Monday Jan 13, 2025
Monday Jan 13, 2025
Thursday, 9 January 2025 05:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Maheesh Theekshana becomes the seventh
Sri Lankan bowler to bag an ODI hat-trick
Kamindu Mendis holds Sri Lankan innings together with 64
Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman add 112 runs off 91 balls for the second wicket
Another top order batting collapse and some loose bowling saw Sri Lanka go down to New Zealand by 113 runs in the second ODI played at Seddon Park, Hamilton yesterday and hand to the host country a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Due to heavy rain that delayed the start, the match was reduced to a 37-over affair.
Sri Lanka’s atrocious batting and inconsistent bowling overshadowed Maheesh Theekshana becoming the seventh Sri Lankan bowler in ODI history to perform the hat-trick. It was a master stroke in playing Theekshana who was not in the 13 squad picked for the match. However the rain forced a change of plan for Sri Lanka to leave out Dunith Wellalage and Mohamed Shiraz.
All-out for 178 in the first game, and 142 yesterday, Sri Lanka were never in the game after losing their first four wickets for 22. They were 23-4 in the first ODI. Yet Sri Lanka had the momentum at the halfway stage, and all they needed to do was negate the new ball spell as run-scoring proved to be pretty straightforward after 10-14 overs. But it was not to be. The fact that they lost two wickets to run-outs at crucial junctures did not help their cause.
Kamindu Mendis waged a lone battle with a 66-ball 64 that included five sixes and 3 fours, but the next best score for Sri Lanka was Janith Liyanage’s 22. Compared to the Sri Lankan bowling, New Zealand were spot on with the ball. Their fielding was exceptional too and they never allowed Sri Lanka to build any sort of momentum right throughout.
Invited to bat first, New Zealand looked set to post a total in excess of 280 at one stage, but the spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Theekshana pulled things back, especially at the back end with disciplines lines and length. It was a rare failure for Will Young who got out in the fifth over, but Rachin Ravindra (79 off 63 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) and Mark Chapman (62 off 52 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes) scored half-centuries reaching their respective landmarks with a six. Both looked flawless at the crease and built a 112-run stand for the second wicket.
Unfortunately for New Zealand, they got out in quick succession and that forced Daryl Mitchell to play cautiously for most part of his innings. Although he tried to up the ante towards the end, he couldn’t find his timing and got out in the penultimate over eventually. Theekshana bagged a hat-trick dismissing Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith off the last two balls of his seventh over and Matt Henry off the first ball of his eighth to finish with 4/44. Ravindra was named Player of the Match.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said, “It was a fair score in this kind of small ground. Again bad batting in the powerplay cost us the game. We have to quickly find a way to get out of here (these kinds of situations). I expected 2-3 wickets in the powerplay, but we couldn’t do that. All credit goes to New Zealand bowlers for the way they bowled. Comeback is the key and we have to get out of here.”
The third and final ODI takes place at Auckland on Saturday.
