tossed up on leg stump, but this is down the leg side, and Sanga misses it.. They run back for the second, because there was a belated call for a wide.. it's over.. New Zealand have made it through...
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 4th Match, Group A at Cardiff, Jun 09 2013 - Ball by Ball Commentary
New Zealand won by 1 wicket (with 81 balls remaining)
Cracking game today, promise of more tomorrow when Pakistan take on South Africa for a day-nighter.. Thanks for your comments and feedback, this is Devashish Fuloria signing off. Ciao ciao
Presentation
"We probably needed 30-40 more runs. This was not the 200-run wicket that we originally thought, but we need to toughen up a bit," Angelo Mathews says. "The wicket dried up a little during the game. I had confidence in my bowlers, we didn't need more spinners. Dilshan bowled very well and Malinga almost won it for us. We have two more games and we need to tighten up on the batting side, but the bowlers and fielders showed good character."
"I am happy, though incredibly nervous at one stage," Brendon McCullum says. "Sri Lanka are always a dangerous side and we panicked a bit in the middle. They have excellent bowlers in the ranks and the ball started stopping a bit in the second innings. It is very important to scrap through, we have enough experience to deal with situations like this, although it did get tough towards the end. But I thought we played well for the majority of the games. Our bowlers were the reason that we won the game today."
"I used to be a lot more nervous when I was younger, but not anymore now," says Nathan McCullum, the Man of the Match. "Brendon has been around for a lot longer and he is the senior partner and he was guiding us through with that partnership. It was about batting as long as we could. I think it is a massive boost as opposed to if we had lost out today.. The mental baggage of the loss would have been a lot. It was not a 140 wicket, but things get difficult when the pressure comes on."
What an absolute corker of a game! At the halfway stage, it looked like New Zealand had the match already in the bag, but those three wickets right after lunch orchestrated by some menacing bowling from the Sri Lankans brought the game back to life. The McCullum brothers calmed the nerves and were about to finish the game by themselves, but then came Malinga.. In the end, the tailenders held their nerves and took New Zealand to a vital win... Stay with us for the presentation.
Tim: "Who needs coffee, I'm more awake than 5 cups of coffee, and shaking more too"
BJ: "Well played extras, bringing the Black Caps home!"
Dilshan back to round the wicket for the left-hander.. Slip is in place.. Everyone comes in
pushed through on the middle and leg line, the batsman dabs it to backward square leg with the turn for a single
It's Southee or never...
pushed through on the leg stump line, the batsman dabs it to square leg for a single
tossed up delivery wide outside off, the batsman lets it go
Six men in a conference in the middle..Who is it going to be? Looks like it's Dilshan.. The crowd has been treated to a super game here, and they are making themselves heard
Malinga's excellent spell is over, but this match isn't...
it's a faster yorker outside off, the batsman blocks it out towards cover.
Where is that slower yorker now? It may be coming in now..
length delivery outside off, the batsman pushes it to cover point
killer yorker! aimed at the middle stump, swinging towards leg.. the batsman somehow digs it out, gets his toe out of the way right at the last moment
goes for a length delivery outside off, the batsman tries to push it to off, gets another inside edge on to his pads
fuller delivery on off stump, swinging in, the batsman punches it back to the bowler via the inside edge and his front pad
Rohit: "If it's a tie, would they play a T20 to decide the game? :P"
a super yorker just outside off stump, the batsman digs it out, gets an inside edge to his pads
a yorker aimed at leg stump? not quite, this goes down the leg side and NZ have a run
Five runs needed.. It is batting Powerplay as well.. From SL's perspective, this is the last over.. For NZ, Southee has to do it for them now..
he bowls it fast and on a length, the batsman defends it like an opener.. very solid
Mitchell McC is on strike..Can Eranga finish this off? Southee would want to keep the strike for Malinga's over.. Eranga comes round the wicket
Sri Lankan players are ecstatic.. That came from nowhere.. a badly aimed throw has resulted in a run out by direct hit.. Superb.. What else do we want from this game?
another yorker! the batsman digs it out towards mid-on and sets off for a single, the fielder at mid-on - Thisara - aims at the non-striker's end, but misses. However, his throw goes on to hit the stumps at striker's end and guess what, Mills is short!
full and on off stump, the batsman drives it straight to short cover
high full toss on off stump, the batsman guides it straight to point and sets off for a single.. Dilshan fires it at the non-striker's end, but the batsman would have been safe even if he had hit. Close though
length delivery angling in from wide of the crease, the batsman comes forward and defends it solidly to the off side
One six from here and it's game over, though NZ wouldn't want the batsmen to try that out right now
fuller delivery on off stump, the batsman digs it out to deep cover for a single
Two decent hits and the game is New Zealand's now.. I held on to the statement as I wanted to wait for Malinga's over to finish. Southee survived two good shouts in that over..Eranga comes in now
full and a touch wide outside off, the batsman digs it out to the man at short cover
another low full toss, it was heading for the base of the middle stump, the batsman gets his bat down in time and hits it straight to midwicket
goes for a yorker, but this is outside off and it's driven past the non-striker, the mid-on fielder dives and stops it, and pushes it towards the mid-off fielder.. Easy single though