Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 5 wickets; reach World Cup final

By CricketCountry Staff

 

Angelo Mathews and Thilan Samaraveera’s crucial stand for the sixth wicket took Sri Lanka into the finals registering a five-wicket win over New Zealand at Colombo. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 73, and added 120 runs with Kumar Sangakkara, who scored a well-made half century.

Upul Tharanga perishes after a zippy start

Mid Innings Report

 

By CricketCountry Staff

 

Colombo: Mar 29, 2011

 

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara did not allow the Kiwis to gain upper hand after Upul Tharanga’s early dismissal, and consolidated Sri Lankan reply to New Zealand’s target of 218 with their unbeaten 76–run stand for the third wicket.

 

Tim Southee gave the Kiwis an early breakthrough, removing Tharanga, who, coming off a century against England, provided Sri Lanka a brisk start hitting a quick fire 30, studded with four boundaries and a six. It needed a piece of brilliance from Jesse Ryder to bring an end to Tharanga’s innings. Ryder, stationed at point, flew in the air to his left to pull off a superb catch.

 

Tharanga set the tempo early on, clobbering a six off the third ball of Nathan McCullum’s first over, and then belted Southee for two boundaries in the next over.

 

After Tharanga’s dismissal, New Zealand tried building pressure on Sri Lanka with tight bowling and fielding, but Dilshan shrugged it off by hitting two boundaries off Southee. 

 

Earlier, New Zealand were bowled out for 217 in 48.5 overs with Scott Styris scoring his 28th one-day international half-century. Muttiah Muralitharan, playing his last one-day international match in Sri Lanka, bowed out on a memorable note bagging the wicket of Styris off the last ball of his spell. Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis took three wickets each.

 

Brief Scores:  New Zealand 217 all out in 48.5 overs (Scott Styris 57, Martin Guptill 39, Ross Taylor 36; Ajantha Mendis 3 for 35, Lasith Malinga 3 for 55, Muttiah Muralitharan 2 for 42) vs Sri Lanka 116 for 1 in 25 overs (Tillakaratne Dilshan 46*, Kumar Sangakkara 34*; Tim Southee 1 for 27).

 

Pictures © Getty Images

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