Catch Live Scorecard of the 1st ODI Pool A encounter between New Zealand and Sri Lanka
(New Zealand and Sri Lanka will play the inaugural match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Which team will start their campaign with a winning note? Catch Live Cricket Score of the Pool A game of between New Zealand And Sri Lanka here)
Thrilling start to the ICC World Cup 2015! Brendon McCullum lit up Hagely Oval at the start, Corey Anderson blazed away at the death, and then the entire New Zealand side came together like a pack of wolves to clean out Sri Lanka! In case you missed the action, you can read Sandipan Banerjee’s match report here: New Zealand thrash clueless Sri Lanka by 98 runs in inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match
Sri Lanka: 233 | Overs 46.1
S Lakmal 7(17)
Anderson again. WIDE. Bit too short. OUT! Herath hits this to Milne at cover. It’s all over, and New Zealand have won by 98 runs! First victory of the ICC World Cup 2015. And the first time New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka for the first time in World Cup since 1992!
OUT! R Herath 13(19) c Milne b Anderson
Sri Lanka: 232/9 | Overs 46
R Herath 13(18), S Lakmal 7(17)
Southee continues. DOT. Defended. DOT. Played down the ground. TWO. Awkwardly pulled, but evades all the fielders. ONE. Through cover. WIDE. Short ball is too short. ONE. Herath plays it to the leg side. DOT. Play and miss.
Sri Lanka: 227/9 | Overs 45
R Herath 12(17), S Lakmal 4(12)
Milne again. DOT. Plays and misses. DOT. Driven down the ground. ONE. Manages to get one on the leg side. DOT. Ouch! Herath rapped on the helmet with a fast short ball from Milne! Dot. Played to point. TWO. Herath gets it down fine leg.
Sri Lanka: 224/9 | Overs 44
R Herath 10(14), S Lakmal 3(9)
Southee again. DOT. Drives outside off. ONE. Manages to get this one away. FOUR. Herath cuts very nicely through point. DOT. Defended well. DOT. Pulled straight to the fielder. DOT. He ducks.
Sri Lanka: 219/9 | Overs 43
R Herath 5(8), S Lakmal 2(7)
Milne brought back to clean out the tail. Lakmal on strike. DOT. Flashes and misses. DOT. Way too late on that one. DOT. Another play and miss. DOT. Milne is putting these on a length outside off, and Lakmal thinks he is Sachin Tendulkar playing on the up. He’s not. DOT. And again. He has been beaten five times in a row outside off. ONE. Finally puts bat on ball.
Sri Lanka: 218/9 | Overs 42
R Herath 5(8), S Lakmal 1(1)
Southee continues. DOT. Mathews tries to change things up by moving outside leg, but Southee follows him. OUT! Mathews goes out in a blaze of glory, holing out while trying to hit a big six. And surely it’s all over now. ONE. Herath ambles for a single. OUT! Malinga didn’t last very long, he edges one behind to Ronchi. That’s two in the over for Southee. ONE. Innocuous end to an eventful over.
OUT! A Mathews 46(52) c Vettori b Southee, L Malinga 0(1) c Ronchi b Southee
Sri Lanka: 216/7 | Overs 41
A Mathews 46(50), R Herath 5(8)
Anderson to Mathews. ONE. Driven away for one. DOT. Short ball, pulled away to fine leg. WIDE. Far too short. DOT. Driven away but no run. WIDE. Outisde off. FOUR. That goes over point. DOT. Can’t time that pull shot. DOT. Hits the bowler, no run.
Sri Lanka: 209/7 | Overs 40
A Mathews 45(49), R Herath 1(3)
Southee again. FOUR. Mathews punts this one over point. DOT. Set himself up for a slog beofore defending. ONE. Slammed down the ground, but the fielder cuts it off. DOT. Play and miss. ONE. Pulled away for one. WIDE. Slower bouncer but down leg. ONE.
Sri Lanka: 201/7 | Overs 39
A Mathews 39(45), R Herath 0(1)
Corey Anderson to Mathews. ONE. Drives to cover. OUT! Kula goes for a big hit over cover but finds the fielder. DOT. Mathews defends. FOUR. Cut past point. ONE. Played toward cover. DOT. Defended.
OUT! N Kulasekara 10(21) c Elliott b Anderson
Sri Lanka: 195/6 | Overs 38
A Mathews 33(41), N Kulasekara 10(20)
Southee continues. DOT. Kula can’t get it away. ONE. Played to midwicket. TWO. He steps out and looks to pull, but gets a leading edge that just manages to evade Brendon McCullum. FOUR. Short ball again, and pulled away to midwicket. ONE. Quick single to end the over.
Sri Lanka: 187/6 | Overs 37
A Mathews 26(38), N Kulasekara 9(17)
Corey Anderson comes on now. ONE. Mathews gets this away for one. ONE. Kula hits it to cover. ONE. The strike is being rotated well, but they need far more than this. DOT. DROP! Kula edges this to Ross Taylor at slip, but he fluffs it completely. Ronchi can’t take it off the rebound. ONE. Kula gets off strike. DOT. No run to end the over.
Sri Lanka: 183/6 | Overs 36
A Mathews 24(35), N Kulasekara 7(14)
Milne again. WIDE. Down the leg side. DOT. Short, but no problem for Mathews to leave it. He seems to think it should be a wide ball. DOT. Mathews looked like he wanted to try something, but Milne speared it into his legs to put that to rest. DOT. Kula ducks. That’s the second bouncer of the over. DOT. Outside edge, but in the gap. DOT. Plays it back to the bowler. ONE. Played to mid-off for one.
