Colombo, September 08: Sri Lanka pulverised New Zealand by 97 runs while defending a modest total of 216 runs in the first cricket one-day international of the Compaq tri-series here today.
Lasith Malinga wreaked ruin, taking four scalps after Thilan Samaraweera (104) cracked his first one-day hundred to steer the hosts to 216 for seven.
Sri Lanka earned a bonus point for their comprehensive win, which was sealed with 13.5 overs to spare.
Malinga ended all Kiwi hopes when he took three wickets in six balls in the 19th over, tilting the match in favour of his team at R Premadasa stadium.
Malinga’s hostile spell came at a stage when the Black Caps were already struggling to overcome the early jolts after being reduced to seven for three inside first five overs.
Malinga first dismissed Brendon McCullum, who plodded his way to 14 off 52 balls, finding him in front of wicket on the second ball and then removed Jacob Oram (4) and Nathan McCullum (0) on the last two balls.
The Kiwi splifflication, though, began in the second over of the innings with the wicket of Jesse Ryder (0), who was LBW to Thilan Thushara.
Nuwan Kulasekara then dismissed Martin Guptill (3) and Ross Taylor (2) in a gap of five balls to enable Sri Lanka start their defence in a spiffing fashion.
Grant Elliot was the only Kiwi batsman who refused to be intimidated and worked his way to an audacious 41 before giving Sanath Jayasuriya his second wicket.
—Agencies