New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI Highlights: New Zealand beat Sri Lanka. (Source: Twitter/BlackCaps)
NZ vs SL 1st ODI Highlights: Jimmy Neesham displayed an allround performance as he picked up three crucial wickets for the Kiwis, scripting the win for the hosts. Kusal Perera fired a quick century in just 82 balls, but it did not prove enough to get past the 372-run target. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for the Kiwis.
Earlier, Kiwis had put 371/7 in 50 overs on the board with Neesham firing 47 runs in 13 balls and Martin Guptill scoring a ton.
Match EndedSri Lanka tour of New Zealand, 2018/19 - 1st ODI
New Zealand
371/7 (50.0)vs
Sri Lanka
326 (49.0)Match Ended ( Day - 1st ODI )
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 45 runs
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 45 runs
Live Blog
WICKET! Malinga has been cleaned up by Matt Henry and Sri Lanka are bowled out for 326 runs.
New Zealand win by 45 runs and lead series 1-0.
WICKET! Boult has struck with a yorker and has cleaned up the stumps. Sandakan moves away from the stumps. Boult strikes. SL 310/9
GONE! Lockie Ferguson pitches it full and outside off, was there a deflection to the keeper? If there was a deflection, did it carry to the keeper? Seifert claims the catch. SL 308/8
GONE! Lockie Ferguson pitches it full and outside off, was there a deflection to the keeper? If there was a deflection, did it carry to the keeper? Seifert claims the catch. SL 308/8
GONE! Lockie Ferguson pitches it full and outside off, was there a deflection to the keeper? If there was a deflection, did it carry to the keeper? Seifert claims the catch. SL 308/8
WICKET! Trent Boult strikes and Kusal Perera departs after a stunning knock. Tries to go after Boult, gets a leading edge and it flies straight into the hands of Tim Seifert. SL 298/7
This has been a fighting innings for Kusal Perera but he had no support whatsoever from anywhere else. Perera scores 102 in 83 balls. But it just might not be enough.
GONE! Munro runs back from backward point and tracks down this skier. Ferguson hits a hard length outside off, Thisara aims to club it over the leg side. Instead, he skews it in the air. Munro completes a smart catch. SL 274/6
WICKET! Ish Sodhi strikes and as Asela Gunaratne skids one straight to Lockie Ferguson. He walks back for 11. SL 267/5
Sri Lanka are 266/4 in 40 overs. Still need 106 to win in 60 balls. In T20 world it is still within the reach. Kusal Perera, batting on 88, is the key.
Kusal Perera takes Sri Lanak over 250 runs. He is the last man standing in the way of an easy win for Kiwis at the moment. Gunaratne on the other end is wasting too many deliveries.
Kusal Perera pulls one over the fmid on for six in Matt Henry's delivery. But it just got plopped from the fielder's hand at long-on and that should have been taken.
WICKET! Jimmy Neesham gets another one! With two discipline overs, the pressure was building. Dinesh Chandimal decided to go after a half volley from Neesham and paid the price. Ross Taylor takes the catch. SL 211/4
Kusal Perera scores a half century in just 41 balls and Sri Lanka are playing counterattacking cricket at the moment. They are still within a reach of the target if one big partnership comes up. the Kiwis need a wicket.
This has becoming a close contenst now with Kusal Perera starting to go after the bowlers. He has taken Sri Lanka over the 200-run mark in the 30th over. 172 runs to win in 120 balls. Possible!
WICKET! Ish Sodhi breaks the partnership. Full pitched delivery to Kusal Mendis, who tried to defend it, only to get an edge of the bat. The ball struck his leg and flew in the air. Tim Seifert picked up an easy catch. SL 178/3
WICKET! Is there anything Jimmy Neesham cannot do!?? Dismisses Niroshan Dickwella for 76. Pitched it full and wide and Dickwella just slammed it on to the stumps. SL 126/2
WICKET! Jimmy Nessham does it with the ball as well. Provides a much needed breakthrough. Skidding towards the leg side and Danushka Gunathilaka got a soft touch to it and it went straight to Tim Seifert's gloves. SL 119/1
FOUR! An inventive shot from Dickwella! Banged in short and outside off, Dickwella uses all the pace of Ferguson, arches his back and ramps it over third man and brings up his fifty in style! Sri Lanka 97/0 after 14 overs.
Dickwella has launched a counterattack against the Kiwis and the New Zealand bowlers are struggling to get a wicket here. This has been pure attacking from Sri Lanka. 50 up in just the 7th over.
Gunathilaka and Divkwella are on fire at the moment, the latter being the most aggressive one. The duo have taken Sri Lanka's total to 30/0 in 3.3 overs.
Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka out to open the innings for Sri Lanka. Trent Boult has the new ball for the Kiwis. CHASE IS ON!
SIX! James Neesham ends the innings with a maximum. He remains unbeaten on 47 in 13 balls. He takes New Zealand's total to 371/7 in 50 overs.
Sri Lanka need 372 to win.
Matt Henry has top edged the ball straight to the fielder. He is gone - but the crowd cheers as he changes the crease before departing and it means Neesham will face the final two balls. NZ 363/7
This has been a Monster performance from James Neesham. He has scored 33 runs in one over with the bat including a no ball. 34 runs in the 49th over.
Thisara Perera to James Neesham!
SIX! SIX! SIX! SIX! 2+No Ball!
And now FREE HIT - SIXXXX!
WICKET! Tim Seifert is the next man to walk off and this is good effort from Sri Lanka in the death overs. Just a tad bit outside the off stump and he swung his bat, only to be caught by Kusal Perera at long on. NZ 317/6
WICKET! Henry Nicholls has been RUN OUT! Henry Nicholls has been run out. Tried to steal a single but Perera was having none of it.
