Malinga leads SL to Super Over win
by Jason Humphries 27 September 2012, 15:58
Lasith Malinga held his nerve as Sri Lanka squeaked past New Zealand in a Super Over finish in their ICC Twenty20 Super Eights Group 1 clash at the Pallekele Stadium in Pallekele on Thursday.
Full Scorecard: Sri Lanka v New Zealand
New Zealand had batted first and scored 173 for seven before Sri Lanka replied with 174 for six to set up the exciting finish.
Sri Lanka then batted first in the Super Over with Thisara Perera, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan cobbling together 13 runs off the bowling of seamer Tim Southee.
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill then opened the batting for New Zealand with paceman Malinga tasked with protecting the lead.
The two batsmen only managed six runs off the first four balls of the over before Malinga accounted for Guptill when he had the right-hander caught at long-off to secure the victory.
Sri Lanka had seemed to be well in control of the match after a superb 80-run opening stand between Dilshan and Jayawardene off just 7.2 overs.
Jayawardene compiled a scintillating 44 off 26 balls before being caught at long leg off the bowling of medium-pacer Jacob Oram.
Dilshan went on to score an impressive 76 off just 53 balls with five fours and three sixes before he was dismissed in the 19th over.
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There was precious little support for the opening pair with only Kumar Sangakkara (21) and Angelo Mathews (12 not out) reaching double figures for the hosts.
Left-arm seamer James Franklin ended with 2-34.
New Zealand had earlier won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch which seemed full of runs and opening bat Rob Nicol duly obliged with 58 off 40 balls with three fours and four sixes.
Nicol and Guptill put on 57 runs for the first wicket with Guptill the initial aggressor as he raced to 38 off 30 deliveries.
The 18-year-old ‘mystery spinner’ debutant Akila Dananjaya, who had not played first-class cricket and had played just six T20 matches before being included in the Sri Lanka team, claimed a wicket with his third ball in international cricket when he had Guptill caught at mid-off off a leading edge.
However, Dananjaya learnt about the dangers of international cricket when he was felled in the 12th over when Nicol, on 31, smashed a delivery back at the bowler that burst through his hands before crashing into the left side of his face.
Brendon McCullum (25) was the next man to depart, caught at deep square leg off the bowling of spinner Ajantha Mendis before Nicol reached his fifty, off 30 deliveries, with consecutive sixes off the bowling of Mendis. The right-handed Nicol struck another six in the same over, the 15th, as 24 runs were scored off the unfortunate bowler.
Nicol’s dashing innings was ended in the next over when he hoisted a Dananjaya to the deep midwicket fielder.
Ross Taylor (23) was the last New Zealand batsman to make a significant contribution as the Black Caps’ innings fell away a touch as they lost five wickets for the addition of 37 runs.
Dananjaya finished with 2-32 off his four overs while seamer Nuwan Kulasekara claimed 2-33.
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SRI LANKA: TM Dilshan, DPMD Jayawardene (capt), KC Sangakkara (wk), HDRL Thirimanne, AD Mathews, BMAJ Mendis, NLTC Perera, KMDN Kulasekara, SL Malinga, BAW Mendis, MKPAD Perera
NEW ZEALAND: MJ Guptill, JEC Franklin, BB McCullum (wk), LRPL Taylor (capt), RJ Nicol, JDP Oram, DL Vettori, KS Williamson, NL McCullum, TG Southee, KD Mills
