The Sri Lankan team could not score 20 runs in the last 2 overs
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 8 runs in a thrilling first T20I. At Mount Manganui, Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl. New Zealand scored 172 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. In reply, Sri Lanka could score only 164 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
Pathum Nisanka scored 90 runs for Sri Lanka, but he could not lead his team to victory. Jacob Duffy who took 3 wickets was the player of the match. Daryl Mitchell scored 62 and Michael Bracewell scored 59 for New Zealand.
New Zealand got off to a poor start
Losing the toss on Saturday, the home team got off to a poor start after batting first. The team lost 5 wickets before reaching 65 runs. Tim Robinson 11, Rachin Ravindra 8, Mark Chapman 15, Glenn Phillips 8 and Mitchell Hay were out for zero.
Bracewell took over with a fifty
Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell took charge of the team after an early fall of 5 wickets. The duo shared a 105-run partnership to take the score to 170 runs. Mitchell was dismissed for 62 and Bracewell for 59.
In the end, captain Mitchell Santner and Zachary Fox could score only 1 run. New Zealand scored 172 runs. Binura Fernando, Mahish Thixana and Wanindu Hasaranga took 2 wickets each for Sri Lanka. Mathish Pathirana got one wicket.
A strong start from Sri Lanka
Chasing the target of 173 runs, the Sri Lankan team got off to a strong start. Pathum Nisanka and Kusal Mendis shared an opening partnership of 121 runs. Mendis was dismissed after making 46 runs. Pathum Nisanka crossed fifty, but after the first wicket fell, the team suffered.
Lost the wicket in a hurry
At one point Sri Lanka needed 52 off 46 balls. From here the team lost 8 wickets in 38 runs. They needed 20 off 12 balls, where Nisanka was dismissed for 90 in the 19th over. None of the remaining batsmen could even reach 10 runs and the team could only score 164 runs in 20 overs.
Jacob Duffy took 3 wickets for just 21 runs from New Zealand. Matt Henry and Zachary Foulkes got 2 wickets each. New Zealand has taken a 1-0 lead in the series. The second T20 match will be played in Mount Manganui on December 30.
Image Credit: Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).