Sri Lanka: 177/6 | Overs 34
A Mathews 21(28), N Kulasekara 6(9)
Milne continues. DOT. Straight to the fielder. OUT! Milne is on fire, and Kula is out early. Hang on, they are going for a reviewal. And it’s not out! ONE. Kula gets one off the mis-field. ONE. Played on the leg side. WIDE. The bouncer is a bit too high. DOT. FOUR. Lovely shot for Kula to end the over with.
Sri Lanka: 170/6 | Overs 33
A Mathews 20(27), N Kulasekara 0(4)
Vettori again, as the batting powerplay is taken. DOT. Mathews can’t put bat on ball. ONE. Slapped through cover. DOT. Kula can’t do much with it. DOT. Defended. DOT. Dead-batted. ONE. That’s gone to cover.
Sri Lanka: 168/6 | Overs 32
A Mathews 19(25)
Milne continues. Karuna on strike. ONE. Single off his pads. ONE. Quick single again for Mathews. OUT! He’s cleaned him up. The extra pace from Milne unsettles Karuna. In comes Mendis. DOT. What a first ball to get. Mendis barely survives. DOT. But it’s a no-ball. FOUR. Short ball, Mendis hits this one hard but it wasn’t altogether convinging. OUT! Two in the over! New Zealand running away with this one!
OUT! Karunaratne 14(21) b Milne, J Mendis 4(4) c Ronchi b Milne
Sri Lanka: 161/4 | Overs 31
D Karunarathane 13(19), A Mathews 18(24)
Another great over by Daniel Vettori except that one bad ball that was duly put away by Angelo Mathews for four, but only two runs came in the remainder of the over. New Zealand on top.
Sri Lanka: 155/4 | Overs 30
D Karunarathane 12(18), A Mathews 13(19)
Adam Milne concedes four runs and New Zealand should have absolutely no trouble with that. Sri Lanka’s struggle continues. They have to start scoring runs at a quicker rate than this or this is a lost cause.
Sri Lanka: 151/4 | Overs 29
D Karunarathane 9(13), A Mathews 12(18)
Another great over by Daniel Vettori, conceding just the single run. Karunaratne and Mathews appearing rather nervous and edgy. Vettori has really choked the run-flow.
Sri Lanka: 150/4 | Overs 28
D Karunarathane 8(12), A Mathews 12(13)
Pressure mounting on Lankans with every over. Only three conceded by Trent Boult in that over. The home side are well and truly on top at this point. Required run rate is inching towards 8.5 and Sri Lanka have already lost 4 wickets.
Sri Lanka: 147/4 | Overs 27
D Karunarathane 6(8), A Mathews 11(11)
Vettori once again. ONE. Played off the pads. ONE. Tucked away off his pads. ONE. Played on the leg side once aagin. ONE. WIDE. DOT. And another dot ball. DOT. Played back to the bowler.
SRI LANKA LOSE THREE BIG WICKETS
Sri Lanka: 142/4 | Overs 26
D Karunarathane 4(6), A Mathews 9(7)
Boult continues. DOT. Defended with soft hands. TWO. Played away to midwicket. ONE. Hits this right at third man. TWO. Clipped away to midwicket. DOT. Mathews plays this to point. ONE. Clipped to midwicket.
Sri Lanka: 136/4 | Overs 25
D Karunarathane 1(3), A Mathews 6(4)
Vettori back again. DOT. Karunaratne on strike. DOT. No way he could work it for one. DOT. Defends off the back foot. ONE. Short on leg stump and whipped away. DOT. No run. DOT. Mathews can’t get it away. TWO. Cuts it away through point.
Sri Lanka: 133/4 | Overs 24
D Karunarathane 0(0), A Mathews 4(1)
Boult again. Boult continues. DOT. No run to start off with. DOT. Sanga looking to defend. FOUR. Oh what a shot, he drives this down the ground for four. DOT. Tapped away to point. OUT! THREE WICKETS IN THREE OVERS! Angelo Mathews in at No. 6. FOUR off the outside edge.
OUT! K Sangakkara 39(38) LBW b Boult
Sri Lanka: 125/3 | Overs 22
K Sangakkara 35(33)
Vettori continues. DOT. No run for Sanga. ONE. Off his pads there. DOT. Defends nicely. DOT. Can’t get it away. DOT. OUT! Another one down, it’s the big one! Jayawardene tries to work this away to third man and finds Luke Ronchi instead!
OUT! M Jayawardene 0(4) c Ronchi b Vettori
Sri Lanka: 124/2 | Overs 22
K Sangakkara 34(31), M Jayawardene 0(0)
Here’s Boult again. ONE. Down to long-off. ONE. Steered away for another single. ONE. Cut away. DOT. Smashes that one but can’t get it past the fielder. TWO. Thiri hit this down thrid man and dives back in to get two. OUT! Bowled him, Boult delivers a searing yorker that swung late and knocks over Thiri!
OUT! L Thirimanne 65(60) b Boult
Sri Lanka: 119/1 | Overs 21
L Thirimanne 62(56), K Sangakkara 32(29)
Kane Williamson again, with his remodeled action. ONE. Smashed through covers by Sanga. TWO. Full toss but Thiri can’t get more than two. ONE. Short, wide, but Thiri finds the fielder. ONE. Through cover again. ONE. One more to Thiri. ONE. Sanga steps out and plays it away to midwicket.
