Muralitharan, Arnold give Lanka victory

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan took five wickets as Sri Lanka outplayed New Zealand to win the first one-day international by 61 runs on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka scored 213 for eight in their 50 overs before New Zealand were dismissed for 152 in 42.5.

Muralitharan was in majestic form. His fifth five-wicket haul in one-dayers comprised two batsmen leg-before, two bowled and one caught in the deep.

The off-spinner followed Eric Upashantha to the crease after the youngster had taken the first four wickets, including two - Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming - in his second over.

Sri Lanka had struggled to score on a hard pitch which was supposed to favour the batsmen and New Zealand would have been comfortable with the task of scoring 214 for victory.

But they struggled from the start and gave away their wickets. Astle flashed outside off stump to get a tickle to Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps and Adam Parore wastefully lofted a sweep off Muralitharan.

Chris Harris and James Franklin had a 29-run partnership for the eighth wicket before Harris and Andrew Penn put on a further 25 with some hard hitting.

But Muralitharan had the last say, clean-bowling Penn and last man Chris Martin in the same over.

Sri Lanka struggled throughout its innings of 213 for eight.

In the face of some tight New Zealand bowling, the normally free-flowing Sri Lankans never got on top and boundaries were few and far between. The four that Kumar Dharmasena lofted off Nathan Astle to bring up the 50 partnership between him and Russel Arnold was the first boundary in 92 deliveries.

Those two had the biggest partnership of the innings - 61 - before Dharmasena was brilliantly caught by Chris Harris for 32 at extra cover, leaping high to pluck in a hard-struck shot that was destined for the boundary.

Earlier. Daniel Vettori, returning after a four month injury lay-off and Harris had put the brakes on the Sri Lankan scoring after Marvan Attapattu and Mahela Jayawardene were resurrecting the innings after captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara were out.

Vettori made a good return with figures of three for 21 off his 10 overs, while Harris ended with none for 33.

New Zealand fast bowler Andrew Penn bowled just four overs after suffering a terrible bout of bowler's yips, sending down eight wides at a cost of 12 - one was well out of the reach of wicketkeeper Adam Parore.

Arnold, with the impressive one-day average of 43.22, was run out on 50 by Chris Martin, including the only six of the innings. He had been dropped in the previous by Craig McMillan while on on 48. Nuwan Zoysa was left not out 11 and Mutiah Muralitharan on 1.

The complete scoreboard

Mail Cricket Editor