Never-say-die Kiwis stun Lankans after early setback.
T20 series ends in stalemate.
– BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.
(eLanka Sports Editor).
New Zealand were quick to learn the intricacies of the wicket at Dambulla, cleverly using Sri Lanka’s strategy when bowling, to snatch a pulsating five-run win and tie the two match T20 series.
The gutsy Kiwis refused to throw in the towel when Sri Lanka’s bowlers reduced them to 108 all out as they rallied in a remarkable fightback to skittle the home side for 103 leaving a bewildering trail of disaster for the Lankans in their wake.
New Zealand are currently on a high after thrashing India 3-0 in Test cricket in India prior to the Sri Lankan leg of their tour. So the Lankans should have been wary of their never-say-die spirit.
Sri Lanka had found a new fortress in Dambulla, which after Galle, is becoming a ground they hold a psychological upper hand against visiting teams.
They burst New Zealand’s bubble with a convincing four wicket win in the first T20 game as they continued to climb the rankings in all formats and their confidence against the best is growing in rapid fashion.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers are now the backbone of their success story while the batters are still battling for consistency.
The Kiwis are no easybeats, especially in the white ball game, so this win gives Sri Lanka belief that they have turned the corner after a long lean spell.
Winning another series, even at home, is the vital foundation for confidence in their build-up to knocking over the better teams in World cricket and the group they have at present appear to have what it takes to achieve that.
Batting first, in the first game, New Zealand struggled against the tight Sri Lanka bowling attack as they laboured to 135 all out in 19.3 overs.
The pace/spin combination crippled New Zealand’s batters with no one allowed to get away towards building a reasonable total. The spinners led by Dinuth Wellalage (3), Wannindu Hasarsnga de Silva (2) and Maheesh Theekshana (1) and pacemen Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana two each bowled tight spells to contain the visitors.
Sri Lanka in reply found it hard going until skipper Charith Asalanka dug them our of a precarious situation with a quick fire 35 off 20 balls to see them scamper to victory with 6 balls to spare.
Game two was a similar struggle for runs as the Kiwis once again succumbed to Sri Lanka’s spinners, this time for a meagre return of 108 all out in only overs.
With Sri Lanka in the box seat, and a gettable target, they reckoned without New Zealand’s steely resolve as they turned the tables on a batting line-up seemingly without a solid game plan crashing to an embarrassing loss.
On to the three-match one-dayers of three games and it promises to be a titanic battle.
With former Sri Lanka spinning great Rangana Herath in their corner, the Kiwis showed they are capable of bouncing back and gaining the upper hand in the games to follow.
