Henry and Co restrict SL to 290 despite Nissanka, Kusal fifties

Sri Lanka 290 for 8 (Nissanka 66, Kusal 54, Liyanage 53, Henry 4-55, Santner 2-55) vs New Zealand

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis hit rapid fifties from the top order to propel Sri Lanka to a strong position in the first half of the innings. But a middle-order slowdown brought about by tight spin bowling from New Zealand brought the home team surging back into the game.

Where once a a total of around 350 seemed likely, on a flat deck at the tiny Eden Park, Sri Lanka managed only 290 for 8. Janith Liyanage batted with the allrounders and the tail to ensure that Sri Lanka did not completely deflate through the back-half, hitting 53 off 52 balls. But with the straight boundaries so short, and the surface offering little in the way of seam movement, or turn, this will take some defending.

New Zealand were sloppier in the field than they were in the first two ODIs, with Matt Henry even dropping a sitter off Kamindu Mendis at mid-on. But Henry led a tight New Zealand bowling effort, taking 4 for 55 off his 10 overs, as the other bowlers too created chances, often by creating dot-ball pressure. Mitchell Santner was especially clever in his lines and changes of pace, and reaped 2 for 55 from his full quota. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith claimed a wicket apiece.

Henry didn’t strike with the new ball, but was the prime destroyer in the middle and late overs. In the 36th over, he had Kamindu, who was done in by the ball straightening off the seam while trying to run a ball to third. At the death, Henry had Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Liyanage caught at deep midwicket, and bowled Wanindu Hasaranga with a yorker. There were plenty of slower balls at a venue in which the batters were constantly trying to target the short boundaries.

It was just after the midddle of the innings, however, when New Zealand’s bowlers imposed themselves. After 27 overs, Sri Lanka had been coasting on 155 for 1, though in addition to wicket that had fallen, they’d also lost Nissanka to what appeared to be a hamstring strain – the batter retiring hurt at the end of the 10th over, on 50 off 31. But New Zealand’s spinners stemmed the flow of runs, and Santner and Bracewell struck in quick succession. Kusal first top edged a sweep against Santner, then Bracwell had Charith Asalanka caught at long-on by Henry, who went over the boundary briefly, but had thrown the ball in the air while out of bounds, before catching it again upon regaining the field.

Then in the 34th over, Henry came back into the attack and removed Kamindu, who’d made a laboured 46 off 71 balls. In the seven overs leading up to the end of the 34th, New Zealand had taken three wickets and conceded only 28. Nissanka came back at the loss of that wicket, but was hobbling between ends and could only hit to the leg side, such was the seriousness of his injury. He clobbered some boundaries, but Santner kept floating it up wide of off, and eventually he holed out to deep midwicket for 66 off 42 balls.

Liyanage was steady through the course of the innings, but Sri Lanka were desperate to conserve a few wickets at this stage, with little batting to come. They played the period leading up to the death overs conservatively. He was sharp with his running however, and kept Sri Lanka’s innings from derailing completely.

Sri Lanka attacked through the last six overs, and scored 53 runs off those 36 balls. Liyanage got to fifty with a four pulled through backward square leg. Henry dismissed him in the last over but conceded a last-ball boundary to Maheesh Theekshana.