Wisden
Pepsi Independence Cup, fifth qualifying match

NEW ZEALAND v SRI LANKA

At Hyderabad, May 20 (day/night). Sri Lanka won by 52 runs. Toss: Sri Lanka. International debuts: C. D. McMillan, S. B. O'Connor.

Debutant seamer Shayne O'Connor quickly removed Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva. Those blows, plus the persistence of off-spinner Patel, who shared the new ball, and the slow medium-pacers, Larsen and Astle, choked Sri Lanka's usual free-scoring style. While Mahanama tried to anchor the innings, it was left to Kaluwitharana, demoted to No. 7 after a run of poor scores, to ensure that it went past 200. Once again, New Zealand started well - they were 96 for two at the halfway mark - but then, after Fleming swept and missed at De Silva, they subsided against Sri Lanka's slow bowlers, who each picked up two wickets.

Man of the Match: R. S. Kaluwitharana.

© John Wisden & Co