New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2014-15
Wisden's review of the second ODI, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2014-15
15-Apr-2015
At Hamilton, January 15, 2015 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by six wickets. Toss: New Zealand.
The run-out jitters descended on New Zealand. Vettori, Ronchi and Anderson all tried unsuccessfully to pinch a single to midwicket off the spinners, while Nathan McCullum was beaten by Jayawardene's direct hit from mid-off. It had been a different game early on, as Brendon McCullum hit five sixes over the short Seddon Park boundaries in his 99-ball 117. New Zealand were poised for 300-plus; instead they surrendered their last eight wickets for 90. Vettori (batting at No. 5 because of Kane Williamson's shoulder injury and the absence of Grant Elliott, because of a family illness) had an unusual reprieve from DRS: a review showed Jeewan Mendis's leg-break was going on to hit middle, but the batsman survived because the point of impact was more than three metres in front of the stumps, deemed beyond the reliability of the ball-tracking technology. Sri Lanka's troupe of spinners, who accounted for 37 overs between them in unfavourable conditions, slammed on the brakes - Herath claiming two for 36 - and left their side a gettable chase. Dilshan guided the pursuit expertly with 116 off 127 balls. Nine of his ten hundreds in the second innings of a one-day international had led to a Sri Lankan victory.
Man of the Match: T. M. Dilshan.
The run-out jitters descended on New Zealand. Vettori, Ronchi and Anderson all tried unsuccessfully to pinch a single to midwicket off the spinners, while Nathan McCullum was beaten by Jayawardene's direct hit from mid-off. It had been a different game early on, as Brendon McCullum hit five sixes over the short Seddon Park boundaries in his 99-ball 117. New Zealand were poised for 300-plus; instead they surrendered their last eight wickets for 90. Vettori (batting at No. 5 because of Kane Williamson's shoulder injury and the absence of Grant Elliott, because of a family illness) had an unusual reprieve from DRS: a review showed Jeewan Mendis's leg-break was going on to hit middle, but the batsman survived because the point of impact was more than three metres in front of the stumps, deemed beyond the reliability of the ball-tracking technology. Sri Lanka's troupe of spinners, who accounted for 37 overs between them in unfavourable conditions, slammed on the brakes - Herath claiming two for 36 - and left their side a gettable chase. Dilshan guided the pursuit expertly with 116 off 127 balls. Nine of his ten hundreds in the second innings of a one-day international had led to a Sri Lankan victory.
Man of the Match: T. M. Dilshan.