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New Zealand stun Sri Lanka
SHARJAH: New Zealand recorded a sensational 11-run victory over Sri Lanka in their (New Zealand) opening match of the triangular Sharjah Cup late Tuesday night.
Chasing a victory target of 219, the former World Champions (Sri Lanka) were dismissed for 207 off 49.1
overs.
April 09, 2002 - 1520 GMT
Black Caps fall victim to Murali magic
SHARJAH: Muttiah Muralitharan was at his vicious best on Tuesday as New Zealand struggled to 218 for 8 in the second match of the Sharjah Cup.
The champion off-spinner produced the amazing figures of 10-3-9-5 to rattle the Black Caps, who found batting difficult on a dry pitch after skipper Stephen Fleming had won the toss and elected to bat. The rough surface
allowed Muralitharan to get appreciable turn and it was only due to a courageous 46 from 33 balls by Jacob Oram that New Zealand posted a respectable total something which appeared out of reach at one stage as they put together only 61 runs between the 20th and 40th overs.
Oram, who came into bat at number eight, was savage against Russell Arnold, Charitha Buddhika and Chaminda Vaas in the last eight overs of the innings when New Zealand scored 57 runs. The big left-hander, however, found it
difficult to cope with Muralitharan, who had picked up 5 for 7 in his first eight overs. He managed to turn the ball regularly across the left-hander's bat as New Zealand staged a minor recovery after a 38-run stand between Oram
and James Franklin for the eighth wicket. Oram hit three fours and two sixes of Buddhika and Vaas in his face-saving knock.
New Zealand never recovered from a shaky start when they lost their inform batsman Nathan Astle on the first ball of the second over from Nuwan Zoysa when he edged to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana after scoring just one.
Worse was to follow when another of their more aggressive batters, Craig McMillan, fell in the sixth over playing a tired looking hook off Zoysa and holing out to deep fine leg for six.
Makeshift opener and wicketkeeper Chris Nevin, however, was confident in his role at the other end as he and Fleming put on 55 in quick time for the third wicket. Fleming fell for 34 off 46 balls in the 18th over soon after
Muralitharan was introduced into the attack. Thereafter, the Sri Lankan off-spinner was simply on top of the batsmen as he got rid of Scott Styris and Nevin in the space of 16 balls.
Veteran Chris Harris (33 from 65 balls) and Matthew Sinclair (28 off 51) steadied the innings from a precarious 5 for 99. But in the process the run-rate came down considerably as they put on 56 from 106 balls. Muralitharan returned to break the partnership by having Sinclair caught by Kumar Sangakkara at backward point in the 40th over and then in his next over he had Harris caught at slip by Arnold to leave New Zealand in shambles on 7 for 159.
April 09, 2002 - 1500 GMT
New Zealand struggle as Muralitharan strikes
SHARJAH: Muttiah Muralitharan produced an inspired three-wicket spell for Sri Lanka to leave New Zealand struggling at 105 for five at the half-way stage of the innings in the Sharjah Cup on Tuesday.
The off-spinner conceded just two runs for his wickets to compound agony on a New Zealand side, already handicapped by the absence of leading players such as Chris Cairns, Shane Bond, Lou Vincent and Daniel Vettori through injury.
Muralitharan, introduced in the 16th over when New Zealand appeared to be cruising at 83 for two, changed the complexion of the game, taking his first two wickets in the space of 13 balls.
He first removed skipper Stephen Fleming (34 off 46 balls with four fours) and then got rid of Scott Styris (two). Opener Chris Nevin who was shaping well for a big innings became his third victim, caught for 45 off 58 balls with five fours. His spell at that stage read an impressive 4-2-3-3 but it was paceman Nuwan Zoysa who had capture the early wickets.
He took Nathan Astle with his very first ball of the innings when the prolific batsman flirted with an outgoing delivery only to edge the ball straight to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana for one run off four balls.
The pacer then left New Zealand struggling at 31 for two by the sixth over when he removed Craig McMillan for six.
Fleming and opener Nevin shared a third-wicket stand of 55 off 71 balls to provide stability to the stuttering innings.
But the introduction of Muralitharan put an end to that and at the end of the 25th over, Chris Harris was batting on six with Sinclair unbeaten on three.
April 09, 2002 - 1120 GMT
New Zealand:
Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, James Franklin, Chris Harris, Chris Nevin (wicketkeeper), Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Scott Styris, Mathew Sinclair.
Sri Lanka:
Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wicketkeeper), Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan
Zoysa, Charitha B. Fernando.
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