Wrapping up the tour: Guptill, Munro onslaught destroys Sri Lanka

Hosts claim T20I series 2-0 with nine-wicket win

AUCKLAND:

New Zealand blitzed the second T20I against Sri Lanka in Auckland on Sunday with a whirlwind display by Martin Guptill and Colin Munro setting up a nine-wicket win.

Munro brought up the winning runs with a six to be unbeaten on 50 after 14 balls, the second fastest T20I half-century behind a 12-ball spree by India’s Yuvraj Singh in 2007.

It was also the fastest 50 by a New Zealander, eclipsing the record set by Guptill just 20 minutes earlier when he took 19 balls to get there.

Guptill’s was the only wicket to fall in the New Zealand innings, out for 63 off 25 balls with six fours and five sixes, while Munro clouted seven sixes and one four.

It took New Zealand exactly 10 overs to mow down the modest 143-run target with Kane Williamson unbeaten on 32.

New Zealand captain Williamson said it was ‘pretty special’ to see Guptill and Munro flay the bowling. “I thought it would be a bit of a scrap on that wicket but it didn’t seem to be a problem for those two guys,” he said. “It was exciting to see.”

The victory gave New Zealand a clean sweep of the tour by Sri Lanka, winning the T20Is 2-0 to go with their 2-0 domination of the Tests and 3-1 win in the ODIs.

Sri Lanka’s resounding defeat in the T20I matches saw them slip from first to third behind the West Indies and Australia in the world rankings.

As has happened throughout the tour, the Sri Lankan top order failed to click. After being sent in to bat, they were all out for 142 with only Angelo Mathews showing any resistance with an unbeaten 81.

It was Mathews’ highest score in the shortest form of the game, easily eclipsing his previous best of 58 against England five years ago.

Tillakaratne Dilshan with 28 was the only other Sri Lankan to reach double figures.

Sri Lanka’s downfall was as much a result of poor shot execution — repeated ill-timed slogs — as it was good bowling and fielding by New Zealand.

“We just played bad batting out there,” said Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal. “Thanks to Angelo he put a comfortable total at the end, but I’m really disappointed with the way we played.”

The chief destroyer for New Zealand was Grant Elliott with 4-22 while Adam Milne and Mitchell Santner took two wickets apiece. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2016.

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