Sri Lanka: 112/1 | Overs 20
L Thirimanne 58(53), K Sangakkara 29(26)
Boult again. FOUR. Sanga steps out and picks up another boundary. That wasn’t too far above the leaping fielder. ONE. Played off his pads to midwicket. ONE. Thiri takes another single. ONE. Worked away off his pads again. ONE. This time it’s one on the off side. Last ball of the over now. ONE. Quick run to mid off.
Sri Lanka: 97/1 | Overs 18
L Thirimanne 51(48), K Sangakkara 21(19)
Boult comes back on now. Sangakkara on strike. FOUR. Lovely timing from Sanga, he clips this off his pads for a boundary. DOT. Defended. DOT. No run again. ONE. Direct hit, but Sanga was safe. ONE. Just a single to end the over.
Sri Lanka: 91/1 | Overs 17
L Thirimanne 50(46), K Sangakkara 16(15)
Here comes Grant Elliott. ONE. Single down the ground. ONE. And it’s a drop. Oh dear, Thiri gives an easy chance to Baz who fluffs it. ONE. Driven down the ground. ONE. And that is fifty for Thirimanne. ONE. Clipped off his pads. DOT. Defended off the last ball. Drinks now.
SANGAKKARA SECOND-HIGHEST RUN-SCORER IN ODI CRICKET
Sri Lanka: 86/1 | Overs 16
L Thirimanne 48(43), K Sangakkara 13(12)
Adam Milne continues. ONE. One outside off stump to start with. ONE. Short ball, Sanga plays it deftly for one. ONE. Down to third man. FOUR. Classic Sanga, down on one knee over cover! FOUR. And he now goes past 1,000 ODI runs. With that he also edges past Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run-scorer in ODI history! What a man, what a player! ONE. Played to midwicket.
Sri Lanka: 74/1 | Overs 15
L Thirimanne 46(41), K Sangakkara 3(8)
Vettori continues. ONE. Played to min-on. DOT. Right back at Vettori. ONE. Played off his pads. DOT. Thiri plays it back to Vettori. ONE. Dabs it away for one. TWO. Good shot to end the over.
Sri Lanka: 69/1 | Overs 14
L Thirimanne 44(38), K Sangakkara 0(5)
Milne again. ONE. Glanced down fine leg. WIDE. Down the leg side. DOT. Leaves it outside off. DOT. That could have ended badly, but both men choose not to go for a run. DOT. Left again. DOT. Defended. DOT. Short and quick, Sanga weaves out of the way.
Sri Lanka: 67/1 | Overs 13
L Thirimanne 43(37), K Sangakkara 0(0)
Daniel Vettori comes in to bowl his second over of the match, conceding three singles off it, before inflicting the first blow of the match to the Sri Lankans. Nicely flighted by the most-experienced member of the side as Dilshan scoops the ball back to the bowler. Sangakkara is expected to walk in next for the Sri Lankans, and he is only 12 runs away from becoming the second-highest run-getter in ODIs of all time.
OUT! Tillakaratne Dilshan c & b Vettori 24(41)
Sri Lanka: 64/0 | Overs 12
L Thirimanne 41(35), T Dilshan 23(37)
Milne again. ONE. Nicely played by Dilshan. FOUR. Thiri drives this over cover. DOT. Thiri can’t get it past the fielder. FOUR. Thiri has been trying to play this shot for a while now. Short outside off stump, and Thiri puts bat on ball. Four to third man. ONE. Knocked down to third man. TWO. Dilshan plays it to midwicket.
Sri Lanka: 52/0 | Overs 11
L Thirimanne 32(31), T Dilshan 20(35)
Vettori comes into the attack. ONE. Thiri hits this away to the leg side. ONE. Dilshan drives one down the ground. ONE. Thiri plays it off his pads to square leg. ONE. Short and wide, slapped away by Dilshan. ONE. Thiri works it away to the off side. ONE. Dilshan goes down the ground for one more.
Sri Lanka: 46/0 | Overs 10
L Thirimanne 29(28), T Dilshan 17(32)
Adam Milne comes into the attack now. ONE. That flew off the outside edge down to third man. Milne looks really quick. DOT. Thiri defends it. ONE. Another single this time. TWO. Dilshan works it away on the leg side and takes a couple more. DOT. Dilshan plays it to cover.
Sri Lanka: 42/0 | Overs 9
L Thirimanne 28(25), T Dilshan 14(29)
Southee continues. DOT. DOT. ONE. Dilshan plays this to short cover, who can only get a hand on it and deflect it, allowing Dilshan to get one. DOT. Thiri goes for an expansive drive, but misses it outside off. FOUR. Sensational batting, Thiri opens the face of the pat and gets it through point. DOT. Short ball, but Thiri can’t get it away.
Sri Lanka: 37/0 | Overs 8
L Thirimanne 24(22), T Dilshan 13(26)
Boult again. DOT. DOT. DOT. Thiri drives that but he can’t thread the gap. FOUR. Oh lovely shot. It was a yorker on leg stump that Thiri hits through cover! Superb batting. FOUR. Short ball, and Thiri hooks his for another boundary! DOT. Can’t get it past Ronchi.
Sri Lanka: 29/0 | Overs 7
L Thirimanne 16(16), T Dilshan 13(26)
Southee to Dilshan. ONE. Down to third man. DOT. Dilshan goes hard at it, but it’s well fielded once again by McCullum. FOUR. Finally Dilshan breaks free, he pulls this well through midwicket. DOT. Cuts it but finds the fielder at point. DOT. Played back to the bowler. DOT. Dilshan beaten all ends up.
