ICC Cricket World Cup, 1st Match, Pool A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Feb 14, 2015

ICC Cricket World Cup, 1st Match, Pool A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Feb 14, 2015

New Zealand 331/6 (50.0 ov)                                              Sri Lanka RR 5.04
                                                                                             Last 5 ovs 17/3 RR 3.40
 Sri Lanka 233 (46.1 ov)                                                     New Zealand RR 6.62
                                                                                             Required RR 25.82

New Zealand won by 98 runs      

Last bat HMRKB Herath c Milne b Anderson 13 (41m 19b 2x4 0x6) SR: 68.42
Fall of wicket 233/10 (46.1 ov); Partnership: 16 runs, 4.2 overs, RR: 3.69 (Herath 7, Lakmal 7)

---

Umpire reviews remaining Sri Lanka 0 (0 successful, 1 unsuccessful); New Zealand 1 (1 successful, 0 unsuccessful)

7.07 pm: That's all she wrote from the Hagley as New Zealand triumph to the tune of a 98-run victory as they get their tournament off to a golden start. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be looking to get back to the drawing board as they shift their focus on the remaining matches of their group campaign. We sincerely hope you enjoyed our coverage of this first match of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. It has been my pleasure to take you through the day, and don't forget, there is plenty of cricket to come, starting with the ongoing Australia v England match. Till the next match though, this is Rohan Sharma signing off, wishing all of you a good night, and good luck.
Brendon McCullum, New Zealand captain: Really good performance from the boys. We have been waiting a long time for this so it is great to complete our plans. I thought it might swing so I also thought about bowling first. The wicket was a bit on the slow side, but there was definitely good bounce and carry. It was great to lay the foundation and then allow the bigger hitters to come in and do the job. We look forward to the next game now, but it is great to beat a very tough Sri Lanka team. It is really pleasing to use cross-seamers and pitch the ball on the fourth/fifth stump lines were really good. I thought Boult and Milne came back really well and looked to be searching for wickets, so we were pretty pleased with how those guys played. Daniel Vettori was brilliant as always. Milne is a great weapon to have in the team, and I suspect he might just go the way of that tweet (when asked if Milne is the next Shane Bond.)
Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka captain: We knew it was going to be a good wicket so we knew we had to bowl well, but they started off poorly, and by that time it was too late. Especially after the start they got when they reached 100 in the 13th over. We did reasonably well to pull them back, but we gave up 30-40 runs too many. Once we lost the big guys at the top it became tougher on the rest of the guys. You need someone in the top four to get a biggie when you are chasing down a 300+ score. Malinga will get better and better and we all know what kind of bowler he is, so he will come back strong.
6.58 pm: We are expecting some more quotes from the match presentation, so don't go anywhere just yet!
Corey Anderson, Man of the Match: It's nice to come back home and play in front of family and friends. I guess this World Cup is the stuff we dream of. There were more nerves than normal, but that is pretty cliché isn't it? You always want to do well for NZ. I always have a different plan when I go out to bat, and it turns out differently in the middle. We just wanted to turn that par total into a winning total. Brendon held me back for a little bit till the end, so it was good to get a bowl, but the other bowlers really set the tone, especially Dan who just took them out of the game.
Corey Anderson is the Man of the Match
6.52 pm: It is all over folks. New Zealand take the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup tournament opener by beating Sri Lanka by an impressive 98 runs. This victory has been shaped by many hands, with Vettori proving the trump card for Brendon took with his ten overs going for just 2 for 34. Other NZ seamers chipped in with vital strikes as well, but his spell set the tone for the innings. Sri Lanka looked increasingly composed as they managed their chase early on, but once the top order began to fall away, the rest of the batting came undone, and predictably, they folded under the pressure of a mounting required rate. The good news for Sri Lankan fans though, is that Dilshan, Sangakkara and now Mathews have earned some valuable time in the middle, and that should hopefully bode well for the remainder of the tournament.

46.1

Anderson to Herath, OUT, and Anderson completes the rout by getting Herath to spoon this length delivery straight to the cover fielder as the Hagley Oval erupts in approval

HMRKB Herath c Milne b Anderson 13 (41m 19b 2x4 0x6) SR: 68.42

46.1

Anderson to Herath, 1 wide, tests the third umpire's patience with a shorter one, but Llong is having none of it

Anderson back into the fold now

End of over 46 (5 runs) Sri Lanka 232/9 (100 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 5.04, RRR: 25.00)

• • RAS Lakmal 7 (17b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 13 (18b 2x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 10-1-43-2
  • AF Milne 10-0-56-2

Gokul: "McCullam, Williamson and Corey in the fantasy team, with Corey as the Captain.. I should've tried some mega jackpot today.."

