New Zealand paceman Matt Henry led an inspired bowling unit to run through Sri Lanka’s batting and power the Black Caps to a 10-wicket win in their World Cup opener on Saturday.
Henry returned figures of 3-29 and combined with fellowpaceman Lockie Ferguson who also took three wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka for136 in 29.2 overs in Cardiff.
Martin Guptill and Colin Munro then struck unbeatenhalf-centuries to make short work of their modest target. The Kiwis cruisedhome in 16.1 overs to register their third win in a World Cup game by 10wickets.
The right-left batting combination of Guptill, who hit 73,and Munro, who scored 58, had little trouble in smashing the Sri Lankan bowlersto all parts of the ground. Guptill hammered eight fours and two sixesincluding one hit that sailed out of the ground.
But it was Henry’s spell of seven straight overs that openedthe gates for New Zealand’s domination against the 1996 champions.
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 sendLahiru Thirimanne trudging back to the pavilion after the left-handed openerhad hit a boundary from the first ball.
Thirimanne was initially ruled not out by the on-fieldumpire, but the Kiwis successfully reviewed the lbw call in their favour afterreplays suggested the ball pitched on line and would have hit the batsman’s legstump.
The left-handed Karunaratne, who has returned to the one-dayside after a gap of four years, then put on 42 runs for the second wicket withKusal Perera.
But Williamson kept Henry on for the bowler’s fifth over andthe move paid off as he got Perera for 29 and Kusal Mendis without scoring onsuccessive deliveries. Dhananjaya de Silva played the hat-trick ball with aglorious off drive, but soon fell to the pace of Lockie Ferguson after beingtrapped lbw.
Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne stood out amid theruins with his unbeaten 52 including a 52-run stand with Thisara Perera, whomade 27 off 23 balls, to give his team’s total some respect.
The rest of the batting showed little promise with threescores of nought in the innings including from former captain Angelo Mathews.
Karunaratne registered his third ODI fifty in 81 balls as heran out of partners after Lasith Malinga was bowled by Ferguson for one.
Pacemen Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Trent Boult andthe team’s only spinner in the XI Mitchell Santner claimed a wicket each.
The Black Caps, runners-up in the 2015 edition, will nextface Bangladesh on June 5 in London.Sri Lanka meet Afghanistan in Cardiff on June 4.