Published: Feb 14, 2015, 05:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 14, 2015, 07:12 PM (IST)
The last time a New Zealand side defeated Sri Lanka in a World Cup match was 23 years back, and the match was played in Hamilton in New Zealand. After several heartbreaks in World Cup at the hands of another small island nation thousands of miles away, New Zealand on Saturday justified the hype around them. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Full Coverage
Brendon McCullum’s men entered the competition as one of the favourites, and the captain led from the front with a breezy 65 from 49 balls, sharing a 111 run stand with his opening partner Martin Guptill (49). McCullum was particularly severe of Sri Lanka’s star pacer Lasith Malinga, who was making a return to international cricket after a surgery. The Kiwis scored 84 from the pacer’s quota of 10 overs.
The Sri Lankan bowlers did come back well to put a check on the scoring but Kane Williamson’s steady 57 and a late blitz by Corey Anderson saw New Zealand score 331 for six. Anderson later backed up his 75 from 46 balls with two wickets.
A disciplined bowling effort led by the timeless Daniel Vettori (2-34) saw the Kiwis seal it comfortably in the end. In the end it was a sweet revenge for New Zealand, who lost semi-finals in consecutive editions in the previous two World Cups.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 331 for 6 in 50 overs (Martin Guptill 49, Brendon McCullum 65, Kane Williamson 57, Corey Anderson 75) bt Sri Lanka 233 in 46.1 overs (Lahiru Thiramanne 65, Angelo Mathews 46; Daniel Vettori 2-34) by 98 runs
