SL open tour with wins against New Zealand XI

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 01:42 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Wanindu Hasaranga excelled with bat and ball in the two warm-up matches

Sri Lanka opened their white-ball tour of New Zealand with facile victories in two practice matches (T20 and T10) against a New Zealand XI played at Lincoln yesterday.

Sri Lanka won the T20 match by 7 wickets and the T10 game by 32 runs.

These are the only two warm-up matches Sri Lanka have before they take on New Zealand in a three-match T20I series starting at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.

“New Zealand XI field a good team for the T20 game. We bowled well to get them out for 95 and we got the runs in 11 overs. I am quite satisfied with the way things worked out. So far so good,” said Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya.

“I requested for another practice match and they obliged us by giving us a T10 game. We won that as well.”

“We are going to practice tomorrow at the same venue in the middle wicket which is important because practicing in the side nets doesn’t work much to our satisfaction.”

Sri Lanka has quite a bit of travelling to do to reach their destination for the first T20I at Mount Maunganui in Tauranga with flights scheduled as early as 6 in the morning.

The New Zealand XI comprised four players who had donned the national colours in white-ball cricket.

Results

T20 practice match: Sri Lanka beat New Zealand XI by 7 wickets

n New Zealand XI 94 (13.4) (Bevan Jacobs 39, Matheesha Pathirana 2/7, Wanindu Hasaranga 3/12, Charith Asalanka 2/4)

n Sri Lanka 97-3 (10.5) (Kusal Perera rtd out 30, Kamindu Mendis rtd out 28, Charith Asalanka 18*)

T10 practice match: Sri Lanka beat New Zealand XI by 32 runs

n Sri Lanka 128-2 (10) (Pathum Nissanka rtd out 31, Bhanuka Rajapaksa rtd out 25, Wanindu Hasaranga 27)

n New Zealand XI 96-2 (10) (Joe Carter 23, Matthew Boyle 57*, Nuwan Thushara 2/10)