Matt Henry and big three set up series win for New Zealand

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Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews walks from the field after being dismissed during the fifth one day international cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on January 5, 2016. AFP PHOTO / MICHAEL BRADLEY / AFP / MICHAEL BRADLEY
Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews walks from the field after being dismissed during the fifth one day international cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka

Matt Henry picked up his 2nd 5 wicket haul in ODIs after Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor combined to help New Zealand post a score of 294, to help New Zealand set up a comfortable 36 run victory in the 5th and final ODI in Mount Maunaganui.

The day began well for the visitors with skipper Angelo Mathews winning the toss and electing to have a bowl and Nuwan Pradeep then producing a wicket in the very 1st over of the game. Pradeep’s lovely lines brought the wicket when Tom Latham nicked off to the keeper.  Williamson walked in to bat in the 2nd over of the game and was as exquisite as ever, continuing on what seems like an everlasting purple patch. For a while early on Guptill looked like he might flay the bowlers to all parts once again but Sri Lankan’s discipline saw him play his most sedate innings in what has been a pretty prolific series for the Kiwi opener.

The flatness of the pitch took some life out of the Lankan bowlers with only Nuwan Pradeep able to produce any kind of movement. Once the Kiwi pair rode out the early overs things looked like they would get messy for the visitors. Tillakaratne Dilshan made the breakthrough with a short delivery, which should really have been hammered to the square boundary; Williamson only succeeded in gloving the ball to Chandimal who took a good reflex catch. By then New Zealand had a good platform from which they could launch and Guptill made the most of it, cantering to another ODI century. Taylor played 2nd fiddle to the opener in their partnership of 81 with the Kiwis well on course to surge past 300. Nuwan Kulasekara had Guptill caught in the deep however as the latter looked to take on the bowling.

With 10 overs to go, the hosts were sitting pretty on 212/3 with Taylor still at the crease. The Sri Lankans put on an impressive death bowling display however and ultimately managed to restrict the Kiwis to 294. Kulasekara hasn’t really found his swing yet but his experience and accuracy meant that he utilized the slower deliveries and yorkers to good effect. Nuwan Pradeep also found the yorkers when Sri Lanka needed him to and apart from his last over, which went for 16, bowled an excellent line and length. Taylor matched Williamson’s 61 but apart from New Zealand’s big three, none of the other batters really got going against the Lankan quicks. Mitchell Santner powered 2 huge sixes in the last over to ensure that the hosts took some momentum into the break.

Sri Lanka’s chase got off to a horror start with Dilshan going for a premeditated scoop against Trent Boult, whose natural angle was taking the ball away from the batter. Sri Lanka’s most experienced batsman seemed to be caught in two minds whether he should play the scoop over his head or lap the ball to fine leg and ended up top edging the ball to the keeper. Lahiru Thirimanne came and went, his last innings looking more and more like a one off. Danushka Gunathilake looked to play a more sedate innings but fell trying to clear mid-on.

At 33/3, Sri Lanka’s best batters were brought to the crease much earlier than they would have wanted and were forced to adopt a more careful approach than usual. Chandimal and Mathews did manage to dig Sri Lanka out of the rut they were in with a well pace 93 run partnership. Chandimal brought up another mature half century but fell immediately after to bolster the Kiwi chances once again, just as Sri Lanka had begun to up the tempo; Boult returning to pick up the crucial breakthrough.

Thisera Perera was sent ahead of both Milinda Siriwardene and Chamara Kapugedara and looked like he would blast his way back to claim a permanent place in the starting XI when he smashed Santner into the grassy banks for 6, but he fell to a customary premeditated slog in the 35th over.

With 15 overs to go, Sri Lanka needed 130 runs to pull off an unlikely victory to level the series. Siriwardene and Mathews gave cause to entertain hopes of such a victory when they took the next 5 overs for 40 runs. Siriwardene who is perhaps in the form of his life, timed the ball crisply to find the boundary time and again. But he went for one too many shots and fell to an excellent catch on the boundary by Henry Nicholls off the bowling of Santner. With Siriwardene gone, Sri Lanka hoped that Kapugedara might finally perform to potential but he too was caught on the boundary to give the hosts a distinct edge.

Mathews fell short of what would have been only his 2nd ODI century when he pulled the ball to the square leg boundary and from then on Sri Lanka never really had a realistic chance of pulling off a victory and were ultimately bowled out for 258, giving New Zealand the series win.

Matt Henry returned to the team as a result of Tim Southee’s injury and showed why he needs to be a permanent fixture in New Zealand’s plans, picking up 5/40 and taking his series tally to 13 wickets in 3 games. He was deservedly named man of the match.

Sri Lanka will next take on the Kiwis in the 1st of 2 T20Is on the 7th, at the same venue.

Full Scorecard

Batsman How Out Bowler Runs
Total (50.0 overs) 294for5wickets
Guptill c T Perera b Kulasekara 102
Latham c Chandimal b Pradeep 0
Williamson c Chandimal b Dilshan 61
Taylor c Siriwardana b Kulasekara 61
Nicholls c Dilshan b Kulasekara 2
Ronchi not out 37
Santner not out 21
Extras 0nb 5w 0b 5lb 10

 

Bowler Overs Runs Wickets Econ
Pradeep 10.0 69 1 6.90
Chameera 9.0 41 0 4.56
T Perera 6.0 45 0 7.50
Kulasekara 10.0 53 3 5.30
Dilshan 10.0 49 1 4.90
Siriwardana 5.0 32 0 6.40
Batsman How Out Bowler Runs
Total (47.1 overs) 258 all out
Gunathilaka c Sodhi b Henry 15
Dilshan c Ronchi b Boult 5
Thirimanne b Henry 2
Chandimal c Williamson b Boult 50
Mathews c Nicholls b Henry 95
T Perera c Taylor b Milne 15
Siriwardana c Nicholls b Santner 39
Kapugedera c Milne b Henry 10
Kulasekara c Santner b Boult 15
Chameera b Henry 0
Pradeep not out 0
Extras 0nb 11w 0b 1lb 12

 

Bowler Overs Runs Wickets Econ
Boult 8.1 43 3 5.26
Henry 10.0 40 5 4.00
Milne 9.0 54 1 6.00
Santner 9.0 54 1 6.00
Sodhi 9.0 55 0 6.11
Williamson 2.0 11 0 5.50