ICC World Cup 2015, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: Player ratings
New Zealand kicked off their World Cup campaign in impressive fashion as they romped to a 98-run victory over Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, earlier today. Sent in to bat by Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, New Zealand posted an imposing total of 331 for 6 from their 50 overs. Sri Lanka started their reply in strong fashion with Lahiru Thirimanne scoring 65 at the top of the order, but a flurry of middle order wickets left them with too much to do and they eventually succumbed to a heavy defeat, being bowled out for 233 in 46.1 overs.
Here are the player ratings for the match:
New Zealand
Brendon McCullum - 10
An easy choice, McCullum gets full marks for setting the tone for New Zealand in the World Cup. The drizzle prior to the game had left the outfield heavy and McCullum was so concerned that he sent the very first ball he faced careening to the boundary to inquire the outfield about its condition.
Martin Guptill – 8
The Guptill who was Kulasekera’s bunny was lost somewhere between the recently concluded ODI series and the World Cup as he looked in complete control throughout his innings of 49.
Kane Williamson - 7
Williamson overcame his initial nerves and scored a vital 57, but loses points for not finishing the job of batting through till the end.
Ross Taylor – 2
Ross Taylor played a slow innings and was ultimately stumped by Sangakkara off Jeevan Mendis for 14 runs, but earns two points for his fifty-plus partnership with Kane Williamson.
Grant Elliott – 6
Coming in at a tricky position, the Kiwi all-rounder scored 29 runs which set the platform for Corey Anderson to launch from.
Corey Anderson – 10
The Man of the Match scores a complete 10 for his all-round performance. Anderson made sure New Zealand didn’t let go off the start McCullum provided by scoring a brilliant 75, and with the ball, he cleaned up Sri Lanka’s tail with twin strikes.
Luke Ronchi – 7
Wicketkeeper-batsman Ronchi, once again, vouched for his affinity towards the Sri Lankan bowlers with yet another late innings mayhem, scoring 29 off 19 balls.
Daniel Vettori – 10
Vettori, one of two veteran left-arm spinners playing in the match, scores 10 for bogging down Sri Lanka in the middle overs and for picking up both Jayawardene and Dilshan.
Tim Southee – 7
Southee bowled well at the top, swinging the ball at pace and made sure that the Sri Lankan openers didn’t run away with a rollicking start. He finished with figures of 2 for 43 from 10 overs.
Trent Boult – 7
Boult should have scored more, but perhaps because of his economy rate, he misses out on a few points. Despite Malinga playing in the same match, Boult’s yorkers stole the show, which speaks volumes about his quality as a bowler. His yorker to Thirimanne swung away and knocked his off pole out while his yorker to Sanga caught him right in front of the wicket.
Adam Milne – 6
Adam Milne bowled with a lot of zeal and picked up two wickets while conceding 56 runs from his 10 overs, thereby earning him six points.