne so plumb in front that umpire Venkatraghavan had his finger up as soon as the bowler raised his hands in appeal.

Out of sorts in this tournament, Nathan Astle (14, 26 balls, 2 fours) made the best score of this tournament before Vaas had him brilliantly caught and bowled. The disaster was compounded when Nuwan Zoysa’s appeal for leg before against Chris Harris was upheld.

To begin with, one thought that the Kiwis had the wherewithal to chase 243, especially since they had made 237 in reply to Pakistan’s 288. But at 52 for three even their most ardent supporters would have second thoughts.

KIWIS FIGHT BACK TO RESTRICT THE LANKANS
SHARJAH— Sri Lanka, which in the middle of the innings seemed destined to a really formidable total, were contained to a rather manageable 243 for as the regulation 50 overs came to a close with Nuwan Zoysa’s mishit going to the fine leg.

Some imaginative captaincy pulled it back for New Zealand, as the bowling changes rang by Stephen Fleming finally worked. Ian Butler delivered a double blow in the 32nd over by clean bowling Marwan Atapattu, who remained the highest scorer for Sri Lanka with 82 (94 balls, 12 fours) and having Russell Arnold leg before wicket. Chris Harris Tillekeratne Dilshan caught at the stumps by Mathew Sinclair.

From 162 for two to 169 for 5, the Lankans’ free-scoring was quite effectively reined in. Mahela Jayawardene (39 runs, 55 balls, 3 fours) in association with Upul Chandana (21, 36 balls, 1 four) tried to affect a recovery but another three wickets fell in a bunch as Harris claimed Jayawardene’s wicket, and from 5 for 196, the Lankans again plunged to 208 for eight within the space of 21 balls.

Chaminda Vaas, dropped at one by Sinclair off Jacob Oram, scored a run a ball 20 with the help of 1 four to rally the tail around him and take the total to a respectable 243.

The other night against Pakistan, Sri Lanka had defended four runs less. Whether they can do it this time, and in the process improve their 8 losses against 1 win against the Kiwis at Sharjah, remains to be seen.

The Lankans have a slot in the final all wrapped up if they win today. But the Kiwis too would want to keep their chances alive by repeating their 11-run win in the first league encounter against Sri Lanka.

LANKANS ALL SET FOR A BIG TOTAL
SHARJAH—At 155 for 2 by the 30th over, the Lankans seemed well on course for a huge score, something in the vicinity of 275, which would really be a test of the resilience and resourcefulness of this Black Caps outfit.

After the shocking dismissal of skipper Sanath Jayasuriya in the first over, Marwan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara batted with such poise and assurance, to take the total well past hundred, 114 to be precise. At this point Sangakkara fell, miscuing a Styris delivery, his even 50 (63 deliveries, five fours and a six).

But Atapattu, having already reached his third successive score of 50-plus was in such glorious touch and Mahela Jayawardene too was so intent on making his presence felt, that the runs kept coming at a fastish clip.

Having unleashed his strokes, mostly in front of the wicket and a great majority of them straight behind the bowler on either side, Atapattu reached his 50 off only 58 deliveries with the help of 9 fours. And just after Sangakkara got out, he clubbed Styris to the long-on fence. Then ensued a quieter session, that is in terms of boundaries.

That anomaly was redressed Jayawardene and Atapattu with a couple of boundaries apiec off James Franklin in the 29 over, as 18 runs were conceded. Jayawardene lifted him over the top of the bowler for a straight four, and after a single Atapattu hit for two identical boundaries at mid-wicket, took a single, Jayawardene again had a go at him.

At the end of 30th over the Lankans were all set for their best score of the event, and though Stephen Fleming rang bowling changes throughout, it had little impact in terms of stopping the flow of runs.

JAYASURIYA GOES EARLY BUT SRI LANKA OFF TO A FAST START
SHARJAH--After a rousing win against Pakistan, Sri Lanka came in this last league match of theirs with every intention of winning to be first to qualify for the final. The added incentive was to avenge their 11-run defeat against the Black Caps in the first round of the league matches. They won the toss, and as is the practice on the batting paradise in this desert emirate, they opted to bat first.

They started off poorly, with Sanath Jayasuriya adjudged leg before by umpired Russell Tiffin playing half-cock forward on a delivery which had landed on or about the leg stump. Anyway, the star Lankan batsman was back in the pavilion third ball of the match. The experimentation of Romesh Kaluwitharana’s reintroduction in the meanwhile was discontinued and the in-form Marwan Atapattu was promoted as opener. Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara played without a care in the world, as if the dismissal of their captain had not affected them at all.

Call it their poise and command, or lack of sting in the Kiwi attack, both were untroubled as they started building the total in an unhurried manner. Sangakkara smote James Franklin for a six in the square leg region in the second over and Atapattu in his copy book style straight drove him for two fours and then a three to long on as Sangakkara finished the over with another boundary at square leg.

Atapattu kept finding the boundary regularly, so regularly that at least on two more occasions when he got a boundary, he got a second one next delivery. He cut Tuffey to the point boundary to raise the Lankan 50 in the 11th over, off 64 deliveries, and then canned him for a four to the cover fence. He again straight drove Butler for two back to back straight driven fours and in the 15th over sent Oram crashing to the covers.

At the end of 15th over the Lankans were merrily placed at 78 for 1.

SRI LANKA BAT FIRST IN THEIR SECOND MATCH AGAINST NEW ZEALAND
Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to bat first in their second match of the Sharjah Cup.

Sri Lanka, coming off a thrilling win against Pakistan on 12th April, must be regarded as favourites here. They have an enviable record at the venue in recent years. However, in head to head enounters New Zealand has the far better record.

In one-day cricket, often the past records count for little once the teams take the field and the one holding their nerves best are the winners.

New Zealand are playing their third match of the tournament, and they will be looking to get their place firmed up for the final with a win.

For Sri Lanka, skipper Sanath Jayasuriya has been in fine form with the bat as have been his senior batsmen in this tournament. But Nathan Astle has something to prove too after his blitzkreig batting performances against England in a Test series, and if both of them click today, this could be a one-dayer that the spectators will long remember.

Teams:

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Chris Nevin (wicket-keeper), Craig McMillan, Chris Harris, Matthew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Ian Butler, Daryl Tuffey

Sri Lanka: ST Jayasuriya (captain), MS Atapattu, K Sangakkara, DPMD Jayawardene, RP Arnold, TM Dilshan, UDU Chandana, WPUJC Vaas, HDPK Dharmasena, DNT Zoysa, M Muralitharan."