Sri Lanka: 24/0 | Overs 6
L Thirimanne 15(15), T Dilshan 9(21)
Boult continues. TWO. DOT. FOUR. Thirimanne has looked the better batsman today. Thiri hits through the line through covers for four. ONE. DOT. DOT.
Sri Lanka: 17/0 | Overs 5
L Thirimanne 8(11), T Dilshan 9(19)
Southee continues. DOT. Mistimed by Dilshan. DOT. And again, he isn’t able to get these where he wants to. ONE. Superb fielding from Baz. That was a good shot on the up, but McCullum dives and saves what might have been four. ONE. Worked away to backward point. DOT. No run again. DOT. Good end.
SRI LANKA OFF TO A CAUTIOUS START
Sri Lanka: 15/0 | Overs 4
L Thirimanne 7(10), T Dilshan 8(14)
Boult again. Thiri on strike. ONE. Quick single. DOT. DOT. Defended back to the bowler. Dilshan again looking tentative. ONE. Played to third man. DOT. Short ball, Thiri looking to play that one over third man, but missed it. DOT. Straight to point. Another tight over.
Sri Lanka: 13/0 | Overs 3
L Thirimanne 6(7), T Dilshan 7(11)
Southee to Dilshan. DOT. Well played but straight to the fielder. DOT. Defended back to the bowler. DOT. Dilshan not quite finding his timing, inside edges this onto himself. DOT. Short ball, beats the attempted pull shot. DOT. Another flash, another miss. DOT. Nicely played this time, but can’t beat the fielder at mid on. Maiden over.
Sri Lanka: 13/0 | Overs 2
L Thirimanne 6(7), T Dilshan 7(5)
Trent Boult comes on from the other end. FOUR. Lovely shot, Thiri times it wonderfully through point. Guptill makes a mess of fielding it and touches the ball after he is over the ropes. DOT. Driven down the ground. ONE. Easy single. DOT. Defended off the front foot. FOUR. Inside edge, just beats the stumps. Another french cut. ONE. Dilshan goes through cover.
Sri Lanka: 3/0 | Overs 1
L Thirimanne 1(4), T Dilshan 2(2)
So we are back after the innings break. Tim Southee to bowl, Lahiru Thirimanne on strike. DOT. No run to start with. DOT. Nice stride in for Thiri. DOT. Looked to play this to third man, but can’t beat the fielder. ONE. Outside edge, but it didn’t carry to slip. TWO. Dilshan gets off the mark with a flick off his pads to square leg. DOT. Defended off the back foot to end the over.
In case you just woke up and missed out on all the action, you can read Sandipan Banerjee’s innings report here: Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson star as New Zealand reach 331 for 6.
New Zealand: 331/6 | Overs 50
L Ronchi 29(19)
Kulasekara to bowl the final over of the innings. Anderson on strike. FOUR. Short and slow, Anderson pulls this down fine leg. ONE. Good yorker, Anderson can only take one. TWO. Ronchi steps out and plays it through cover. FOUR. Ronchi goes over cover! ONE. Ronchi hits this on the leg side to give Anderson strike off the final delivery. OUT! Anderson slaps this to cover where Suranga Lakmal juggles with the catch before taking it.
OUT! C Anderson 75(46) c Lakmal b Kulasekara
New Zealand: 319/5 | Overs 49
C Anderson 70(43), L Ronchi 22(16)
Malinga to bowl out. ONE. Yet another yorker. ONE. And another yorker. ONE. Another yorker, Ronchi takes one. FOUR. Anderson walks across the stumps and fetches this from sixth stump over fine leg! TWO. Hit hard through cover. ONE. Driven down to long-off to end the over.
New Zealand: 309/5 | Overs 48
C Anderson 62(39), L Ronchi 20(14)
Kulasekara again. ONE. Ronchi picks up on the off side. FOUR. Anderson gets to his fifty in excellent fashion, he hammers this down the ground. SIX! Full toss, and Anderson goes the distance over long-on. 300 comes up for the Black Caps. ONE. Slower ball, Anderson can’t get it off the middle. ONE. Quick single to Ronchi. TWO. Bottom of the bat again from Anderson, but they run two. That’s 50 of the partnership too.
New Zealand: 294/5 | Overs 47
C Anderson 49(35), L Ronchi 18(12)
Slinga again. Corey Anderson on strike. ONE. Brilliant yorker, Anderson can only get an inside edge. ONE. Another good yorker. Malinga finding his groove. ONE. Anderson drives this down the ground for one more. OUT! BOWLED HIM! Malinga gets in another yorker. Wait a moment, is this a no-ball? The umpires have asked for the third-umpire. Oh dear, it is a no-ball. So not only is Ronchi not out, he gets to have a heave-ho next ball! ONE. Another yorker, one more. ONE. Another yorker, down to long on for one more.
New Zealand: 287/5 | Overs 46
C Anderson 46(32), L Ronchi 15(8)
Lakmal continues, this will be his final over. FOUR. Anderson has nearly killed both the bowler and the umpire Nigel Llong! Smashed back past the bowler. FOUR. Perfect timing and placement, Anderson scoops this over point. THREE. DROPPED! Oh dear, Jeevan Mendis has put down a skier. That went right through his hands. FOUR. Full toss on his pads, and Ronchi says thanks! TWO. Played down third man by Ronchi. DOT. Smacked back onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
New Zealand: 270/5 | Overs 45
C Anderson 35(29), L Ronchi 9(5)
Malinga continues. Ronchi on strike. DOT. Defended well by Ronchi first ball. FOUR. On his pads, and clipped down fine leg. DOT. Defended back to Malinga. FOUR. Lovely shot, used Malinga’s pace against him, worked away through backward point for four. ONE. Heaved away to square leg. ONE. Nicely driven down the ground.
