Vaas, Muralitharan restrict New Zealand to 219 for 7

Pacer Chaminda Vaas and spinner Muttiah Muralitharan ripped apart New Zealand batting lineup as Sri Lanka restricted them to 219 for 7 in the crucial Super Eight league match of the cricket World Cup at the National Stadium here today.

Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss and opted to take first strike on a day he went past former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin's record of 23 games as captain in World Cup games.

However Vaas (3 for 33) and Muralitharan (3 for 32) put brakes on his hopes for a big total on a batsman-friendly track.

New Zealand, so far along with Australia the only unbeaten team in the competition, faced a stiff test for the first time and their batting came up cropper against disciplined and accurate Lankan bowling. It was only Scott Styris who saved the Kiwis the blushes by playing a virtual lone hand and remained unbeaten at 111 (157 balls, 8X7).

His 64-run undefeated eight wicket partnership with James Franklin (25, 27 balls, 1x4) helped New Zealand cross 200 mark, which at one time looked difficult to achieve as they were tottering at 155 fo7 off 40.5 overs at one stage.

If the top order Kiwi batsmen failed against Chaminda Vaas, the middle and lower orders had no clue against Muralitharan who spun a web around them.

Mahela Jayawardene's stewardship was incisive and intelligent.

His bowling changes were simply outstanding and every change spelled a doom for the Kiwis as the bowlers stiffled the batsmen.

Sri Lanka also excelled in the field and New Zealand batsmen found it tough to keep the scoreboard moving at a good pace.

In sheer frustration, a couple of batsmen including Jacob Oram threw away their wickets.

The Kiwis found themselves in such a tight spot that they failed to hit a boundary for about 18 overs from 19 to 37, as they scored in ones and twos.

Vaas could not have asked for a better start to his spell when he packed off Kiwi skipper Fleming who, oddly enough, has an unimpressive record against the Lankans. Vaas trapped him with a delivery that jagged back at off-stump and Fleming was gone for a four-ball duck.

The veteran left-arm pacer again struck in his very next over, and this time, he had wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara to thank. Back to the team after missing four games with an injured hamstring, Ross Taylor looked out of sorts and eventually paid the price, edging a delivery that Sangakkara did spectacularly well to hold a for a catch.

Styris and opener Peter Fulton stemmed the rot with a 67-run stand for the third wicket with Styris leading the way.

Initially circumspect, Styris played out three maidens in a row during the first power play. He was particularly harsh on Farveez Maharoof while Fulton used his reach to go over the top.

That tactic lasted only as long as Vaas was off the firing line. Coming back after a first spell that read 6-2-12-2, he packed off Fulton (28, 54 balls, 4x4) on a lofted shot towards square leg which was caught by Chamra Silva to end his second stint at 8-2-17-3.

At the other end, Muralitharan befuddled the experienced Craig McMillan (1) who could not keep a turning delivery down and was out of the close-in fielder's reach and Chamra Silva took another good catch.

Styris, playing his 130th ODI, completed his fourth century and showed no sign of panic and kept one end going.

He had two identical 64-run stands for the fifth wicket with Jacob Oram (31, 45 balls, 1x6) and for the eighth wicket with Franklin to give his bowlers some runs to bowl at.

Earlier, the Kiwis recalled batsman Taylor and seamer Mark Gillespie in place of Hamish Marshall and off-spinner Jeetan Patel, while Sri Lanka fielded all-rounder Farveez Maharoof in place of seamer Lasith Malinga, who injured a hamstring at training.

UNI HSB PDS HT2307

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