New Zealand’s World Cup hopes were left in tatters as they went down by 47 runs in their opening Pool B game against Sri Lanka at Goodyear Park here today.
The Black Caps now face a major uphill battle to qualify for the Super Sixes, especially after refusing to honour their fixture against Kenya in Nairobi and will have to win their next two big games against the West Indies and South Africa respectively to be sure of a place in the next round of the tournament.
In the end the regular wickets the Black Caps lost cost them dear even though Scott Styris scored one of the most entertaining centuries ever seen in Bloemfontein.
Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya’s century, coupled with some disciplined bowling, saw the sub-continent side through in the end.
Jayasuriya hit 120 off 125 balls for his 16th century to leave his side in a strong position against an up and down New Zealand bowling attack after leading a charmed life and being dropped twice before reaching three figures.
Opener Marvan Atapattu was the first to go, sending a lifting delivery to a diving Styris at backward square leg.
Jayasuriya should have been out early on, when his side were on 31 for one and he gloved a ball to wicketkeeper Lou Vincent for an easy catch behind. So convinced were the players that bowler Daryl Tuffey ran down the wicket and embraced Vincent, only for the umpire to stand firm and not give the batsman out. Television replays showed there was a clear nick and it was a decision that cost New Zealand dearly.
Shortly afterwards, Jayasuriya laid into the bowling, hitting Tuffey for 16 in his next over and then proceeding to play some beautiful attacking shots on his way to a century.
New Zealand had chances to stop him again. Vincent dropped a sharp chance as he stood up to the wicket for Styris’ bowling when the Sri Lankan captain was on 86 and the keeper dropped another when Jayasuriya was on 93, also off Styris’ bowling.
Jayasuriya brought his century up off 111 balls in 131 minutes with 12 fours and continued to put on 170 for the second wicket with Hashan Tilakaratne off 182 balls before he was trapped lbw by Nathan Astle in the bowler’s first over.
Tillakaratne eventually finished unbeaten on 81 off 106 balls and today’s innings surpassed his previous best in a World Cup, which was 82 against England in Islamabad in the 1996 World Cup.
By the time the captain was removed, Sri Lanka were 193 for two with Tilakaratne bringing up his 50 off 66 balls shortly afterwards.
But his team-mates, with the exception of Tilakaratne, struggled to keep the tempo going, and wickets fell at regular intervals to leave the batsmen getting only 48 in the last 10 overs thanks to some disciplined New Zealand bowling.
Sri Lanka struck early to leave New Zealand reeling at 15 for three after six overs.
Nathan Astle was the first to go for a duck, running a suicide single to Chaminda Vaas.
Captain Stephen Fleming soon followed, fishing outside the offstump to edge Pulasthi Gunaratne to Kumar Sangakkara for a single.
McMillan followed his captain’s example and fished at a Gunaratne ball to edge and be out in exactly the same fashion for three.
Styris played a magnificent maiden century innings of 141 off 125 balls with six sixes and three fours to give the Black Caps hope.
But he chanced his arm once too often and was caught on the square leg boundary by Chaminda Vaas off the bowling of Russel Arnold to ensure a Sri Lankan victory.
Styris’ innings was made off 104 balls with three fours and two sixes, and was a new personal best, surpassing his previous of 85, set at Beausejour against the West Indies in the 2001/2 season.
The New Zealanders now face the West Indies in Port Elizabeth on Thursday while Sri Lanka travel to Pietermaritzburg for their game against Bangladesh on Friday.