New Zealand: 260/5 | Overs 44
C Anderson 34(28), L Ronchi 0(0)
Lakmal to Elliott. DOT. Superb yorker. ONE. Slower ball, played away to deep point. FOUR. Anderson smacks it over cover and into the gap. ONE. Anderson looks for a replay, this time gets an outside edge to third man. OUT! Elliott picks out Lahiru Thirimanne at square leg. Hang on, the umpires are having a chat. Front foot is fine. This was a high full toss. But it is out! TWO. This should have been four the way Anderson hit it, but great fielding in the deep.
OUT! G Elliott 29(34) c Thirimanne b Lakmal
New Zealand: 252/4 | Overs 43
G Elliott 28(31), C Anderson 27(25)
Kulasekara again. FOUR. Elliott steps out and hits it over cover. ONE. Nicely played down the ground. WIDE. Outside off stump. DOT. Yorker, not timed by Anderson. ONE. Whacked back to bowler, just one. TWO. Elliott times this away to deep point for a couple. ONE. Played to cover again.
New Zealand: 242/4 | Overs 42
G Elliott 20(27), C Anderson 26(23)
Lasith Malinga again. ONE. Hit to long-off. ONE. ONE. Yorker, finds the bottom of the bat, but they will get one to mid-on. DOT. Plays and misses. DOT. Slower ball, Elliott plays it straight to point. ONE. Driven down the ground for one.
FAN BECOMES MILLIONAIRE AFTER CATCHING KANE WILLIAMSON SIX!
New Zealand: 238/4 | Overs 41
G Elliott 18(23), C Anderson 24(21)
Lakmal continues, he has been the best bowler today by some margin. ONE. Anderson gets it away but can’t find the gap. DOT. Oh great ball, beats Elliott’s outside edge. TWO. Elliott steps out and slaps it past the bowler. ONE. Down to third man. FOUR. Finally, Corey Anderson manages to find the gap on the off side. ONE. Slapped down the ground for another single.
New Zealand: 229/4 | Overs 40
G Elliott 15(20), C Anderson 18(18)
Malinga again. DOT. Fended away. ONE. Width, and Elliott slaps it away through point. ONE. Nicely played through point, Anderson opens the face of the bat. ONE. Played away past cover. ONE. Squeezed away to point for another single.
New Zealand: 225/4 | Overs 39
G Elliott 13(17), C Anderson 16(15)
Lakmal continues. ONE. Anderson drives to cover. ONE. Down third man. FOUR. French-cuts it for four to fine leg. DOT. Tries to slog and misses. ONE. Anderson looks to slog, gets a bottom edge. Last ball. ONE. Elliott drives this to cover for one.
New Zealand: 217/4 | Overs 38
G Elliott 11(15), C Anderson 10(11)
Slinga Malinga is back! DOT. Left outside off stump. ONE. Clipped away off his pads. WIDE. Way outside off. ONE. Driven through cover for another single. WIDE. This time it’s wide outside the right hander’s off stump. DOT. Defended to the off side. WIDE. This time down the leg side. ONE. Played on the off side.
New Zealand: 210/4 | Overs 37
G Elliott 9(11), C Anderson 8(9)
Dilshan again. ONE. Misfield at silly min-on grants them one. ONE. Driven to long-off. DOT. Can’t thread the gap. FOUR. Elliott sweeps it away to fine leg. ONE. Played to midwicket. SIX! Corey Anderson steps out and slams this down long-on, but the fielder in the deep gets a hand to it so it goes down as a dropped chance.
New Zealand: 197/4 | Overs 36
G Elliott 3(7), C Anderson 1(7)
Herath continues. DOT. No run for Elliott, plays it back to the bowler. DOT. No run again, played to cover. DOT. Defended back to the bowler. DOT. Played back to the bowler again. ONE. Played through cover. DOT. Another good, tight over.
New Zealand: 193/4 | Overs 34
G Elliott 0(0), C Anderson 0(2)
Jeevan Mendis back into the attack. DOT. Flighted ball, but Taylor can’t go after it. ONE. Another mix-up but again both batsmen are safe. OUT! Huge wicket, Williamson hits this one flat, but he picks out the fielder at deep midwicket, who takes an excellent catch. DOT. Is this ANOTHER wicket? Yes it is, Sangakkara has stumped him! Two in two! Mendis on a hat-trick. DOT. Defends it away.
OUT! K Williamson 57(65) c Karunarathane b J Mendis, R Taylor 14 (28) st Sangakkara b J Mendis
New Zealand: 192/2 | Overs 33
K Williamson 57(64), R Taylor 13(25)
Dilshan again, Williamson on strike. DOT. Tries to sweep, but can’t time it. DOT. Plays it back to the bowler. TWO. Plays it away and the misfield will allow another. ONE. Off his pads. ONE. Down to long-on. WIDE. Down the leg side. FOUR. What a shot! That’s whipped away through midwicket for a boundary!
KANE WILLIAMSON’S EXCELLENT FIFTY
New Zealand: 183/2 | Overs 32
K Williamson 50(59), R Taylor 12(24)
Kulasekara again. DOT. No run to start the over. FOUR. Smashed away through midwicket. SIX! Slower ball, and Williamson opens up. Nicely caught over the boundary. TWO. Nicely played through midwicket again. ONE. Clipped away for a single.