45.6

Southee to Lakmal, no run, tries him from round the wicket now as he plays at this fuller one, but is late on it as it goes across

45.5

Southee to Herath, 1 run, clipped away off the back foot through midwicket for one

45.5

Southee to Herath, 1 wide, goes for the shorter one which is time penalised by the umpire

45.4

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, stands his ground to blaze away this length delivery through the covers

Chameera: "first 2015 WC century by Finch "

45.3

Southee to Lakmal, 2 runs, shorter one from Southee which is pulled away rather uppishly over midwicket

45.2

Southee to Lakmal, no run, eased away off the back foot towards mid-on

45.1

Southee to Lakmal, no run, starts off with a short of a length outside off which is defended off the back foot

End of over 45 (3 runs) Sri Lanka 227/9 (105 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 5.04, RRR: 21.00)

• • HMRKB Herath 12 (17b 2x4 0x6)
  • RAS Lakmal 4 (12b 0x4 0x6)
• • AF Milne 10-0-56-2
  • TG Southee 9-1-38-2

CharlyPharly: "Milne's Economy rate was saved by Boult and Southee and Vettori taking out the batsmen who were carving him up. He owes those guys a lot..."

44.6

Milne to Herath, 2 runs, goes round the wicket for the final ball as Herath utilises the angle to help this down to deep fine leg

44.5

Milne to Herath, no run, able to negotiate this fuller one away towards the point region

44.4

Milne to Herath, no run, and Herath gets his helmet tested as he is struck right on the grille as he fails to keep his eye on the ball. Straightaway Milne walks over to check on his welfare, with a number of other NZ fielders jogging up to Herath to make sure all is well. Struck him right on the emblem, just above the peak of the helmet. Herath, the champ, shows no distress

tytiger15: "Southee's kept his economy under 5 and has got 2 wickets, glad I have him in fantasy team"

44.3

Milne to Lakmal, 1 run, follows him a tick with this full, inswinging delivery on middle and leg

44.2

Milne to Lakmal, no run, pitched up outside off as this one is driven straight to mid-off

44.1

Milne to Lakmal, no run, Lakmal looking to get in some batting practice as he has another go at this Milne special outside off

End of over 44 (5 runs) Sri Lanka 224/9 (108 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 5.09, RRR: 18.00)

• • HMRKB Herath 10 (14b 2x4 0x6)
  • RAS Lakmal 3 (9b 0x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 9-1-38-2
  • AF Milne 9-0-53-2

San: "Why do I feel this match is serving as an advertisement of the fate of Asian teams in this tournament? "

43.6

Southee to Herath, no run, finishes with a pearl of a bouncer which has Herath ducking for cover

43.5

Southee to Herath, no run, short from the bowler as this is hooked straight to square-leg, who takes a shy at the striker's end after seeing the batsman off his line, which he nails down, but not before the batsman had made his ground

43.4

Southee to Herath, no run, brings the bat down in the nick of time to this fuller length just outside off

Tony: "@darkprince0521: No mate, you killed your fantasy team by having Malinga. Bad mistake after a long injury against an in-form NZ! "

43.3

Southee to Herath, FOUR, gives the Sri Lankans fan something to cheer for as he slams Southee through backward point to find the boundary

43.2

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, this time dabbed away off the back foot through point to pickup the single

43.1

Southee to Lakmal, no run, finds a good length outside off which the batsman is late on as he has a go

End of over 43 (1 run) Sri Lanka 219/9 (113 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 5.09, RRR: 16.14)

• • RAS Lakmal 2 (7b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 6 (10b 1x4 0x6)
• • AF Milne 9-0-53-2
  • TG Southee 8-1-33-2

zami: "Is this a dead rubber of the last SLvNZ ODI series?"

42.6

Milne to Lakmal, 1 run, shifts the line a touch closer to the batsman now as this one is driven firmly to the cover fielder

42.5

Milne to Lakmal, no run, fuller now, with the line about the same, as Lakmal just can't make a sweet connection

42.4

Milne to Lakmal, no run, another play-and-a-miss outside off from Lakmal

darkprince0521: "Malinga killed my fantasy team today....."

