Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand.
New Zealand bludgeoned Sri Lanka with a resounding 98-run victory to get the 2015 Cricket World Cup off to a huge start on home soil.
Cornerstone tallies on the crease by McCullum, Anderson and Guptill made it a huge task for Sri Lanka on the chase, while they would feel the wrath of the bowlers also in Christchurch.
Some early concerns were fuelled at the presence of moisture accumulating in the ground. However, the light drizzles in the shower would delay the game by just 5 minutes, a call announced moments after Sri Lanka won the toss. Captain Angelo Mathews elected to bowl first.
While a vast downpour didn't take place in Christchurch in terms of weather, it was raining buckets out on the pitch as Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum exploded out of the blocks taking the bowling force of Sri Lanka by storm.
The Black Caps' opening duo continued to surge for the opening overs, not allowing the likes of Lasith Malinga—who conceded a woeful 42 runs in his first 4 overs—and other bowlers to find their rhythm on enemy soil.
By the 8th over, both would still be going strong when they surpassed a 50-run partnership. Hitting 23 runs over the 6-ball phase, they continued to gather pace with an abundance of boundaries time after time.
It would take around 10 overs for Marvan Atapattu's side to impose themselves on the game. Albeit a slowburner, when they did, the rapid rate of the Kiwis' run-collecting would grind out. Herath and Dilshan began to acclimatise themselves to the custom of the pitch, but it remained a tall order to get the better of the hosts.
When the fifteenth over came around, Sri Lanka finally had something to celebrate about. Rangana Herath picked up the first wicket of the tournament to give Brendon McCullum his marching orders. Yet again, he adopted the unorthodox approach of hitting it with a lower angle, but it would come back to haunt him, as Jeewan Mendis pounced up to take the ball on the cusp of the boundary.
Kumar Sangakkara's drop meant that the Asians failed to really make the game unhinged. Suranga Lakmal got the better of Kane Williamson who edged the ball into the grasp of the wicket-keeper. Diving to the ground, Sangakkara couldn't get his hands under the ball and a huge opportunity was missed.
The wicket was just part of the progression made by Sri Lanka in the game. From the first 10 overs, they conceded 77 runs, but in the 12 after, only 55. To make things even better, Sangakkara had another chance to catch the ball from a Lakmal delivery, this time he held on to it.
Martin Guptill, making up the other part of the opening duo would be thwarted by some acrobatics seeing the wicket-keeper dive high with full stretch to lock down the second wicket of the match, with the batsman falling just a run shy from a half-century.
Confidence continued to grow, but runs were still making their way around too. The game continued to slow down however and that would favour the Sri Lanka side in the end of it all. Williamson suffered another scare in the 29th over as Kulasakera returned to the bowling and was narrowly-close to finding the third wicket.
Kane Williamson's innings was a scattering of boundaries, yet those boundaries, and single-collections got him to a half-century. In the process of doing so, he gave one fan a huge shot at walking away with $1 million. The batsman hoofed it for a six, where it was caught by a supporter to mark jubilant celebrations in that area.
Sri Lanka continued to remove blocks to the Jenga-style outlay of the game, and this time a cracking catch by Karunaratne would send Williamson out for a respectable total of 57 runs. It was hit to the long-on boundary, but on its airborne way it would be snatched out of the air by the diving fielder.
For the subsequent delivery, the TV umpire would be deployed for a close-call from Sangakkara's stump. Taylor was in trouble, encroaching past his crease so Sangakkara—despite fumbling the ball—managed to guide it onto the stumps and put bowler Mendis on a hat-trick.
Anderson survived it under pressure, but with wind behind the visitors' sails, New Zealand were in a battle. Dilshan's last delivery could have yielded another wicket, as Elliot went for a big-hit. It neared a fielder, but the ball flew past Chandimal and out for a six.
While Corey Anderson tiptoed his way to a large score, his partner Elliott would feel the searing wrath of Lakmal, forcing a shot into the hands of Thrimanne who caught comfortably.
Malinga's bowling continued to be off the mark, and Anderson made sure he capitalised, while Ronchi got a boundary under his belt. With 5 overs left, a late rally would boost the Kiwis' total immensely. Lasith Malinga finally conjured up some quality bowling, where he appeared to bowl Ronchi with a pace mixup leading to the opening. However, replays showed that the bowler was beyond the line, and instead a "No ball" was issued along with a free-hit in the Black Caps' way. Luckily though only a single came from it.