New Zealand: 170/2 | Overs 31
K Williamson 37(54), R Taylor 12(23)
Dilshan again. ONE. Single to Taylor. DOT. Played back to the bowler. DOT. Williamson plays this on the leg side. TWO. Flicked away off his pads, good running. ONE. Slight mix-up but no harm done. DOT. No run to end with.
New Zealand: 166/2 | Overs 30
K Williamson 34(50), R Taylor 11(21)
Mathews continues. ONE. Played to extra cover. DOT. Plays it back to the bowler. ONE. Down third man. FOUR. Fractionally short, and Williamson’s eyes light up. Hammered away through midwicket for four! ONE. ONE. Played to cover to end the over.
New Zealand: 158/2 | Overs 29
K Williamson 28(47), R Taylor 9(18)
Kulasekara again. ONE. Single to Williamson down third man. ONE. Taylor drops one on the offside and rushes through for a quick single. These two are running well. ONE. Williamson gets it away to third man. DOT. Played back to the bowler. ONE. Played to backward point. ONE. DROPPED! Williamson goes over cover, but Mathews managed to get a hand on it. He survives, Sri Lanka could have had a third.
New Zealand: 151/2 | Overs 27
K Williamson 24(41), R Taylor 6(12)
Two DOTS to start the over for Lakamal. He is bowling with excellent discipline. ONE run scored from the third ball. New Zealand reaches 150 with that single. The next two balls are DOTs once again. ONE run came from the last ball of the over.
New Zealand: 149/2 | Overs 26
K Williamson 23(38), R Taylor 5(9)
Herath continues, he’s into his eighth over. ONE. Taylor picks off a single. DOT. Williamson defends it on the leg side. TWO. He steps out this time, and goes over cover but he doesn’t time it well enough to go over the ropes. Two to the fielder. DOT. Defended back to Herath. ONE. Down to mid-off. DOT. Defended away again.
New Zealand: 145/2 | Overs 25
K Williamson 20(33), R Taylor 4(7)
Lakmal again. DOT. Played back to the bowler. ONE. Quick single taken by Taylor, drops it on the leg side and takes off immediately. DOT. Plays it straight to short third man. ONE. Inside edge onto the pads, Taylor calls Williamson through for a quick single. ONE. Plays it to short midwicket for one. DOT. No run to end the over.
New Zealand: 142/2 | Overs 24
K Williamson 19(31), R Taylor 2(4)
Herath back into the attack now. ONE. Nicely played, he steps out and takes one. DOT. Williamson defends this well. DOT. Played to point, but can’t get it past the fielder. FOUR. Nicely played by Kane Williamson, he goes against the turn and slog sweeps this for four over midwicket. DOT. No run to point. DOT. Another neat defence.
SRI LANKA PEG NEW ZEALAND BACK
New Zealand: 137/2 | Overs 23
K Williamson 15(26), R Taylor 1(3)
Lakmal continues. FOUR. Guptill pulls this away forecefully to midwicket for a boundary. OUT! Guptill flashes, and Sangakkara takes the catch diving to his right. Ross Taylor walks in at No. 4. DOT. Taylor defends. DOT. Nicely bowled outside off, but Taylor shoulders arms. ONE. Outside edge to third man, just a single. DOT. That went past the outside edge!
OUT! M Guptill 49(62) c Sangakkara b Lakmal
New Zealand: 132/1 | Overs 22
M Guptill 45(60), K Williamson 15(25)
Here’s Jeevan Mendis into the attack now with his leg-breaks. Williamson on strike. ONE. Picked off his pads for a single to the leg side. ONE. Again on the pads, another single. DOT. Flighted, stepped forward, driven to the fielder. ONE. Driven down to mid-off. ONE. Full toss, another single to mid-off. DOT. Williamson plays it back to the bowler.
New Zealand: 128/1 | Overs 21
M Guptill 43(58), K Williamson 13(21)
Lakmal again, Williamson on strike. DOT. Didn’t time that one at all. DOT. Beat the edge there. DOT. Can’t pierce the field. DOT. Defended off the back foot. ONE. Lovely shot there, but hit straight to the fielder at third man. DOT. Defended off the back foot again. Great over, just one off it.
New Zealand: 127/1 | Overs 20
M Guptill 43(57), K Williamson 12(16)
Herath again. ONE. Clipped away off his pads. ONE. Another single to cover. ONE. Plays this through covers for a single. DOT. Huge appeal, and the umpire turns it down. That looked really close, but Sri Lanka do not take the review. ONE. Quick single. ONE. Picked off his pads.
New Zealand: 122/1 | Overs 19
M Guptill 41(54), K Williamson 9(13)
Lakmal to Guptill. ONE. Wow, he has smashed this! But it goes too quickly to the fielder to get more than one. DOT. Nicely played on the off side but he finds the fielder. TWO. Nicely played between point and cover, they’ll get two more runs. ONE. Nicely played down the ground. FOUR. Williamson gets an under-edge to fine leg. The good old French cut! Williamson looking nervy. ONE. Pulled away down to fine leg.
New Zealand: 112/1 | Overs 18
M Guptill 40(53), K Williamson 2(8)
Herath again. Williamson on strike. ONE. Played to cover. DOT. No run for Guptill. DOT. DOT. Again played to the fielder. Defended away to covers. ONE. Nicely played through cover. DOT. Defended back to Herath.
New Zealand: 112/1 | Overs 17
M Guptill 38(45), K Williamson 1(6)
Suranga Lakmal into the attack now, why hadn’t he bowled before this? Kane Williamson on strike first ball. DOT. Sangakkara has dropped a catch! Lakmal found the edge, but Sanga was unable to hang on to the one-handed dive. DOT. Williamson leaves one outside the off stump. DOT. Nicely played, middle of the bat, but no run to cover. DOT. Played off the back foot to point. DOT. Kane can’t find the gap. ONE. Single past point to end the over.