NZ 316/5
Tim Seifert scoops it in the air but it was just a tad bit away from the fielder. Takes a double to reach the 300-run mark for Kiwis.
WICKET! Thisara Perera finds another breakthrough. A slower delivery to Ross Taylor and he was already into the shot. Just got an edge and it flew straight to Prasanna at long-off. NZ 294/4
FOUR! Ross Taylor, you beauty! Just skids the ball towards point for a four - his 2nd boundary in Lasith Malinga's over. Brings up his 44th ODI fifty in style.
WICKET! Guptill's brilliant innings comes to an end on a short pitched delivery from Thisara Perera. Guptill went away from the wickets to give himself some room and Perera chased him to cramp him up for room. Guptill could just get a leading edge and it flew to Sandakan at point. NZ 274/3
NO BALL! Ross Taylor plays a full toss delivery straight to the fielder at short midwicket. He has been caught - but it has been adjudged as a NO BALL!.
FREE HIT - SIX! Ross Taylor has smacked Nuwan Pradeep for two sixes in the over and has taken the Kiwis to 274/2 in 42 overs.
Final 10 overs to go - Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor in the middle - New Zealand are 254/2. Still 8 wickets in hand. How far can these two take the Kiwis to?
Martin Guptill has overtaken former captain Brendon McCullum to become the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs for New Zealand!
A full toss above the waist to Ross Taylor and he manages to glide it towards the boundary. Gets a free HIT as well. But just a single from it. He brings up the 50-run partnership with the boundary with Guppy.
Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor take New Zealand's total over 200 with a single. Guptill is looking invincible at the moment.
HUNDRED! Martin Guptill becomes the first centurion of 2019. Just smacks a wide delivery from Prasanna for a boundary. Glorious way to reach the landmark.
WICKET! Kane Williamson has chopped on the ball to the stumps. Nuwan Pradeep gets the big dismissal. The skipper departs for 76. NZ 186/2
Mayank Agarwal was about to become the first centurion of 2019 in India vs Australia Test. But he has bee n dismissed now for 77. Just a few miles away, New Zealand's Martin Guptill is batting at 91. He could achieve the mark right here, right now.
Kane Williamson joins the party. He has to be the most consistent batsman in the world after Virat Kohli. Brings up his 34th ODI half century in style.
20 overs gone - New Zealand are 117/1. Martin Guptill has become the first half centurion of 2019 and it looks like Kane Williamson is going to follow him soon now. He is batting on 45 at the moment.
SIX! Martin Guptill brings up his 35th ODI fifty in style. Prasanna dangles it up outside off, full, Guptill extends his hands and launches it up and over extra-cover and into the grassbanks. Also brings up 100 for the KIWIS.
Sri Lanka have pulled the run-rate back just a smidge, but no real worries for New Zealand, who are in a very good position. 15 overs gone - New Zealand are 82/1
50 run partnership between Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. The two are slowly and steadily doing the job. Guptill has been the real agressor while the skipper is his usual calm self that could only brew into a storm the longer it stays on.
New Zealand are 58/1 after 10 overs. There is a partnership building between Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. The form of Colin Munro remains a worry for the Kiwis but for now, the two batsmen on the crease are doing the job well.
A glorious sraight drive from Martin Guptill. Pitched it full and the batsman was quick to get it away for a boundary. Brings up the 50 for New Zealand in style. Follows it up with another boundary and cross the 6000-ODI runs mark in remarkable fashion.
No, this is not the WWE Kane who smacks his hand to set the stage on fire. This is Kane Williamson, who gets the ball rolling with his bat and fires up the Kiwis batting order. Two quick boundaries and the pressure has been released after the early blow.
6 overs gone - NZ 37/1
WICKET! Malinga strikes and it is Colin Munro who has cut a ball to a fielder. The umpires are going to take a look whether it was a clean catch. The soft signal is out.
OHHHH! He has grassed it! This has been DROPPED! The soft signal was OUT - what will happen here!!!
FINAL DECISION - OUTTTTTT!
This is a small ground and it is much too Colin Munro's liking. He has started to let himself loose and has smakced a SIX and a FOUR already. New Zealand are on the move.
Lasith Malinga starts off with the new ball for Sri Lanka and Colin Munro and Martin Guptill are out to open the bat for the Kiwis. HERE WE GO!
The players are out for the National Anthems. The play is about to start. First it will be Sri Lanka's national anthem followed by New Zealand.
"A bit of rain, but the sun is coming out now. 25 degrees at the moment. 69% humidity, and the temperature will be different as the dusk approaches. It'll certainly get much colder. Panama soil on this pitch - likely to bake as the pitch gets older. It might not turn a lot, so I believe the ball will carry nicely through to the 'keeper. Nice and hard wicket with something for everybody."
- Craig Cumming
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Niroshan Dickwella(w), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Seekkuge Prasanna, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga(c), Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Tim Seifert(w), James Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Kane Williamson says Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell miss out. He says that conditions are good to have a bat first, Malinga says conditions are great for bowling first. Glass half full captains.
Sri Lanka have got a new captain in this series but that has become something that you should expect every time they prepare to go on a tour. Lasith Malinga will be hoping that he can last until after the 2019 World Cup. Judging by the way they have bounced from sensational defeat to another for a better part of the past three years, it doesn't look like they will stay long in that tournament so it is not too big an ask. They are facing a New Zealand squad who have undergone a renaissance of sorts in Test cricket and there is no reason to think that they would not be just as difficult to beat in the limited overs. This could descend into another exercise in damage control for Sri Lanka.