Chandimal welcomes thorough victory
Batsman Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan were at the fore of captain Dinesh Chandimal's appreciation, after Sri Lanka trumped New Zealand by eight wickets in Thursday's second and final Twenty20 International at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Batsman Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan were at the fore of captain Dinesh Chandimal's appreciation, after Sri Lanka trumped New Zealand by eight wickets in Thursday's second and final Twenty20 International at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The Black Caps managed an insufficient final total of 142 for seven on the back of 34 not out from wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi, 30 from opener Anton Devcich and 26 from Nathan McCullum.
Sri Lanka's response was swift, with brisk half-centuries from Perera and Dilshan affording victory with all of 13 deliveries to spare. While the former perished for 57, the latter remained unbeaten on 59.
"As a matter of fact, we left no stone unturned to win this game. Credit goes to all the bowlers for the way they performed and then Kusal and Dilshan batted really well to take the game away," enthused Chandimal.
The left-handed Perera was named Man of the Match, after striking six boundaries and twin sixes in a fluid vigil that spanned a mere 37 deliveries and 51 minutes. He and the right-handed Dilshan shared a superb alliance that brought 96 runs inside a dozen overs for the second wicket.
"New Zealand bowled some bad balls and I capitalised on that. I always enjoy batting with Dilshan and today was my day. My normal game is attacking the ball and I capitalised on the right balls," concluded Perera.
The Sri Lankans won the two-match series one-nil, after the first fixture at the same venue earlier this week was washed out.
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