(ESPN Cricinfo) Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando made centuries and put on 206 together to send Sri Lanka to a commanding score.
Then, once rain had reduced New Zealand’s chase to 27 overs, Sri Lanka’s spinners reaped five wickets for 22 runs to derail the visitors after their openers had made a strong start.
In the end, New Zealand didn’t get close to the 221 they required off 27 overs. They puttered to 175 for 9, with too little firepower in their lower order to get them up with the required rate and too much know-how in Sri Lanka’s attack to let them prosper after the collapse.
The primary architects of Sri Lanka’s victory, however, were Kusal and Avishka. Their partnership was the highest ever for the second wicket in men’s ODI’s between these sides. Kusal’s 143 off 128 was also his highest individual score. And their propelling Sri Lanka to their eventual 324 for 5, before rain brought a halt to their innings after 49.2 overs, was a huge step towards victory, because although this surface was not especially spin-friendly, no chasing team had made so much as 290 in Dambulla.
In the end, a long rain delay meant New Zealand had a curtailed chase. But even their openers, who put 88 off 80 balls, weren’t quite keeping up with the required rate. Will Young made 48 off 46 and Tim Robinson 35 off 36. But they needed big fireworks from the likes of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. They never came. Early on, after Pathum Nissanka was dismissed, Kusal and Avishka gained significant momentum through the first powerplay, in which Sri Lanka scored 57 runs. In the fifth over, bowled by Jacob Duffy, Mendis smoked a straight drive, then crashed a short ball in front of midwicket to hit his first two fours of the innings. In the next over, bowled by debutant Nathan Smith, Avishka lifted a ball down the ground, then swivel-pulled another one over the fine leg boundary for six.
That period did have a hiccup – Mendis was dropped on 11 by Duffy, who could not hold a sharp return catch. But otherwise, Sri Lanka’s progress was smooth. There was not as much turn as expected, and Kusal and Avishka settled into a steady rhythm of accumulation, both batters using the sweep to good effect when the New Zealand bowlers delivered consecutive dot balls.
Avishka was also strong over cover, going inside-out repeatedly, while Kusal found runs square of the wicket on the off side. They both milked the bowling of Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell, neither of whom were able to build pressure over substantial periods. Kusal got to his fifty off the 64th ball he faced, before Avishka got to his own half-century – his ninth – off his 60th ball.
They raised the tempo slightly after getting to those milestones, but largely batted in the same gear. Avishka was dropped on 77 by Sodhi in the outfield, though the fielder only really got fingertips to the chance. Kusal got to his century first in the 37th over, off 102 balls. Avishka got there in the 38th. For both batters, this was their fourth ODI ton.
Avishka was out soon after, caught at mid-off, but the partnership had delivered Sri Lanka to the brink of the death overs. At his fall, the total was 223 for 2 in the 39th over.
Both Kusal and Charith Asalanka were effective through the last 10, with Kusal largely bashing spinners down the ground while Asalanka found runs square of the wicket. The rain returned with Asalanka being caught on the square leg boundary, with four balls remaining. It had rained early in the match too, forcing a roughly 40-minute break in the first over.
Once their opening pair was separated, New Zealand’s downfall was rapid and decisive. Maheesh Theekshana delivered the first two breakthroughs, having Robinson stumped, then Young bowled in the same over, the 14th of the innings. Henry Nicholls was then bowled off the inside edge by Asalanka before Theekshana held on to a screamer off the bat of Chapman at short midwicket, also off the bowling of Asalanka. When Glenn Phillips sliced a Jeffrey Vandersay leg-break to point, New Zealand had lost their top five in the space of 28 balls. It was always going to be almost impossible to recover from there.
Of New Zealand’s players, Jacob Duffy came out of this match with perhaps the best performance, having taken 3 for 41 in his 8.2 overs. With the freshly-arrived Adam Milne likely to be fit for the second ODI on Sunday, Duffy has made a strong case that he should be persisted with. Of their three debutants (Nathan Smith, Mitchell Hay, and Robinson), Robinson showed the most promise in this match.