Corey Anderson broke into 50 during Kulasakera's over in the 48th. Including a crisp four along with a huge six, New Zealand were finishing the innings like they started it, with a heavy downpour of runs. Anderson's innings would end at 70 runs, just as the innings ended, as he went for a big shot to complete the fifty overs, only to be caught by Lakmal.
New Zealand finished with a mammoth tally of 331 runs, conceding 6 wickets in the process. McCullum and Guptill got the accelerators out at some pace, before Sri Lanka saw the error of their ways and managed to patch up a few mistakes. Lasith Malinga—while have slightly improved over time—had a woeful bowling spell. The game was slowed down, with a few wickets but simple errors from the Sri Lankans continued to see a rise to the total. Anderson's vital 70 runs at the end was a huge instalment to keeping the margin well out of reach.
With the new-ball coming into play, Sri Lanka cautiously nodded their way through the few opening overs before they upped the pace and started to really chase that huge total. After 12 overs, they had 64 runs for no loss, with Thirimanne aggressively coming forward to pick up the runs while Dilshan was at a slower rate. While the total was decent, the seamers in Boult and Southee weren't swinging the ball but their quality still kept Sri Lanka at bay from really going all-out and rising to the World Cup occasion.
The required run rate continued to climb for Sri Lanka, and with cracks appearing all over the outfit now, a sublime yorker from Trent Boult found the second wicket after 124 runs scored. It came through Thirmanne and obliterated the off-stump propelling New Zealand into comfort. Jayawardene couldn't even get a run on the total when he was dismissed. A lethargic push of a shot came through for Ronchi to hang on and they continued to crumble.
Sangakkara was looking like the only glimmer of hope on the whole team. Racing his way to 39 runs, he would then be dismissed as New Zealand were going full-throttle. The wicket-keeper went on to charge, but instead the full ball hit him cleanly and following a review, an LBW was adjudged as he was out.
A cluster of dead singles and dull overs continued to favour the Oceania occupants. Matthews and Karunaratne were attempting to build some stability in the foundations, but the few singles they found were clearly not going to win the game. Then, New Zealand would strike again with multiple wickets.
Milne's pacy delivery completely ousted Karunaratne, before Mendis' thin edge from Milner's ball into the hands of Ronchi, after a review was called, it was deemed a wicket and Sri Lanka were now at 168-6. It was as if Sri Lanka were playing cautiously to preserve dignity, reluctant to really give themselves a chance. Matthews slowly knocked his way on, but Kulasekara was thwarted in his effort to do the same as a wild slash in the air fell to Elliott.
Angelo Matthews, who was nearing on a half century, then fell to Vettori as he went for a big hit to make the margin but instead was caught. Again, they'd crumble in numbers. A routine catch off Southee's ball put them on their final wicket. Sri Lanka were fighting to stop conceding a wicket while chasing down a triple-digit value in the process.
Herath was feeling the blues like Sri Lanka fans, as it struck straight onto his helmet and taking him to the ground. He was okay for the time being, but he threw a shot early and it fell to Milne as Sri Lanka were all-out for 233. New Zealand won by a commanding 98-run margin.
Sri Lanka made a plethora of mistakes, New Zealand were well on that game—that's exactly why they won by 98 runs.
Brendon McCullum could indeed flourish for the Kiwis in a World Cup on home soil, and his start set the tone in the ground. Corey Anderson's contribution though cannot be over-looked, he really did take to the bat in the final few overs to just further put that out of the hands of their opponents.
Lakmal improved, but Malinga was dismal. Sri Lanka's fielding was lethargic and they seemed a bit unfocused for the game, allowing New Zealand to take over. A fine performance as New Zealand hit the ground running.
Game 1 of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup is in the books, and New Zealand make an emphatic statement as they dismantle Sri Lanka. How far will they go in the tournament?
Comment: "A nation readies for the extravagance"
New Zealand dismantle Sri Lanka in the opening game of the 2015 Cricket World Cup with a resounding 98-win triumph.