Sri Lanka make it difficult for themselves to qualify

The game changer: Pathum Nissanka floors a catch from Glenn Phillips

Sri Lanka Captain Dasun Shanaka

New Zealand's Glenn Phillips celebrates his century 

• Team looked deflated after letting off centurion Phillips
• Worst batting display, says skipper Shanaka

Trent Boult knocked off the Lankan top order batting with career best figures of 4/13

SYDNEY: Sri Lanka had only themselves to blame and no one else when their T20 World Cup hopes of qualifying for a place in the semi-finals took a tumble with a heavy 65-run defeat at the hands of high-riding New Zealand in their Group 1 match played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

The defeat had an appalling effect on Sri Lanka’s net run rate which dropped from a healthy plus 0.450 to minus 0.890 and left them trailing one but the last in the Group 1 table with two points after three matches with one win and two defeats. 

All six teams in the group have played three matches each and New Zealand find themselves perched nicely on top with five points and a staggering net run rate of +3.850 followed on three points each by England (net run rate +0.239), Ireland (-1.169) and Australia (-1.555). Sri Lanka and Afghanistan (-0.620) bring up the rear with two points each.

The dolly catch put down by Pathum Nissanka at long-off off Wanindu Hasaranga in the seventh over when Glenn Phillips was on 12 proved to be a crucial miss in the context of the game. Phillips dropped again at 45 again, made Sri Lanka pay dearly for that lapse by going onto carve out an outstanding century - his first in a T20 World Cup.

Sri Lanka looked deflated after that early dropped catch of Phillips who went onto lift New Zealand from 15-3 in four overs to a challenging 167-7, a score which Sri Lanka never looked like challenging when Trent Boult left them reeling at 8-4 inside the first power play with three wickets. Boult who played for Mumbai Indians under Sri Lankan team consultant coach Mahela Jayawardene till recently, went onto record career best figures of 4/13.

Nissanka had a horror of horrors match when he fell to a fifth ball duck to Tim Southee, a dismissal that sparked off the top order batting collapse. The slow pitch was something the Lankan batsmen never came to terms with as they were tested on their technique and patience, which was sadly lacking on this occasion.

The Lankan batters should have taken a leaf out of Phillips’ book and despite losing half the side for 24 in 6.1 overs, they should have calmly rebuilt the innings instead of looking for boundaries, which eventually led to their total capitulation for 102.

Here’s what Phillips had to say after his incredible innings of 104 off 64 balls: “For us (Darryl Mitchell) it wasn’t necessarily about hitting boundaries and forcing sixes because the pitch might not have necessarily required it. For us it was the intent running between the wickets we wanted to show we had a bit of a presence especially with Sri Lanka on top at that stage. Whether we mishit it or not, we were trying to put the fielders under as much pressure as possible.”

If Bhanuka Rajapaksa and skipper Dasun Shanaka, the last of the recognized batsmen had shown a little more discretion with their stroke-play, Sri Lanka could have made it a better contest and may have even changed the course of the game.

Rajapaksa and Chamika Karunaratne did that in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan lifting Sri Lanka from 116-6 to post a match-winning total of 170-6, but on this occasion, there were no such heroics against a quality New Zealand bowling attack that was constantly testing them.

Apart from the batting, Sri Lanka’s fielding that had attained a higher level in recent times was also found wanting with catches being dropped at crucial moments of the game. These are lessons to be learnt for this young side. The sooner they adjust to them the better, because time is running out for Sri Lanka in this World Cup.

“That dropped catch by Nissanka was the game changer. I thought we started really well and we could have kept them to a score of 130-140 if we had got his wicket,” was how Shanaka assessed the defeat.

“It was an outstanding knock (from Phillips) on a tough wicket. He took a while to get settled in, and then he got his timing and there was a lot of time to hit the ball. He took his time. I think that’s where many of our batsmen were not good. We didn’t bat well up front. We knew that on these wickets it’s tough. The first two overs are going to be the toughest two overs. We were three down after two. So, it was never going to help us when we’re chasing 160.”

“We never expected the wicket to be slow like this, we expected it to be better. But still it happens. It might turn sometimes with the changing of conditions. It was not the best wicket today, but still a good wicket to play cricket. It was always about playing straight against a moving ball. We were not good in this game. It was our worst batting display. What is important is to regroup as a batting unit and win the next two games.”

“We have bounced back in the past, especially this young team. They have gone through a lot of hard times. I think we can still bounce back from this situation and manage to get to the semis.”

Sri Lanka play Afghanistan tomorrow at Brisbane before returning to Sydney for their final group match against England on Saturday (5 November).