Jobaaj Stories
New Zealand started the ODI series against Sri Lanka with a dominant nine-wicket victory at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. Matt Henry’s outstanding bowling and Will Young’s explosive batting led the hosts to an easy win.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and decided to bowl on a pitch that favored bowlers early on. This decision paid off as Sri Lanka struggled from the start, losing four wickets for just 23 runs in the first 10 overs. Matt Henry began the collapse by dismissing Pathum Nissanka, while Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith chipped in with key wickets. Santner also contributed with a brilliant run-out and a successful review.
Sri Lanka tried to recover with a solid 87-run partnership between Avishka Fernando and Janith Liyanage. Fernando batted aggressively, hitting boundaries to relieve some pressure, while Liyanage played a steady supporting role. However, Santner ended the partnership by dismissing Liyanage for 36. Fernando followed soon after, falling for a well-made 56.
Lower-order contributions from Wanindu Hasaranga (35) and Chamindu Wickramasinghe (22) helped Sri Lanka reach 178 before being bowled out in the 44th over. Henry returned to clean up the tail, finishing with excellent figures of 4 for 19.
Chasing 179, New Zealand got off to a flying start, with Will Young and Rachin Ravindra putting on a 93-run opening partnership. Ravindra scored a quick 45 before getting out, but Young continued his aggressive form. He smashed 12 boundaries in his unbeaten 90 off 86 balls, guiding New Zealand to victory in just 26.2 overs.
The win gave New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the series, while Sri Lanka will look to bounce back in the next game.
