WELLINGTON: Matt Henry’s four-wicket haul, followed by Will Young’s unbeaten 90-run knock, propelled New Zealand to a resounding nine-wicket victory in the opening ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka here at the Basin Reserve on Sunday.
Put into bat first, the touring side could accumulate 178 runs before getting bundled out in the 44th over.
Sri Lanka got off to a dismal start to their innings as they had been reduced to 23/4 in 9.5 overs.
Following the early debacle, opening batter Avishka Fernando then joined forces with Janith Liyanage and launched recovery.
The duo added an important 87 runs to the total until both set batters perished in quick succession, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 110/6 in 26.4 overs.
Fernando remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with a 63-ball 56, laced with six fours and a six, while Liyanage made a 54-ball 36.
Experienced all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga then shared an important 48-run partnership with Chamidu Wickramasinghe to give a slight push to Sri Lanka’s total.
Hasaranga made 35 off 33 deliveries, while Wickramasinghe scored 22 from 42 balls.
Henry spearheaded New Zealand’s bowling charge with 4/19 in his 10 overs, followed by Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith, who picked two wickets each.
For his sensational bowling performance, Henry was adjudged the player of the match.
Chasing a modest 179-run target, the touring side comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just one wicket and 142 balls to spare.
Leading the way for the home side was opening batter Will Young, who top-scored with an unbeaten 90 off 86 balls, studded with 12 boundaries.
His opening partner Rachin Ravindra also made important contribution with his 36-ball 45, while Mark Chapman made 29 not out from 36 deliveries.
For Sri Lanka, Wickramasinghe picked the solitary wicket.
The nine-wicket victory gave New Zealand a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second ODI scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Hamilton,
- Matt Henry