Tweet
33 overs New Zealand 188 for 6 (Watling 96*) v Sri Lanka
A century was a possibility for the improving BJ Watling © AFP
BJ Watling made the most of a frustrating stop-start evening by smashing an unbeaten 96, lifting New Zealand to 188 in a shortened 33 overs game in rainy Pallekele. It was his second fifty of the series and in the process beat John F Reid's record for the highest score by a New Zealander in Sri Lanka. The target was revised to 197.
The two lengthy rain interruptions - both exceeding 100 minutes each - couldn't have been easy for the batting side, as they looked to get used to the new Powerplay rule. The short passages of play between the interruptions weren't enough for New Zealand to build any kind of momentum. The rain first arrived at 3.10pm, towards the end of the opening Powerplay, after New Zealand had progressed to a modest 28 for the loss of Rob Nicol, edging to slip. Play resumed an hour and 45 minutes later, with the overs reduced to 48. Five overs later, a heavier downpour forced the players off the field for an agonising two and a half hours, culling the overs to 33. It meant New Zealand had just 19 overs to hammer as much as they could, with only one over available with field restrictions.
Part 3 of the New Zealand innings began inauspiciously. Ross Taylor tried to pinch a risky single to short midwicket but the bowler Jeevan Mendis ran him out, gathering the ball and hitting the target at the bowler's end. Mendis was lucky to get the next breakthrough though, as the ball pitched outside leg and hit Jacob Oram's pad in front of the stumps while attempting the reverse sweep.
That wicket was the start of a productive period in the innings as James Franklin and Watling added 56 in 8.3 overs. Before that stand, New Zealand managed only two fours. The pair tripled that during their association, hitting five fours and an elegant flicked six by Franklin over deep square leg. Franklin lost his leg stump when giving Nuwan Kulasekara the charge and Kane Williamson spooned Mendis to mid-off, leaving the well-set Watling plenty to do.
He had nothing to lose in attacking and with Nathan McCullum striking it well at the other end, New Zealand were on course to a competitive score. Watling's first fifty came of 70 balls - his next 46 came off just 18. It included slogs to midwicket off the spinners, powerful drives to the deep square on the off side off the seamers and three boundaries in an over off Lasith Malinga. That over - the penultimate - yielded 15, as Malinga dished out low full tosses. It was one of those nights when he couldn't land his yorkers on the right spot. A century for Watling seemed a possibility but he lost strike after the third ball in the final over. He walked off giving New Zealand a chance at recording their first win of the series.
A century was a possibility for the improving BJ Watling © AFP
BJ Watling made the most of a frustrating stop-start evening by smashing an unbeaten 96, lifting New Zealand to 188 in a shortened 33 overs game in rainy Pallekele. It was his second fifty of the series and in the process beat John F Reid's record for the highest score by a New Zealander in Sri Lanka. The target was revised to 197.
The two lengthy rain interruptions - both exceeding 100 minutes each - couldn't have been easy for the batting side, as they looked to get used to the new Powerplay rule. The short passages of play between the interruptions weren't enough for New Zealand to build any kind of momentum. The rain first arrived at 3.10pm, towards the end of the opening Powerplay, after New Zealand had progressed to a modest 28 for the loss of Rob Nicol, edging to slip. Play resumed an hour and 45 minutes later, with the overs reduced to 48. Five overs later, a heavier downpour forced the players off the field for an agonising two and a half hours, culling the overs to 33. It meant New Zealand had just 19 overs to hammer as much as they could, with only one over available with field restrictions.
Part 3 of the New Zealand innings began inauspiciously. Ross Taylor tried to pinch a risky single to short midwicket but the bowler Jeevan Mendis ran him out, gathering the ball and hitting the target at the bowler's end. Mendis was lucky to get the next breakthrough though, as the ball pitched outside leg and hit Jacob Oram's pad in front of the stumps while attempting the reverse sweep.
That wicket was the start of a productive period in the innings as James Franklin and Watling added 56 in 8.3 overs. Before that stand, New Zealand managed only two fours. The pair tripled that during their association, hitting five fours and an elegant flicked six by Franklin over deep square leg. Franklin lost his leg stump when giving Nuwan Kulasekara the charge and Kane Williamson spooned Mendis to mid-off, leaving the well-set Watling plenty to do.
He had nothing to lose in attacking and with Nathan McCullum striking it well at the other end, New Zealand were on course to a competitive score. Watling's first fifty came of 70 balls - his next 46 came off just 18. It included slogs to midwicket off the spinners, powerful drives to the deep square on the off side off the seamers and three boundaries in an over off Lasith Malinga. That over - the penultimate - yielded 15, as Malinga dished out low full tosses. It was one of those nights when he couldn't land his yorkers on the right spot. A century for Watling seemed a possibility but he lost strike after the third ball in the final over. He walked off giving New Zealand a chance at recording their first win of the series.