Late heroics carry Black Caps to unlikely win over Sri Lanka

A three-wicket over from Jacob Duffy and a miracle boundary catch by Tim Robinson have seen the Black Caps seize unexpected Twenty20 victory over Sri Lnka in their series opener at Mt Maunganui.

The tourists seemed to be cruising to victory, after reducing the New Zealand batting line-up to 65/5 in the 10th over and then reached the same stage of their innings 31 runs ahead without losing a wicket.

A record stand by Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell helped restore the NZ innings to something respectable, but Duffy's heroics with the ball proved the turning point of the contest, as he captured the scalps of opener Kusal Mendis, and then Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis with consecutive balls.

Opener Pathum Nissanka was rapidly approaching his maiden T20 international century, but with 20 runs still needed, he cut Matt Henry to the fence, where Robinson caught the ball, tossed it into the air, and tiptoed over the rope and back to complete the dismissal.

From that point, the Sri Lankan tail never looked likely to score enough runs to win.

"It was one of those times you take a few punts, bring a fielder up to create something and it came off," reflected Duffy. "They're class performers, especially those two at the top.

"We saw a lot of them in Sri Lanka and we thought we might catch them on the hop, but world class players adjust like that."

New Zealand promoted a brand new opening combination of Rachin Ravindra and Robinson, which got off to a tentative start against the Sri Lanka bowlers, with Ravindra wafting at left-armer Binura Fernando three times outside offstump in his first over.

Robinson provided the first boundary off Maheesh Theekshana and repeated the dose two balls later to give the innings some impetus in the third over, but he fell to a sharp caught-and-bowled effort by Fernando.

Ravindra survived a confident appeal for caught behind, but succeeded in edging the very next delivery to wicketkeeper Kasul Mendis.

Mark Chapman was dropped in the field, as he aggressively charged down the wicket at Fernando, but eventually holed out on the boundary, forcing the pace.

At 39/3, New Zealand’s most experienced batters – Glenn Phillips and Mitchell – were charged with resurrecting the innings. Mitchell was given out leg before wicket to Matheesha Pathirana, but survived courtesy of a front-foot no ball and dispatched the next ball back over the bowler for six.

They tried to challenge the fielders with sharply run singles, but Phillips was adjudged lbw trying to sweep spinner Wainundu Hasaranga, who also trapped wicketkeeper Mitch Hay with the next delivery. Allrounder Bracewell deprived the bowler a maiden T20 international hat-trick and swept him through the hands of Theekshana to the rope in his next over.

Bracewell and Mitchell took 12 runs off an over from Theekshana, before the former brought up the 100 with a boundary and deposited the next ball into the pavilion, as Pathirana went for 21 off his third over.

The Black Caps pair now had their eyes in, as they began to plunder the attack, taking 15 off Hasaranga’s last over and 11 off Nuwan Thushara’s.

Bracewell brought up his fifty off 28 balls, including two sixes, while Mitchell reached the milestone off the next ball, as Fernando’s last over yielded 11 runs. Their century partnership took just 54 balls, as Pathirana’s last over cost 14 runs, and their 105-run sixth-wicket stand was the highest for New Zealand in T20 internationals.

Theekshana had the last laugh in the final over, drawing Mitchell out of his crease to be comprehensively stumped for 62, then having Bracewell caught behind for 59 off the penultimate ball. Zak Foulkes was run out attempting a second run at the end, as the Black Caps reached a defendable 172/8, taking 107 off the last 10 overs.

Sri Lanka were off to a solid start in their chase, although Mendis beat a runout call and Nissanka had to survive caught-behind review. With only one review left, NZ skipper Mitch Santner could not risk another rejection, when the next ball hit the batsman in front, but perhaps a little high.

Nissanka scooped Foulkes’ first delivery into the air, but short of the diving fielder, as the rookie’s first over cost 18 runs.

By the end of the six-over powerplay, at 56/0, the tourists were ahead of the required run rate of 8.6 an over.

The introduction of spin did little to slow the charge, with Mendis depositing Bracewell deep into the crowd. Nissanka reached fifty off 33 balls with a six off Ravindra and Sri Lanka reached halfway at 96/0, well in control.

Their openers continued to torment Foulkes, with Nissanka smashing two more boundaries off his second over, then Mendis took two more off Santner's last.

Duffy finally achieved the breakthrough, as Mendis tried to flick a bouncing delivery down legside, but tickled it to Hay behind the stumps, just four runs short of his half-century. When Perera top-edged the ball high into the night sky later in the same over, Hay scampered to get underneath for the catch.

With the last ball of that same over, Kamindu Mendis edged Duffy to Hay, Sri Lanka were reeling at 121/3 and suddenly, there was hope. Nissanka deprived Duffy his hat-trick with a late cut and a six off Bracewell kept his side on target.

Foulkes finally had something to celebrate, as Charith Asalanka top-edged to Bracewell in the deep. With his next delivery, he had Bhanuka Rajapaksa given out lbw, but the subsequent review overturned the decision.

Two boundaries from Rajapaksa in the same over kept Sri Lanka on top, needing 20 off the last two overs, but Nissanka finally departed to Robinson's acrobatics. Two balls later, Henry removed Rajapaksa's leg stump, but Hasaranga cut his final delivery for four, leaving 14 runs to win off Foulkes' last over.

Theekshana tried to scoop him to fine leg, but holed out to Duffy. Next ball, Fernando drove straight back to the bowler, who turned and ran out Hasaranga backing up for the single.

Now, Sri Lanka needed boundaries, but their tailenders lacked the skill to win a match they led throughout.

"It was a game of two halves really, both with bat and ball," admitted Santner. "It was set up with that partnership between Daryl and 'Beast' [Bracewell].

"The wicket showed, once you were in, you could score and then we tried to put pressure on the batters coming in.

"The way the seamers fought back in that middle period with some aggressive bowling and some aggressive fields as well... Duff changed the game for us there and really brought us home."

The two sides face off again in the second of three encounters at the same venue on Monday.

New Zealand 172/8 (Mitchell 62, Bracewell 59; Fernando 2/22, Theekshana 2/29, Hasaranga 2/33) Sri Lanka 163/8 (Nssanka 90, Kusal Mendis 46; Duffy 3/21, Henry 2/28, Foulkes 2/41)

NZ win by eight runs, lead series 1-0