New Zealand were reduced to 65/5 at one point before Daryl Mitchel (62 off 42) and Michael Bracewell (59 off 33) played the rescue knock to take them to 172/8 in 20 overs
Jacob Duffy바카라™s sensational 3/21 alongside Daryl Mitchell바카라™s quick-fire 62 and Michael Bracewell바카라™s brilliant 59 helped New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by eight runs in the first T20I of the series at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Saturday, December 28. (Live Streaming | More Cricket News)
Opting to field first, Sri Lanka got off to a terrific start as Binura Fernando picked up both Tom Robinson and Rachin Ravindra early on in their innings.
At one stage, New Zealand were reduced to 65/5 before Daryl Mitchel (62 off 42) and Michael Bracewell (59 off 33) played the rescue knock to take them to 172/8 in 20 overs.
Chasing a par total on a good Bay Oval surface, Sri Lanka were up and running as Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis put on a show.
However, Matt Henry gave New Zealand the opening and the hosts never looked back since as Sri Lanka crumbled to 164/8 in their 20 overs, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Hay(w), Mitchell Santner(c), Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Bevon Jacobs
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka(c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Avishka Fernando, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Binura Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal