CARDIFF: New Zealand made a flying start to their World Cup campaign as paceman Matt Henry struck three times in a 10-wicket trashing of woeful Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Henry returned figures of 3-29 and combined with fellow paceman Lockie Ferguson, who also took three wickets, to bowl out Sri Lanka for just 136 in 29.2 overs in Cardiff.
Martin Guptill and Colin Munro then hit unbeaten half-centuries to make short work of their modest target.
The Kiwis cruised home in 16.1 overs to register their third win in a World Cup game by 10 wickets.
The right-left batting combination of Guptill, who hit 73, and Munro, who scored 58, had little trouble in smashing the Sri Lankan bowlers to all parts of the ground.
Guptill hammered eight fours and two sixes including one hit that sailed out of the ground.
But it was Henry’s spell of seven straight overs that opened the gates for New Zealand’s domination against the 1996 champions.
“It’s a great start for us. You want a balanced attack going into any surface. It is important that you have that to have aggressive options for different occasions,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said.
“The two at the top played beautifully. It was nice for those guys to play a few shots. It was a good all-round performance.”
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne added: “It was a good toss to win. In the morning it was seaming and swinging. They had that advantage and they have good bowlers to do that, so they took their chance.
“The batters aren’t low on confidence. We batted well in some practice games and we work really hard. We need to think about the game.”
Henry stood out in the absence of senior paceman Tim Southee, who missed the game due to a calf injury, with his incisive pace and swing.
He struck with the second delivery of the game to send Lahiru Thirimanne trudging back to the pavilion after the left-handed opener had hit a boundary from the first ball.
Thirimanne was initially ruled not out by the on-field umpire, but the Kiwis successfully reviewed the lbw call in their favor after replays suggested the ball pitched on line and would have hit the batsman’s leg stump.
The left-handed Karunaratne, who has returned to the one-day side after a gap of four years, then put on 42 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Perera.
But Williamson kept Henry on for the bowler’s fifth over and the decision paid off as he got Perera for 29 and Kusal Mendis without scoring on successive deliveries.
Dhananjaya de Silva played the hat-trick ball with a glorious off drive, but soon fell to the pace of Lockie Ferguson after being trapped lbw.
Karunaratne fought on to register his third ODI fifty in 81 balls before he ran out of partners after Lasith Malinga was bowled by Ferguson for one.
Karunaratne’s unbeaten 52 made him only the second opener in World Cup history to carry his bat through a completed innings.
The feat had previously been achieved by the West Indies’ Ridley Jacobs, who made an unbeaten 49 against Australia in 1999.
Pacemen Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, the team’s only spinner, claimed a wicket each.
New Zealand, runners-up in the 2015 edition, will next face Bangladesh on June 5, while Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan on June 4.
fk/smg
Matt Henry shines as New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka in World Cup
Matt Henry shines as New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka in World Cup
- The Kiwis cruised home in 16.1 overs to register their third win in a World Cup game by 10 wickets
- Henry’s spell of seven straight overs that opened the gates for New Zealand’s domination
PSG hit five to stun Chelsea in Champions League last 16
- “I am happy to have helped the team but I am more happy that we won against Chelsea because they are a good team,” Kvaratskhelia told
PARIS, France: A gift by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave title holders Paris Saint-Germain a stunning 5-2 win over the English side in a thrilling Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday.
It looked as if Chelsea would return to London for next week’s second leg with a draw, and perhaps the upper hand in the tie, after they twice came from behind in the first hour at the Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola’s early opener for PSG was canceled out by Malo Gusto, and a fantastic Ousmane Dembele finish which put the hosts back ahead just prior to the interval was followed by Enzo Fernandez making it 2-2.
However, a careless Jorgensen pass out was intercepted, allowing Vitinha to score PSG’s third with a delightful lob on 74 minutes, and substitute Kvaratskhelia smashed in a superb fourth for the hosts four minutes from time.
As if that were not enough, Kvaratskhelia scored again in stoppage time, leaving the reigning European champions seemingly with one foot in the quarter-finals before the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.
“I am happy to have helped the team but I am more happy that we won against Chelsea because they are a good team,” Kvaratskhelia told broadcaster Canal Plus as he dismissed suggestions PSG were not the same force as last season.
“I don’t agree because we are still PSG and I think today we showed everybody that we are capable of everything. We just have to continue like this.”
The tie may not quite be over, but this result also gives PSG a measure of revenge in the first meeting of the teams since Chelsea crushed an exhausted French side 3-0 in last July’s Club World Cup final.
Nine of Chelsea’s starting XI that day lined up at kick-off here, the exceptions being Jorgensen — preferred to Robert Sanchez — and defender Wesley Fofana.
They also have a different coach now, of course, with Liam Rosenior having succeeded Enzo Maresca in January.
This game saw him make his return to France, where he did a fine job over 18 months at Strasbourg, the club who belong to the same BlueCo. consortium which owns Chelsea.
His start in west London has been promising enough, but an exit from Europe will now be difficult to avoid, especially as PSG seemed to have their hunger back here after some patchy performances in recent weeks.
Luis Enrique’s team, who won three knockout ties against Premier League sides en route to European glory last year, have struggled to rediscover their form of last season with that marathon campaign taking its toll.
Goalkeeping errors
Ballon d’Or winner Dembele started for just the 15th time in PSG’s 41 matches so far this term. He had played 90 minutes just four times before Wednesday.
They are a mere point ahead of Lens at the top of Ligue 1, while they came into this game with just two wins in seven in Europe.
Yet they came flying out of the blocks, going ahead on 10 minutes as Joao Neves nodded the ball down for Barcola, who controlled before firing in off the underside of the crossbar.
The champions were in the mood as Jorgensen tipped a Dembele effort onto the post, but there is a feeling that their decision to sell Gianluigi Donnarumma may cost them.
Matfei Safonov has recently become the first-choice goalkeeper and he was at fault for Chelsea’s first equalizer on 28 minutes.
Fernandez found Gusto in splendid isolation on the Chelsea right and the French full-back scored with a shot which really should have been kept out by Safonov.
The Russian redeemed himself on 39 minutes by parrying a Cole Palmer shot, 14 seconds before Dembele made it 2-1.
He was released by Desire Doue, ran through on goal and feinted one way then the other before scoring with a shot that deflected in off Fofana.
His 12th of the season separated the teams at half-time, but again Chelsea equalized as the hour approached.
Pedro Neto flew down the left and cut the ball back for the unmarked Fernandez to fire in first-time.
Then Chelsea collapsed, as Barcola intercepted a Jorgensen pass and Vitinha finished in style, before Kvaratskhelia’s stunning solo effort and late finish from Achraf Hakimi’s assist made it a night to remember for the hosts.
