New Zealand secured a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in another big-scoring match at Mount Maunganui on a busy day of white-ball action around the world, but their victory came in the face of an incredible maiden century by Thisara Perera that gave the visitors a late sniff of victory.
NEW ZEALAND VS SRI LANKA, ODI
New Zealand piled on the runs against Sri Lanka to score 319 off their 50 overs, with four run-outs among their seven wickets. Thisara Perera kept Sri Lanka’s chase alive through some incredible hitting in the lower-middle order, adding 75 (8th wicket), 51 (9th wicket) and 44 (10th wicket) with the tail as he registered his first ODI century in an amazing innings against the odds.
Perera came to the wicket with the score on 121-5 and blasted the New Zealand attack to all corners of Mount Maunganui to power Sri Lanka to within just 21 runs of New Zealand’s score. Perera hit eight fours and 13 sixes in his amazing innings of 140 scored off just 74 balls (S/R 189.18), until he was last man out with his side two short of 300.
New Zealand 319-7 (LRPL Taylor 90, C Munro 87, JDS Neesham 64; SL Malinga 2-45, N Pradeep 1-59)
Sri Lanka 254-9 (NLTC Perera 140, MD Gunathilaka 71; IS Sodhi 3-55, JDS Neesham 2-48, MJ Henry 2-52, TA Boult 1-61, TG Southee 1-68)
New Zealand won by 21 runs
Thanks to everyone who supported me and always motivated me Specially to @CHathurusinghe @TilanSam ?? pic.twitter.com/2y1S5RmEnh
— Thisara perera (@PereraThisara) January 5, 2019
WOMEN’S BIG BASH LEAGUE
Sydney Thunder 92-3 (RL Haynes 21, H Kaur
21 not out, AJ Blackwell 20 not out; HL Ferling 2-25, A King 1-11)
Melbourne Stars (did not bat)
No result, match called off after 10 overs
Brisbane Heat Women 160-7 (JE Dooley 48 not out, GM Harris 47, KL Short 24; SFM Devine 2-15, M Schutt 2-25, D Hazell 1-18, A Price 1-19, A Wellington 1-28)
Adelaide Strikers Women 117-7 (SFM Devine 39, SW Bates 31; DM Kimmince 3-21, S Luus 2- 21, GM Harris 1-11)
Brisbane Heat won by 43 runs
BIG BASH LEAGUE
Sydney Sixers 161-8 (DP Hughes 61, MC Henriques 31; J Botha 3-22, JP Faulkner 3-36)
Hobart Hurricanes 162-5 (DJM Short 64, GJ Bailey 30, AJ Doolan 26, SA Abbott 2-29)
Hobart Hurricanes won by 5 wickets with 1 ball in hand
Sydney Thunder 135-8 (DR Sams 42, JE Root 26; SM Boland 2-28, MP Stoinis 2-29)
Melbourne Stars 137-2 (NCR Larkin 41 not out, GJ Maxwell 41 not out, MP Stoinis 34; Fawad Ahmed 1-26, DR Sams 1-28)
Melbourne Stars won by 8 wickets with 16 balls remaining
Perth Scorchers 135-6 (AJ Turner 47, M Klinger 26, CT Bancroft 24; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-10, BCJ Cutting 2-42, B Doggett 1-23, JL Pattinson 1-30)
Brisbane Heat 139-5 (CA Lynn 33, BCJ Cutting 26 not out, JA Burns 20 not out; NM Coulter-Nile 3-25, JP Behrendorff 1-28, JA Richardson 1-50)
Brisbane Heat won by 5 wickets with 10 balls in hand
Stand and deliver! Ben Cutting goes whack and sends this one 112m ? #BBL08 | @Weet_Bix pic.twitter.com/aos0yhYtzj
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 5, 2019
BANGLADESH PREMIER LEAGUE
Rangpur Riders 98 (RS Bopara 44, Sohag Gazi 21; R Frylinck 4-14, Nayeem Hasan 2-10, Abu Jayed 2-30)
Chittagong Vikings 47-2 (Mohammad Shahzad 27 not out)
Chittagong Vikings require another 53 runs with 8 wickets and 13.5 overs remaining
38 not out, SP Narine 38,
AD Russell 21 not out; Arafat Sunny 2-23, Mohammad Hafeez 1-15, Qais Ahmad 1-29, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 1-38)
Rajshahi Kings 106 (Mohammad Hafeez 29; Rubel Hossain 3-7, Mohor Sheikh 2-24, Shakib Al Hasan 1-11, Shuvagata Hom 1-16, KA Pollard 1-22, AD Russell 1-12)
Dhaka Dynamites won by won by 83 runs
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
