Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in 2nd ODI: Key stats
Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in the 2nd ODI held at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. New Zealand posted a score of 209 from 45.1 overs with the match being reduced to 47 overs per side due to rain. Mark Chapman starred with 76 runs. In response, Kusal Mendis' heroics helped the Lankans win the contest with three wickets to spare.
Summary of the contest
New Zealand were reduced to 98/4 before Chapman and Mitch Hay added 75 runs for the 5th wicket as the former was dismissed by Asitha Fernando. NZ lost wickets quickly thereafter and folded for 209. Hay managed 49. For the Lankans, Maheesh Theekshana managed 3/31 as Jeffrey Vandersay claimed 3/46. In response, Mendis and key contributions from the lower order helped the hosts win.
Chapman slams his maiden fifty for NZ
After struggling in the 20-over format and the first ODI, Chapman finally came alive with a solid 76 from 81 balls. He smashed 7 fours and three sixes. In 25 matches, he now owns 564 runs at 29.64. He owns two centuries and a fifty. Notably, in 23 matches for the Kiwis, Chapman has 413 runs at 22.94 (100s: 1, 50s: 1).
Key numbers for the Lankan bowlers
Theekshana's 3/31 from 9.1 overs saw him race to 65 scalps at 27.61. In three matches versus the Kiwis, he owns six scalps at just 17.66, as per ESPNcricinfo. Vandersay's 3/46 from 10 overs saw him get to 40 scalps at 26.17. Fernando managed 2/37 from 7 overs. He owns 64 scalps at 26.06, including nine against the Kiwis.
Mendis backs his 143 up with an unbeaten 74
After hammering a solid 143 in the first ODI, Mendis backed that up with an unbeaten 102-ball 74. His knock had six fours. Mendis came to bat when SL were 41/2. He held his fort from one end as the hosts kept losing wickets at key junctures. However, a set of mini stands helped Mendis, who took his time and helped SL win.
Mendis slams his 32nd ODI fifty
In 138 matches, Mendis now owns 4,251 runs at 34.56. In addition to four tons, he has 32 fifties. In nine games versus the Kiwis, he has 261 runs at 32.62. Mendis is closing in on 3,000 runs in Asia (2,973 at 36.25).
Bracewell claims a four-fer
For NZ, Michael Bracewell did well, taking a four-fer. He claimed 4/36 from his 10 overs. In 21 ODIs, he now owns 20 scalps, clocking his maiden four-fer in ODIs. His previous best spell was 3/21.