42.3

Milne to Lakmal, no run, brings up the length on the same channel, with this one getting some reverse swing as it went past the flashing blade of Lakmal

42.2

Milne to Lakmal, no run, has a waft again at this length delivery outside off, but is late on it

42.1

Milne to Lakmal, no run, 134 kph, begins with a lovely, length delivery outside off which is shouldered arms to

Milne back on to replace Anderson

End of over 42 (2 runs) Sri Lanka 218/9 (114 runs required from 48 balls, RR: 5.19, RRR: 14.25)

• • RAS Lakmal 1 (1b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 6 (10b 1x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 8-1-33-2
  • CJ Anderson 3-0-17-1

CharlyPharly: "ThornyRose: "My predictions for Semi-finals - India, Australia, New Zealand and England... I think India will somehow sneak trough to the semis..." England and India...hmmmm... replace India by Sri Lanka. India are not up to it. New Zealand would score 400 against them"

41.6

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, and he gets off the mark right away with a clip to the leg side to end a successful over for the hosts

The final batsman for Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal, is out in the middle

Sri Lanka now teetering at 217 for 9, with NZ just one away from taking this tournament opener

41.5

Southee to Malinga, OUT, and Malinga doesn't take long to get back to his seat in the pavilion as he offers a chance straightaway to Ronchi, almost following the line of the ball as this one caught the outside edge on the way to the NZ keeper

SL Malinga c †Ronchi b Southee 0 (4m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

41.4

Southee to Herath, 1 run, goes round the wicket to Herath as this one is defended away safely from the crease. After much deliberation as to whether to go for the run, they decide to have a go in the end

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka captain: We knew it was going to be a good wicket so we knew we had to bowl well, but they started off poorly, and by that time it was too late. Especially after the start they got when they reached 100 in the 13th over. We did reasonably well to pull them back, but we gave up 30-40 runs too many. Once we lost the big guys at the top it became tougher on the rest of the guys. You need someone in the top four to get a biggie when you are chasing down a 300+ score. Malinga will get better and better and we all know what kind of bowler he is, so he will come back strong.
6.58 pm: We are expecting some more quotes from the match presentation, so don't go anywhere just yet!
Corey Anderson, Man of the Match: It's nice to come back home and play in front of family and friends. I guess this World Cup is the stuff we dream of. There were more nerves than normal, but that is pretty cliché isn't it? You always want to do well for NZ. I always have a different plan when I go out to bat, and it turns out differently in the middle. We just wanted to turn that par total into a winning total. Brendon held me back for a little bit till the end, so it was good to get a bowl, but the other bowlers really set the tone, especially Dan who just took them out of the game.
Corey Anderson is the Man of the Match
6.52 pm: It is all over folks. New Zealand take the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup tournament opener by beating Sri Lanka by an impressive 98 runs. This victory has been shaped by many hands, with Vettori proving the trump card for Brendon took with his ten overs going for just 2 for 34. Other NZ seamers chipped in with vital strikes as well, but his spell set the tone for the innings. Sri Lanka looked increasingly composed as they managed their chase early on, but once the top order began to fall away, the rest of the batting came undone, and predictably, they folded under the pressure of a mounting required rate. The good news for Sri Lankan fans though, is that Dilshan, Sangakkara and now Mathews have earned some valuable time in the middle, and that should hopefully bode well for the remainder of the tournament.

46.1

Anderson to Herath, OUT, and Anderson completes the rout by getting Herath to spoon this length delivery straight to the cover fielder as the Hagley Oval erupts in approval

HMRKB Herath c Milne b Anderson 13 (41m 19b 2x4 0x6) SR: 68.42

46.1

Anderson to Herath, 1 wide, tests the third umpire's patience with a shorter one, but Llong is having none of it

Anderson back into the fold now

End of over 46 (5 runs) Sri Lanka 232/9 (100 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 5.04, RRR: 25.00)

• • RAS Lakmal 7 (17b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 13 (18b 2x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 10-1-43-2
  • AF Milne 10-0-56-2

Gokul: "McCullam, Williamson and Corey in the fantasy team, with Corey as the Captain.. I should've tried some mega jackpot today.."

45.6

Southee to Lakmal, no run, tries him from round the wicket now as he plays at this fuller one, but is late on it as it goes across

45.5

Southee to Herath, 1 run, clipped away off the back foot through midwicket for one

45.5

Southee to Herath, 1 wide, goes for the shorter one which is time penalised by the umpire

45.4

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, stands his ground to blaze away this length delivery through the covers

Chameera: "first 2015 WC century by Finch "

45.3

Southee to Lakmal, 2 runs, shorter one from Southee which is pulled away rather uppishly over midwicket

45.2

Southee to Lakmal, no run, eased away off the back foot towards mid-on

45.1

Southee to Lakmal, no run, starts off with a short of a length outside off which is defended off the back foot

End of over 45 (3 runs) Sri Lanka 227/9 (105 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 5.04, RRR: 21.00)

• • HMRKB Herath 12 (17b 2x4 0x6)
  • RAS Lakmal 4 (12b 0x4 0x6)
• • AF Milne 10-0-56-2
  • TG Southee 9-1-38-2

CharlyPharly: "Milne's Economy rate was saved by Boult and Southee and Vettori taking out the batsmen who were carving him up. He owes those guys a lot..."

