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Sri Lanka and New Zealand faced off in the second T20 match of the bilateral series at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka. The match was a must-win for Sri Lanka as they had lost the first T20 and needed to win the second match to stay alive in the series. New Zealand, on the other hand, was looking to seal the series with another win.
WEDNESDAY, 05 APRIL 2023
TIME: 7:00 PM ET
TIME: 12:00 AM GMT
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. The Sri Lankan openers, Avishka Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva, got off to a slow start and struggled to get the ball away. They were eventually separated in the fourth over when de Silva was dismissed by Ish Sodhi for just 7 runs. Fernando followed soon after, falling to Scott Kuggeleijn for 11.
With Sri Lanka struggling at 24/2, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dinesh Chandimal tried to stabilize the innings. They put on a partnership of 46 runs before Rajapaksa was dismissed by Lockie Ferguson for 21. Chandimal continued to bat well and was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 44 runs off 35 balls. However, wickets continued to fall at the other end, and Sri Lanka ended up with a below-par total of 133/6 in their 20 overs.
New Zealand’s bowlers were excellent, with Ish Sodhi and Scott Kuggeleijn picking up two wickets each. Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham also chipped in with a wicket each.
New Zealand’s chase got off to a poor start as they lost their opener Martin Guptill in the first over. However, Devon Conway and Will Young put on a partnership of 48 runs to steady the ship. Conway was the aggressor in the partnership, scoring 36 runs off just 28 balls. Young was more subdued, scoring 21 runs off 27 balls.
New Zealand’s middle-order batsmen struggled to get going, with Glenn Phillips and Tom Bruce both falling cheaply. However, captain Tom Latham and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham put on a crucial partnership of 39 runs to take New Zealand closer to their target.
With just 10 runs needed off the final two overs, Sri Lanka’s bowlers tried their best to create some pressure. However, Neesham held his nerve and hit a crucial six off the penultimate over to seal the win for New Zealand with four balls to spare.
New Zealand won the match by four wickets and sealed the series with one game to spare. Jimmy Neesham was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 16 runs off just six balls and his crucial wicket of Dinesh Chandimal.
Overall, it was a disappointing performance from Sri Lanka, who failed to put up a competitive total and struggled to take wickets during the New Zealand chase. New Zealand, on the other hand, will be pleased with their performance and will be looking to make it a clean sweep in the final T20 match of the series.
The Sri Lankan team will need to regroup and come back stronger if they are to compete with the top teams in the world. They will need their senior players to step up and lead from the front, and their younger players to gain more experience at the international level.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be delighted with their performance in the series so far. They have shown that they have a strong all-round team and will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