New Zealand: 111/1 | Overs 16
M Guptill 38(45), K Williamson 0(0)
Herath again. DOT. Guptill defends. ONE. Guptill sweeps to square leg for one more. Baz on strike. DOT. McCullum defends. OUT! First wicket down, McCullum looks to go over long-off, but get’s it high on the bat. Jeevan Mendis takes a fine catch over his head, he nearly overbalanced. DOT. Guptill can’t get the ball in the gap off the last ball, played it to covers.
OUT! B McCullum 65 (49) c J Mendis b Herath
New Zealand: 110/0 | Overs 15
M Guptill 38(45), B McCullum 65(47)
Tillakartne Dilshan comes into the attack now. Baz on strike. DOT. Baz defends. THREE. Nicely played through point, Baz finds the gap. Close third run, and Dilshan is not happy with that fielding effort, he thinks that could have been a run out. ONE. Guptill plays this nicely down to long-on. ONE. Played off his pads nicely. DOT. Guptill sweeps this to square leg, but can’t find the gap. ONE.
New Zealand: 104/0 | Overs 14
M Guptill 36(42), B McCullum 61(44)
Herath again. Guptill on strike. DOT. Defends this off the back foot. WIDE. Down the leg side. FOUR! Guptill sees this flighted ball early, goes at it with hard hands and smacks it over covers. ONE. Pushed it down to mid-off for another single. DOT. Herath surprises McCullum with a quicker one, Baz plays it in the air but short of the fielder at cover. DOT. Played to the leg side without success. ONE. Misfield at short midwicket allows Baz to take one.
New Zealand: 97/0 | Overs 13
M Guptill 31(39), B McCullum 60(41)
Mathews to Baz. ONE. Baz looks to play a paddle, but that was way outside off stump, he manages to get one. FOUR. Guptill this time! He takes on Mathews, hits him down long-on for a boundary. ONE. Nicely played to deep point, but they can only take a single. DOT. Another sound defence. FOUR! Baz goes down the ground again, this one over mid-off for four more. Last ball now. DOT. Played straight to point.
New Zealand: 87/0 | Overs 12
M Guptill 26(37), B McCullum 55(37)
Here’s Herath again. Baz on strike. TWO. Driven in the air over covers, but there is a fielder there. DOT. Huge appeal, massive, but it’s going down leg. DOT. Another appeal, again down leg. TWO. Baz slaps it away through point to bring up his half-century. FOUR! Steps out, and Baz hammers this one over Herath’s head for four more! ONE. Driven through cover for a single to end the over.
New Zealand: 78/0 | Overs 11
M Guptill 26(37), B McCullum 46(31)
Mathews again. DOT. Defends it well. DOT. Inside edge on to pad. ONE. Short-arm pull down to square leg. DOT. Played on the leg side, but there is a fielder. DOT. Played away to cover, no run. DOT. Drives it back to the bowler.
New Zealand: 77/0 | Overs 10
M Guptill 26(34), B McCullum 45(28)
Here’s Rangana Herath now. Will spin manage to chance the game? Herath is Sri Lanka’s only hope. Baz on strike. DOT, played to point. ONE. Nudged away to square leg. Guptill on strike now. DOT. Defended away. ONE. Driven down mid-off. ONE. Down to mid-off again. DOT. Defended away again, great over from Herath!
New Zealand: 74/0 | Overs 9
M Guptill 25(31), B McCullum 43(25)
Mathews continues. Guptill on strike. DOT. that was on his pads, but Guptill plays it straight to the fielder. ONE. Driven down the ground to mid-off. Baz on strike again. DOT. Perfect front foot defence. Was this the same man who hit Malinga for a straight six in the last over? FOUR! That one went to the boundary in less time it took to start writing this sentence! The fielder was right there but he didn’t have time to move! Four through point. DOT. Defends again. ONE. Quick single to third man.
New Zealand: 68/0 | Overs 8
M Guptill 24(29), B McCullum 38(21)
Slinga continues, this is his fourth over. FOUR! Slower full toss, but this time Baz was expecting it and he swipes it over square leg for a boundary. FOUR. This was on his pads, and timed to perfection by Baz. That’s the 50-run opening stand. It’s a no-ball too! Free hit now. SIX! Baz whacks Malinga over his head for a massive six off the free hit! Brendon McCullum you beauty! DOT. No run for this, McCullum tried to hit it a bit too hard. DOT. Good ball, Baz can’t get it away. FOUR! This one was short and wide, and Baz threads the gap with the precision of a surgeon! Last ball now. FOUR! Another! Slower ball, and Baz times that brilliantly through midwicket for another boundary!
NEW ZEALAND OFF TO FLYING START
New Zealand: 45/0 | Overs 7
M Guptill 24(29), B McCullum 16(14)
So the first bowling chance of the World Cup. It’s Angelo Mathews, bringing himself on. Captain to captain as Baz is on strike. DOT. Good line to start with, Sanga takes it standing up to the stumps. Left by Baz. DOT. Another good ball, and Baz defends this with a straight bat. DOT. Baz plays this to point off the back foot, but no run for it. ONE. This time he plays it to the same fielder, but with more purpose and sets off immediately. Dilshan looking a bit ginger on his feet at point. DOT. Brilliant over from the skipper. Another dot ball. DOT. Guptill defends off the back foot.
