Chamika Karunaratne claims his best figures in ODIs: Stats
Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne claimed his maiden four-wicket haul in ODIs in the series opener versus New Zealand. The right-arm pacer bowled exceedingly well and claimed 4/43 in nine overs as the Kiwis were bundled out for 274 while batting first. Karunaratne was the pick of the Lankan bowlers. Here we look at his stats in ODI cricket.
An inspiring spell from Karunaratne
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl at the Eden Park in Auckland. Karunaratne first dismissed top-order batters Will Young (26) and Finn Allen (51), derailing NZ's innings. He then got the better of Henry Shipley (6) and Matt Henry (0) as the Kiwis lost their last four wickets inside 34 runs. The hosts were folded in 49.3 overs.
Maiden four-fer for Karunaratne
As mentioned, this was Karunaratne's maiden four-wicket haul in ODIs. His previous best figures of 3/47 were recorded versus Australia in Pallekele last year. The pacer has now raced to 24 wickets in 22 ODIs at 27.75. His economy rate in the format reads 5.74. With the bat, the dasher has accumulated 408 runs at 29.14. The tally includes a half-century.
Summary of New Zealand's innings
Several NZ batters got starts in the contest but none of them were able to kick on. Besides Allen, Daryl Mitchell (47), Glenn Phillips (39), and debutant Rachin Ravindra (49) made handy contributions as NZ posted 274. Stand-in skipper Tom Latham could only manage five. Karunaratne's fellow pacers Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha dismissed two batters apiece.
