Will Young slams his third ODI fifty vs Sri Lanka
What's the story
New Zealand comprehensively thrashed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the first ODI at Basin Reserve on January 5, 2025.
The match was mostly one-sided, with the Kiwis dominating it, and Will Young shining with an unbeaten 90 off just 86 balls.
Young's brilliant batting came after Matt Henry's brilliant bowling that restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 178 runs.
Here are further details.
Batting prowess
Young and Ravindra dominate in powerplay
Chasing Sri Lanka's total, New Zealand came out all guns blazing with a 93-run opening partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Young.
Both batters took on the Sri Lankan bowlers with confidence in the powerplay.
However, Ravindra fell for 45 runs off 36 balls after misjudging a flick that landed in Hasaranga's hands at deep backward square leg.
Match conclusion
Young steers New Zealand to dominant victory
Despite Ravindra's dismissal, Will Young remained unfazed and continued his onslaught. He was well-supported by Mark Chapman (29*), who played a crucial supporting role.
Young's unbeaten 90 off 86 balls steered New Zealand over the line im just 26.2 overs.
With this win, the Kiwis have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Career
1,500 ODI runs loading for Young
Young made an unbeaten 90 off just 86 balls with the help of 12 fours.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the opener has now raced to 1,464 runs across 35 ODIs at a stunning average of 48.80.
His tally now includes three tons and 10 fifties.
Young has three fifties across six ODIs against SL as the tally includes 332 runs at 110.66.
658 of his runs have come at home at 94.
Bowling brilliance
Henry's fiery spell stuns Sri Lanka early
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's batting collapsed early in the match with star player Pathum Nissanka getting out for a paltry nine runs.
Jacob Duffy then sent Kusal Mendis packing with a pacey delivery that uprooted the stumps.
Kamindu Mendis also lost his wicket in a freak run-out, leaving Sri Lanka at 23/4.
However, Janith Liyanage and Avishka Fernando stitched a vital 87-run partnership to stabilize the innings.
Batting resilience
Fernando's half-century lifts Sri Lanka to 178
Avishka Fernando became Sri Lanka's beacon of hope, scoring a much-needed 56.
His efforts, along with those of Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Wanindu Hasaranga, helped the team post 178 runs in their first innings.
However, it was New Zealand's Matt Henry who became the game-changer with his brilliant bowling spell which took four wickets in just 10 overs.