44.6

Milne to Herath, 2 runs, goes round the wicket for the final ball as Herath utilises the angle to help this down to deep fine leg

44.5

Milne to Herath, no run, able to negotiate this fuller one away towards the point region

44.4

Milne to Herath, no run, and Herath gets his helmet tested as he is struck right on the grille as he fails to keep his eye on the ball. Straightaway Milne walks over to check on his welfare, with a number of other NZ fielders jogging up to Herath to make sure all is well. Struck him right on the emblem, just above the peak of the helmet. Herath, the champ, shows no distress

tytiger15: "Southee's kept his economy under 5 and has got 2 wickets, glad I have him in fantasy team"

44.3

Milne to Lakmal, 1 run, follows him a tick with this full, inswinging delivery on middle and leg

44.2

Milne to Lakmal, no run, pitched up outside off as this one is driven straight to mid-off

44.1

Milne to Lakmal, no run, Lakmal looking to get in some batting practice as he has another go at this Milne special outside off

End of over 44 (5 runs) Sri Lanka 224/9 (108 runs required from 36 balls, RR: 5.09, RRR: 18.00)

• • HMRKB Herath 10 (14b 2x4 0x6)
  • RAS Lakmal 3 (9b 0x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 9-1-38-2
  • AF Milne 9-0-53-2

San: "Why do I feel this match is serving as an advertisement of the fate of Asian teams in this tournament? "

43.6

Southee to Herath, no run, finishes with a pearl of a bouncer which has Herath ducking for cover

43.5

Southee to Herath, no run, short from the bowler as this is hooked straight to square-leg, who takes a shy at the striker's end after seeing the batsman off his line, which he nails down, but not before the batsman had made his ground

43.4

Southee to Herath, no run, brings the bat down in the nick of time to this fuller length just outside off

Tony: "@darkprince0521: No mate, you killed your fantasy team by having Malinga. Bad mistake after a long injury against an in-form NZ! "

43.3

Southee to Herath, FOUR, gives the Sri Lankans fan something to cheer for as he slams Southee through backward point to find the boundary

43.2

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, this time dabbed away off the back foot through point to pickup the single

43.1

Southee to Lakmal, no run, finds a good length outside off which the batsman is late on as he has a go

End of over 43 (1 run) Sri Lanka 219/9 (113 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 5.09, RRR: 16.14)

• • RAS Lakmal 2 (7b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 6 (10b 1x4 0x6)
• • AF Milne 9-0-53-2
  • TG Southee 8-1-33-2

zami: "Is this a dead rubber of the last SLvNZ ODI series?"

42.6

Milne to Lakmal, 1 run, shifts the line a touch closer to the batsman now as this one is driven firmly to the cover fielder

42.5

Milne to Lakmal, no run, fuller now, with the line about the same, as Lakmal just can't make a sweet connection

42.4

Milne to Lakmal, no run, another play-and-a-miss outside off from Lakmal

darkprince0521: "Malinga killed my fantasy team today....."

42.3

Milne to Lakmal, no run, brings up the length on the same channel, with this one getting some reverse swing as it went past the flashing blade of Lakmal

42.2

Milne to Lakmal, no run, has a waft again at this length delivery outside off, but is late on it

42.1

Milne to Lakmal, no run, 134 kph, begins with a lovely, length delivery outside off which is shouldered arms to

Milne back on to replace Anderson

End of over 42 (2 runs) Sri Lanka 218/9 (114 runs required from 48 balls, RR: 5.19, RRR: 14.25)

• • RAS Lakmal 1 (1b 0x4 0x6)
  • HMRKB Herath 6 (10b 1x4 0x6)
• • TG Southee 8-1-33-2
  • CJ Anderson 3-0-17-1

CharlyPharly: "ThornyRose: "My predictions for Semi-finals - India, Australia, New Zealand and England... I think India will somehow sneak trough to the semis..." England and India...hmmmm... replace India by Sri Lanka. India are not up to it. New Zealand would score 400 against them"

41.6

Southee to Lakmal, 1 run, and he gets off the mark right away with a clip to the leg side to end a successful over for the hosts

The final batsman for Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal, is out in the middle

Sri Lanka now teetering at 217 for 9, with NZ just one away from taking this tournament opener

41.5

Southee to Malinga, OUT, and Malinga doesn't take long to get back to his seat in the pavilion as he offers a chance straightaway to Ronchi, almost following the line of the ball as this one caught the outside edge on the way to the NZ keeper

SL Malinga c †Ronchi b Southee 0 (4m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

41.4

Southee to Herath, 1 run, goes round the wicket to Herath as this one is defended away safely from the crease. After much deliberation as to whether to go for the run, they decide to have a go in the end