Friday, April 13, 2007

styris ton boosts laboured kiwis


World Cup Super 8, Grenada: New Zealand 219-7 (50 overs) v Sri Lanka

By Mark Mitchener

Scott Styris
Styris had an early 'life' when he was caught off a no-ball
Scott Styris top-scored with 111 not out from 157 balls as New Zealand made 219-7 against Sri Lanka in Grenada.

Skipper Stephen Fleming and Ross Taylor both fell for ducks to Chaminda Vaas (3-33) to leave the Kiwis 4-2.

Styris added 67 with Peter Fulton (28), 64 with Jacob Oram (31) and 64 with James Franklin (25 not out), but no other player reached double figures.

Muttiah Muralitharan (3-32) also bowled well as Sri Lanka shrugged off the absence of the injured Lasith Malinga.

After calling correctly and electing to bat, Fleming was back in the pavilion less than an over into the game after he was trapped lbw by Vaas without scoring.

Taylor, recalled in place of Hamish Marshall after missing the last four games with a hamstring injury, was then dismissed by Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara taking a superb catch diving to his right.

Styris joined Fulton with the score 4-2 - and the nerves were soon showing as he called for a quick single and would have been run out by yards if Muralitharan's throw from mid-on had hit the stumps.

Sri Lanka celebrate after Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming is out
Stephen Fleming's early dismissal was celebrated by Sri Lanka
Even though Sri Lanka were without Malinga, the Kiwis had only reached 18-2 after the first 10 overs.

But Styris, taking most of the strike found some fluency with two consecutive fours off Farveez Maharoof.

Maharoof was soon left to rue overstepping after he had Styris caught at midwicket off a no-ball.

The punishment continued as the Kiwi all-rounder cut loose with two more boundaries and the half-century stand came up in the 17th over.

However, after 67 had been added for the third wicket, Fulton lifted Vaas to leg and was caught by Chamara Silva for 28.

Craig McMillan joined Styris as Muralitharan entered the attack for the first time, and Styris survived a loud lbw shout from Murali's second ball.

The crafty off-spinner did not have to wait long to ensnare McMillan, the bearded all-rounder skying a catch to Silva at short fine leg.

Oram arrived at the crease with the Kiwis 77-4, and he got off the mark after clearing the infield with a shot which fell just short of the cover boundary sweeper.

But Styris soon reached his fifth World Cup fifty - and his fourth of this tournament - with a single off the spin of Sanath Jayasuriya.

Styris and Oram were tied down as the boundaries dried up against Jayasuriya and fellow spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan, who kept it tight in mid-innings before Muralitharan returned.

The Styris-Oram fifty stand took nearly 13 overs to arrive as they were restricted to singles, with no boundary scored between the 19th and 38th overs until Oram hoisted Dilshan for six over deep backward square leg.

Chaminda Vaas celebrates after taking two early wickets
Vaas took two early wickets to leave New Zealand reeling
However, he was superbly caught by Maharoof attempting the same shot off the next delivery, leaving the Black Caps 141-5 in the 38th over.

McCullum fell lbw to Muralitharan for just one and the Sri Lankans celebrated his exit wildly.

McCullum had controversially run Muralitharan out in a Test match in Christchurch in December, when the spinner left his crease to celebrate Sangakkara's century.

Daniel Vettori then holed out in a similar fashion to Fulton, with Silva taking his third catch of the innings and Murali claiming his third wicket.

As Jayawardene cleverly rotated his bowlers, it left James Franklin needing to hold up one end to ensure Styris was not left high and dry.

Styris became the third highest scorer in the World Cup as he approached his century, behind Jacques Kallis and Matthew Hayden.

And he eventually reached his second World Cup ton off 151 balls, pulling Dilhara Fernando to the midwicket boundary for four to also bring up the Kiwis' 200.

Vaas gave up five wides down the leg side in the final over before Styris blasted the final ball of the innings for four to give the Kiwis a much better total than they might have expected earlier in the innings.


No comments: