World Cup 2019: Henry shines as New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka with 10 wickets win
The Kiwis cruised home in 16.1 overs to register their third win in a World Cup game by 10 wickets.
CARDIFF (AFP) - New Zealand made a flying start to their World Cup campaign as paceman Matt Henry struck three times in a 10-wicket trashing of woeful Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Henry returned figures of 3-29 and combined with fellow paceman Lockie Ferguson, who also took three wickets, to bowl out Sri Lanka for just 136 in 29.2 overs in Cardiff.
Martin Guptill, hitting 73, and Colin Munro, scoring 58, hammered the runs after pacemen Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson claimed three wickets each against hapless Sri Lanka.
The Kiwis cruised home in 16.1 overs to register their third win in a World Cup game by 10 wickets.
The right-left batting combination of Guptill, who hit 73, and Munro, who scored 58, had little trouble in smashing the Sri Lankan bowlers to all parts of the ground.
Guptill hammered eight fours and two sixes including one hit that sailed out of the ground.
But it was Henry’s spell of seven straight overs that opened the gates for New Zealand’s domination against the 1996 champions.
"It’s a great start for us. You want a balanced attack going into any surface. It is important that you have that to have aggressive options for different occasions," New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said.
"The two at the top played beautifully. It was nice for those guys to play a few shots. It was a good all-round performance."
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne added: "It was a good toss to win. In the morning it was seaming and swinging. They had that advantage and they have good bowlers to do that, so they took their chance.
"The batters aren’t low on confidence. We batted well in some practice games and we work really hard. We need to think about the game."
- Incisive pace -
Henry stood out in the absence of senior paceman Tim Southee, who missed the game due to a calf injury, with his incisive pace and swing.
He struck with the second delivery of the game to send Lahiru Thirimanne trudging back to the pavilion after the left-handed opener had hit a boundary from the first ball.
Thirimanne was initially ruled not out by the on-field umpire, but the Kiwis successfully reviewed the lbw call in their favour after replays suggested the ball pitched on line and would have hit the batsman’s leg stump.
The left-handed Karunaratne, who has returned to the one-day side after a gap of four years, then put on 42 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Perera.
But Williamson kept Henry on for the bowler’s fifth over and the decision paid off as he got Perera for 29 and Kusal Mendis without scoring on successive deliveries.
Dhananjaya de Silva played the hat-trick ball with a glorious off drive, but soon fell to the pace of Lockie Ferguson after being trapped lbw.
Karunaratne fought on to register his third ODI fifty in 81 balls before he ran out of partners after Lasith Malinga was bowled by Ferguson for one.
Karunaratne’s unbeaten 52 made him only the second opener in World Cup history to carry his bat through a completed innings.
The feat had previously been achieved by the West Indies’ Ridley Jacobs, who made an unbeaten 49 against Australia in 1999.
Pacemen Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, the team’s only spinner, claimed a wicket each.
New Zealand, runners-up in the 2015 edition, will next face Bangladesh on June 5, while Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan on June 4.
Karunaratne urges Sri Lanka to keep "chin up" after World Cup rout
Dimuth Karunaratne urged his Sri Lanka flops to stay positive after they were jeered by angry fans during Saturday’s embarrassing 10-wicket loss to New Zealand in their opening match of the World Cup.
But skipper Karunaratne, who stood out with his unbeaten 52, said all is not lost as long as his players don’t dwell on the defeat.
"I think we have another eight games to go. We need to (keep our) chin up and play very well," Karunaratne said in the post-match press conference.
"We need to see what we have. On the back end we need to get some partnerships, (and in) the middle part. Those are the key areas. We’re looking forward to doing it."
The 1996 champions were on the receiving end of some booing by a group of Sri Lankan fans who were frustrated by the tame nature of their team’s loss.
Karunaratne said losing the toss on a green Sophia Gardens wicket was not the ideal start, but gave no excuses for Sri Lanka’s meek surrender.
"They (fans) were far from Cardiff and they spend their time and money to come here to see a good match," said Karunaratne.
"I think that’s the main thing. If we get out for 130, you know, there is no match. We have to give them a good show at the end of the day."
Henry rattled Sri Lanka’s top order with his incisive opening spell to return figures of 3-29 and Ferguson also got key wickets including Angelo Mathews for nought.
Karunaratne fought on to register his third ODI fifty in 81 balls before he ran out of partners.
Demanding his batsmen to learn from their mistakes, Karunaratne said: "If you take this wicket, you know, you need to have a target. It’s not easy. It’s not a 300 wicket, so you need to have another game plan.
"You can’t go there and hit every ball, so you have to stay calm. I think in these conditions, 250 or 240 will be a good score.
"I think they bowled really well, so we have to give them credit."
Sri Lanka next play Afghanistan in Cardiff on June 4.
TEAMS:
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tom Latham (wkt), Ross Taylor, James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Trent Boult
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera (wkt), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga
