Jacob Duffy Lead New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by eight runs in the first T20I at Mount Maunganui. Sri Lanka, who were given a target of 173, were cruising for the majority of their run chase before Duffy began his downward spiral. Sri Lanka, who were 121 for 0 at one point, fell to 164 for 8 at the close of their innings. Other than the openers, none of their hitters reached double digits.
The turning point occurred in the 14th over, when Duffy took three wickets in one over, giving the hosts New Zealand a modest advantage on which they capitalized. He first got Kusal Mendis (46) to glove a pull to the keeper before dismissing Kusal Perera and Kamindu Mendis off consecutive deliveries, both for ducks.
Adding to the drama, Bhanuka Rajapaksa was declared LBW on the first ball, but he managed to live by using DRS because the ball was pitching outside leg. Then, with the game hanging in the balance, the batter hit consecutive boundaries to end the 18th over.
Despite scoring 90, Pathum Nissanka, who was seeing the carnage from the opposite end, was unable to save the visitors. Tim Robinson made a spectacular catch in the deep to dismiss the set batter and pin the visitors farther back, seemingly nailing a cut over point. Then, in the penultimate over, Matt Henry gave Rajapaksa a walk with his leg-stump. Then, as New Zealand completed a historic victory, Foulkes had Wanindu Hasaranga run out and Maheesh Theekshana caught.
At the beginning of the chase, however, things were different when Kusal Mendis and Nissanka attacked Foulkes in a 17-run over following three quiet overs. They consistently found the boundaries in each over and raised the 50 in the PowerPlay. Rachin Ravindra, who also gave up 14 runs in the over and saw Nissanka reach his 50, was forced to be used by New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner. Until Jacob Duffy opened the game, they both executed beautiful drives and cutbacks, particularly on the offside.
Daryl Mitchell led the home team’s batting innings earlier with 62, despite losing early wickets. Additionally, he discovered Michael Bracewell, who scored 59 off 33, to be a capable batting partner. The two batters put up a 110-run stand in 58 deliveries to put a competitive score on the board, which ultimately proved sufficient, despite the hosts being 65 for 5 in 10 overs.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 172/8 in 20 overs (Daryl Mitchell 62, Michael Bracewell 59; Binura Fernando 2-22, Maheesh Theekshana 2-29) beat Sri Lanka 164/8 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 90, Kusal Mendis 46; Jacob Duffy 3-21, Matt Henry 2-28) by 8 runs
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