It is not a healthy proposition when a captain, in this case NZ captain, Daniel Vettori, states that the one strategy he would change in hindsight would be the result of the toss. This was not the script when Sri Lanka were being dismantled in the first ten overs. But New Zealand realized how dangerous it is to let an opponent go, especially under flood lights in Colombo.
lasith malinga1
The first match of the tri series that also features India saw New Zealand allow Sri Lanka to get to 216, thanks to a fighting maiden ton from Thilan Samaraweera. But little did New Zealand imagine that the horrors of the night would belong to them ultimately.
Lasith Malinga picked up for wickets for the innings as the visitors toppled on each other, sinking as far below as six down for forty-one runs in the nineteenth over. It was only another identical forty-one runs from Grant Elliot that appeared to have temporarily halted the train wreck.
Almost identical to the Sri Lankan innings, New Zealand struggled in the thirty-six overs that they batted. But while Sri Lanka recovered, there was no comeback for New Zealand who found the road rather slippery on the way down, all the way to 119 all out.
Ian Butler added some substance to the end with twenty-five runs but really the fat lady had by then turned in for the night, ninety-seven runs in comfort for the hosts.
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