By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka was humiliated by New Zealand in a pathetically let down show by five of its top specialist batsmen falling for the addition of 39 runs in failing to drive home a 121-run first wicket winning advantage chasing the hosts 172 in undoing the brilliant work of Pathum Nissanka who gave his side a whirlwind platform hammering 90 off just 60 balls and Kusal Mendis 46 off 36, but Sri Lanka surrendering the match by 8 runs in the opening T20 at the Bay Oval at Mount Maunganul.
The indiscipline batting performance was best exposed by the failure of the rest of the five top batters failing to go after the remaining 53 runs for victory off 39 balls which was highly reachable with eight wickets intact and the fact that Pathum Nissanka had stayed there taking the score to 153 being fifth out. The debacle set in after the wicket of Kusal Mendis followed by Kusal Janith Perera and Kamindu Mendis removed for ducks in the space of two deliveries by 30-year old pacer Jacob Duffy in a treble wicket Player of the Match strike in one over, all of his three victims caught behind by Mitchell Hay with skipper Charith Asalanka 3 removed by Foulkes to a catch by Bracewell and Bhanuka Rajapaksa continuing his disappointing trail with the bat clean bowled by Matt Henry for 8 and Wanindu Hasaranga inexcusably running himself out in such a bad situation when Sri Lanka needed him as never before.
Five of the specialist top batsmen falling in double quick time for the addition of 39 runs in 34 balls when taking Nissanka out of that equation who was fifth out with the score 153 by the second delivery of the 18th over with the rest of the nine batsmen failing to enter double figures.
It was indeed a saddening spectacle seeing the brilliant batting efforst of Nissanka, who reeled 7 boundaries and 3 sixes and Kusal Mendis 6 boundaries and a six getting chucked out the window.
That the rest failed to give Nissanka the desired support to carry it through was a questionable let down.
Another disappointment was that the Lankan bowlers failed to drive home the initial stranglehold they enjoyed when New Zealand was reeling on 5 for 5 wickets just a delivery away from the halfway mark with the sixth-wicket pair of Daryl Mitchell 62 off 42 with 4 boundaries and 2 sixes and Michael Bracewell 59 off 33 with 4 sixes and equal number of boundaries batted the side out of trouble adding a game changing 105runs between them off 38 balls after Wanindu Hasaranga had reduced New Zealand to 65 for 5 just a delivery away from the halfway mark. Pacer Matheesha Pathirana coming in for some stick yielding 60 runs for his 4 overs and one wicket.
CHIEF SCORES
New Zealand 172/8 (20 Overs)
(Daryl Mitchell 62, Michael Bracewell 59, Mark Chapman 15, Tim Robinson 11,
Binura Fernando 2/22, Maheesh Theekshana 2/29, Wanindu Hasaranga /33,
Matheesha Pathirana 1/60)
Sri Lanka 14/8 (20 Overs)
Sri Lanka 164/8 (20 Overs)
(Pathum Nissanka 90, Kusal Mendis 46, Jacob Duffy 3/21, Matt Henry 2/28, Zakary Foulkes 2/41)
