Big wins for New Zealand, Zimbabwe in warm-ups
Boult grabs five-for after strong batting performance; Masakadza ton hands Sri Lanka seven-wicket loss
After opting to bat first, New Zealand's batsmen made merry, racing to 331 for 8 in 50 overs, powered by half-centuries from Brendon McCullum (59 off 45) and Kane Williamson (66 off 53). All the batsmen, barring Luke Ronchi (19) and Tim Southee (1 not out), scored above 20, and there were three partnerships in excess of 50. Trent Boult then ran through South Africa's batting line-up and ended with 5 for 51 to bowl it out for 197 in 44.2 overs.
In another warm-up match, a spirited Zimbabwe, led by an unbeaten century from Hamilton Masakadza and an all-round display from Sean Williams, got the better of Sri Lanka at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. Sri Lanka posted 279 for 8 from its 50 overs, courtesy half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne (58) and Jeevan Mendis (51). Masakadza (117), Brendan Taylor (63) and Williams (51) then made light work of the target, winning with seven wickets in hand and 28 balls to spare.
The result meant that Sri Lanka have now lost both its warm-up matches before the marquee tournament.
McCullum started aggressively alongside Martin Guptill but after the fielding restrictions were lifted, Guptill (26) edged Wayne Parnell to the wicketkeeper. That hardly deterred McCullum. The New Zealand captain was joined by the in-form Williamson and the pair scored at more than eight runs an over, taking their side past 125 in the 19th over. Aaron Phangiso gave South Africa the much needed breakthrough, bowling McCullum and ending the 70-run partnership, but Williamson and Ross Taylor continued the good work with a 53-run stand for the third wicket.
Vernon Philander dismissed Williamson after his half-century and Taylor fell nine runs short of his, but Grant Elliott (24) and Corey Anderson (21) kept New Zealand going. Daniel Vettori (27) and Nathan McCullum (33 off 19) then added 46 from the last five overs to power the side past 300.
South Africa's chase never got going and it was reduced to 62 for 6 in the 14th over, with Boult and Vettori
To see full scorecard between New Zealand and South Africa, click here.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe got off to a poor start in its chase, losing openers Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza within the first seven overs. Masakadza and captain Taylor kept the side going with a steady partnership. Angelo Mathews rotated his bowlers but to no avail. Both batsmen hit half-centuries and kept the run rate around six, taking Zimbabwe past 160 in 27 overs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan finally ended the 127-run partnership with the wicket of Taylor, but Williams ensured that the good work didn't go to waste. With 118 runs needed from 22 overs, Williams and Masakadza upped the ante. Masakadza went past his century and remained undefeated on 117, a knock studded with eight fours and three sixes, while Williams' 46-ball 51 included six fours. Suranga Lakmal conceded 56 runs from his seven overs while 46 runs came from Lasith Malinga's seven wicketless overs..
Earlier, Sri Lanka opted to bat and opened with Kumar Sangakkara in place of Tillakaratne Dilshan, but the left-hander fell for just 8 to Tinashe Panyangara in the third over. Lahiru Thirimanne and Mahela Jayawardene consolidated with a 62-run stand for the second wicket but both fell for 30 in quick succession, reducing Sri Lanka to 85 for 3 in the 16th over.
The twin strikes led to a slight dip in the run rate but the pair revived Sri Lanka's innings with 64-run partnership before Utseya dismissed Chandimal for a 46-ball 29. Karunaratne fell for 58 and Sean Williams' left-arm spin accounted for Thisara Perera (17) and Nuwan Kulasekara (9), but Jeevan Mendis gave the innings a much-needed boost. He stroked four boundaries on his way to a run-a-ball 51 and took Sri Lanka to 260 before he became Williams' third victim in the 48th over. Sachitra Senanayake (25 off 17) then struck a couple of sixes to take Sri Lanka to 279.
To see full scorecard between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, click here.
