By Brian Thomas
Never In my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I will have an exciting script for all our readers after New Zealand was bowled out for 108 runs in 19.3 overs after being put into bat, and for the guts and grit they displayed to defend their lowest total in their T 20 history.
In all honesty, it was a game for Sri Lanka to have lost due to their lack of application against both seam and spin. No doubt it was a tricky pitch, and the curator will not be proud of the type of surface he prepared, especially for a T 20 series. Runs were gold dust, the ball gripping, and the unpredictable bounce was a nightmare for batters on both sides.
New Zealand being bowled out for 108 gave a clear indication of their vulnerability to face quality spin. Hasaranga, despite his never healing hamstring injury, bowled his 4 overs almost on one leg. He was limping with the painful injury, however, he scalped 4 wickets for 17 runs in his limpy bowling effort that had the Kiwis top order, namely Glenn Philips , Michael Bracewell and Mitch May simply struggling against the wrong un. Glenn Philips was bowled for 4 trying to premeditate a reverse sweep off a googly whilst Michael Bracewell and Mitchell May were done in the flight. The former for a golden duck and the latter for 3 runs. His 4th victim was Will Young, who made a valuable 30 but was stumped by Kusal Mendis when he lost his balance off an arm ball sliding down the leg stump.
Josh Clarkson made a valuable 24, and Mitch Satner 16 whilst the rest of the Kiwi batters looked very amateurish against quality bowling. It was a breath of fresh air to see both slingers Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana get among the wickets. Nuwan Thushara had Kiwi opener Tim Robinson bowled off the very first ball of the match with an in swinging yorker. His figures of 2 Wickets for 22 and a reformed Pathirana with his variety of variations under the guidance of coach Sanath Jayasuriya fetched him 3 wickets for 11 runs in his 4 overs.
A target of 109 was not a target beyond the reach of the Sri Lankan batters, especially in home conditions. However, the only batter who turned up at the park was Pathum Nissanka who made 51, and almost one handedly got Sri Lanka over the line. But the rest of the top order stalwarts were undone by the hat-trick Lockie Ferguson who changed the Sri Lankan run chase on its head.
He was fast and furious. Kusal Perera , Kamindu Mendis, and skipper Charith Asalanka were his victims. They just could not handle his pace. Sri Lanka was lucky that Ferguson left the field with a calf injury after bowling only two overs. Michelle Santner did a sterling job in his captaincy. He held back the man with the golden arm Glenn Philips to bowl in the death overs. The experienced campaigner did the job for his captain, and he scalped 3 wickets for 6 runs with support from Michael Bracewell, and Zack Forkuls, the former with 2 scalps and the latter with the wickets of the injured Wanindu Hasaranga and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 103 runs. The end result, New Zealand, won by 5 runs to square the series. Finally, the New Zealand stumper Michelle May playing only in his second international accounted for 5 catches and one stumping. Well done, New Zealand, and an exciting 3 match one day series is inevitable starting on Tuesday the 13th.