New Zealand: 44/0 | Overs 6
M Guptill 24(27), B McCullum 15(10)
Malinga to Guptill. DOT. Played to mid-off for a dot to begin with. THREE. Lovely shot again, flicked off his pads through midwicket. Guptill starting to look really good here. Baz on strike now. ONE. Another leg bye, it was a fantastic slower ball again, full toss but Baz was done playing the shot by the time the ball came. ONE. This was on Guptill’s pads, and he knocks it away for one more on the leg side. ONE. That was uppish from McCullum, but nowhere near the fielder. DOT. Another slower one, but Guptill defends.
New Zealand: 38/0 | Overs 5
M Guptill 20(23), B McCullum 14(8)
Kula to Baz. DOT. Another rare dot to Baz. Defends. ONE. Nicely played there, it could have been another dot, but Baz finds the gap and squeezes in one. WIDE. This one started on middle and swung past the batsman. FOUR. Again on the pads, this time Guptill puts bat to ball, easy pickings down fine leg. FOUR! Superb batting, this one was outside off, and Guptill shows tremendous bat-speed to get that away through point. DOT. Nicely bowled, nicely left. Hint of movement outside off, and Guptill clearly watching the ball closely. THREE. Well played once again, through midwicket into the gap.
New Zealand: 25/0 | Overs 4
M Guptill 9(19), B McCullum 13(6)
Here’s Malinga. Guptill on strike. DOT. Slinga continues to impress on his return. DOT. Nicely bowled again, but Guptill defends it with a straight bat. DOT. Guptill not entirely on the front foot then, but defends again. ONE. Played to short midwicket, quick single taken. Malinga vs Baz 2.0 now! ONE. Down to fine leg, but it was not where Baz intended it. He stepped out and looked to go over cover but only found the inside edge. DOT. But it’s a no-ball from Slinga, so Guptill will finally be able to have a heave. TWO. Slinga sneaks in the yorker, and Guptill can only work it away for a couple.
New Zealand: 20/0 | Overs 3
M Guptill 6(13), B McCullum 12(5)
Kula again, Guptill on strike. DOT. Guptill defends. DOT. Defended again off the back foot. DOT. Three in a row now, this one was on middle, and played back to the bowler. ONE. Should’ve been another dot ball, but the fielder at midwicket let it slip through. Baz back on strike again. FOUR! This one is played deftly through third man, once it beat the fielder it was always going to the boundary. DOT. A rare defence from Baz!
New Zealand: 15/0 | Overs 2
M Guptill 5(9), B McCullum 8(3)
Here’s Slinga Malinga back after a long lay-off. Guptill on strike. TWO. Malinga strays on his pads, and Guptill plays it down square leg. DOT. Better line, on off, and Guptill defends. DOT. Nicely played off the back foot, but superb fielding from Angelo Mathews at cover. THREE. Again on his pads, and Guptill times that well through midwicket, Dilshan pulls it back short of the boundary. Baz on strike. FOUR! This time off the back foot, slashed away again, and it’s through point again! DOT. Good slower yorker, and Baz nearly beaten, but he manages to adjust in time.
New Zealand: 6/0 | Overs 1
M Guptill 0(5), B McCullum 4(1)
Here we go. Nuwan Kulasekara, the man who bowled the last ball of ICC World Cup 2011, to bowl the first one of ICC World Cup 2015! Martin Guptill on strike. DOT. Lets it go past without offering a shot. DOT. Another leave, it was a good ball from Kula, swung in after pitching. WIDE. Bit of swing on offer here for Kula, that one was outside off and swinging away, wide ball. DOT. This one was on target, but Guptill defends stoutly. DOT. Pitched up on target, but Guptill defends again. No run off the bat so far. ONE. But it’s a leg-bye, on the pads and Guptill tries to work it away but misses. Last ball now, Baz on strike. FOUR! Slashes that one over covers for a boundary!
TOSS: Sri Lanka have won the toss, and elected to field first!
TEAMS:
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum(c), Grant Elliott, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi (wk), Corey Anderson, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Adam Milne.
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews (c), Dimuth Karunarathne, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara.
Hello and welcome to CricketCountry’s coverage of the inaugural match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. I am Shiamak Unwalla and I will bring you the live updates of this game. READ: Preview of Pool A match between New Zealand vs Sri Lanka.
For New Zealand the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is going to very crucial. This country has typically produced talented but non-glamorous cricketers. For a nation whose population is a fraction of that of Mumbai’s, producing a consistent flow of quality players is definitely commendable — more so because cricket is not the leading sport. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
New Zealand always gave their opponents a run for their money. They have kept them on their toes but have perhaps lacked firepower to go all the way in major tournaments. This has probably been the reason why the six-time World Cup semi-finalists has won just one International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy so far. This trend may, however, may change in this edition of ICC Cricket World Cup, which they are co-hosting. Probably for the first time, the unheralded Kiwis has been tagged as one of the favourites by cricket pundits. This is probably for the first time when New Zealand have managed to achieve the tag before a major ICC event. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
Sri Lanka on the other hand will bank on their experience team in this edition of World Cup. Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Angelo Mathews they have a strong top and middle order capable of doing well under pressure. Sangakkara is among the very best batsmen in world cricket at the moment, while Jayawardene has been in great nick as well. READ: Why New Zealand are among the favourites.
The onus will be on Dilshan to provide fireworks at the top and Mathews to play the role of a finisher later in the innings. These four batsmen will have the responsibility of getting the rest of the line-up to bat around them. Their bowling will be bit inexperience this time around.
Squads:
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c & wk), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Kyle Mills, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake, Jeevan Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
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