NZ vs SL 2024/25, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I, Mount Maunganui Match Report, 28 Dec 2024

On By Littum

New Zealand 172 for 8 (Mitchell 62, Bracewell 59, Binura 2-22) batted Sri Lanka 164 for 8 (Nissanka 90, Mendis 46, Duffy 3-21) by 8 runs

It was a steal for the ages at Mount Maunganui as New Zealand secured an eight-run win in the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. But more importantly, it was a lesson in combat from the hosts that the visitors would do well to take note of.

For large parts of the match, it had looked like Sri Lanka were going to lose. The first instance was when New Zealand were cruising at 65 for 5 midway through their innings and the second when Sri Lanka were reeling from a 121-run opening stand needing only 52 off 40 deliveries.

On both occasions, New Zealand fought back and hard – initially through a 105-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell to post a competitive 172 for 8, and then finally through a late stranglehold that saw Sri Lanka lose eight wickets for 38 runs behind. have full control over matters.

Jacob Duffy was at the heart of the collapse with a three-wicket 14th over as he set the wheels in motion for a superb New Zealand comeback – which also earned him the player of the match award. However, Sri Lanka will be at a loss for words trying to explain how they let this game slip.

A collapse for the ages

Sri Lanka thought they had done enough – and by all accounts they had. A 121-run opening stand in pursuit of 173 would have been more than enough in most cases. After all, when Kusal Mendis fell for a brisk 46, Sri Lanka needed just another 52 runs off 40 deliveries with nine wickets in hand.

Yes, three balls later that equation changed to 52 needed with seven wickets in hand after Duffy had arranged for Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis to follow Kusal to the dressing room. But surely not?

The nerves were eased a bit when Charith Asalanka joined Pathum Nissanka in the middle to chip away. But when he fell with 28 still required off 16, more doubts crept in. And then when Matt Henry removed Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the space of a couple of deliveries, all doubts were removed. Sri Lanka needed 19 off 8 but only Wanindu Hasaranga could be counted on to hit the required boundaries.

Hasaranga, run out without facing a ball in the final over, summed up Sri Lanka’s disastrous end to the match.

Binura leads Sri Lanka’s early charge

Mitchell Santner had been concerned that a “green tinge” on the surface had been brought in to bat, and after the first ten overs his concerns seemed justified as New Zealand stumbled to 65 for 5.

Binura Fernando, playing his first T20I in nine months, proved the most effective of Sri Lanka’s three seamers despite never clocking more than 130km/h. He showed admirable control and consistently found movement in the air despite bowling mostly at a good length or slightly further back; wickets of Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra were just rewards and he might have had another if Charith Asalanka hadn’t spilled Mark Chapman at mid-on.

Binura’s opening burst in three overs went for just 12 runs before a Hasaranga double in the 10th over really hammered home Sri Lanka’s early dominance.

Mitchell and Bracewell counter brutally

If the first half of the innings belonged to Sri Lanka, the second was well and truly New Zealand’s. After a couple of overs treading water, Bracewell signaled his intention to change gears with a couple of boundaries off Maheesh Theekshana in the 14th over before unloading on an off-colour Matheesha Pathirana one over later – a flick six into the grass banks and a monster loft over wide long-off highlights a 22-run over.

Bracewell’s power was on total display from then on as Hasaranga and Binura were also both taken for maximums over the next couple of overs. And there would be no respite for Sri Lanka at the other end either as Mitchell hit in lockstep with his partner and the pair even brought up their respective fifties off consecutive deliveries.

A total of 107 runs were scored between overs 10-20, of which 85 came after the six-over period from 13-19. Only a superb final over from Theekshana, in which three wickets fell for just three runs, ensured New Zealand were kept below 180.

Pathirana is off

Four overs for 60 runs and a solitary wicket marked a bad day at the office for Pathirana, but it is the three no-balls (and subsequent free strokes) that will no doubt have the Sri Lankan coaching staff pulling their hair. That one of them accounted for Mitchell’s wicket when he was on eight will be particularly glaring.

Pathirana also struggled to identify an effective length, consistently bowling more than ideal – surprising given the success Binura had had hitting the deck harder, not to mention the success Pathirana himself has had with similar lengths in the past.