Seamers Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry spearheaded to a convincing 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Saturday’s World Cup fixture at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, Wales.
- Match lasted less than 46 overs
- Karunaratne carried bat
- 50s for Guptill and Munro
Sri Lanka slipped to a mere 136 all out inside 30 overs, as Henry and Ferguson shared six wickets. The former took three for 29 to the latter’s three for 23 – and was named the Player of the Match. Henry and Ferguson’s collective performance was particularly impressive in the absence of seamer Tim Southee.
Captain Dimuth Karunaratne became the 12th opening batsman to last a 10-wicket innings without being dismissed en route to 52 not out. The last to do so was fellow Sri Lankan Upul Tharanga against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi two years ago. South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs also managed the feat, against Pakistan in Sharjah in 2000.
Openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro were prompt in reply, ensuring victory with all of 203 deliveries to spare. Guptill raced to 73 not out from 52 deliveries – and Munro 58 in 47. They shared 14 fours and a trio of sixes.
Sri Lanka will play Afghanistan at the same venue on Tuesday, while New Zealand will meet Bangladesh at The Oval in London 24 hours later.
Photo: Getty Images
