Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka, while Black Caps thump South Africa...
Wednesday 11 February 2015 09:29, UK
Zimbabwe and New Zealand will head into the World Cup on a high after recording victories in their final warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively.
Zimbabwe secured a shock seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Lincoln, thanks in large part to an unbeaten hundred from the veteran all-rounder Hamilton Masakadza (117 not out).
Plus, New Zealand eased past South Africa by 134 runs in Christchurch, with left-arm seamer Trent Boult (5-51) picking up five wickets after Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson had earlier notched half-centuries.
Zimbabwe begin their World Cup campaign proper against South Africa on Saturday, with co-hosts New Zealand in action in the opening game on Friday night against Sri Lanka, the runners-up in the last two tournaments.
Sri Lanka must respond in that encounter, with their defeat to Zimbabwe on Wednesday their second warm-up loss in a row following a five-wicket Duckworth-Lewis reverse against South Africa earlier in the week.
Angelo Mathews’ side won the toss at Bert Sutcliffe Oval and elected to bat, but could only muster 279-8 from their 50 overs, with Dimuth Karunaratne (58) and Jeevan Mendis (51) the only batsmen to pass fifty.
Left-arm spinner Sean Williams (3-35 from 10 overs) was the best of Zimbabwe’s nine bowlers and also caught out Sri Lanka talisman Kumar Sangakkara for just eight off Tinashe Panyangara’s fast-medium.
Zimbabwe slipped to 35-2 in reply but Masakadza’s third-wicket partnership of 126 with Brendan Taylor (63) and unbroken stand of 119 with Williams (51) for the fourth saw the African outfit home with 328 balls to spare.
Masakadza, who made his international debut 14 years ago but has never represented Zimbabwe at a World Cup, plundered eight fours and three sixes in his innings, his highest-scoring knock outside of his homeland.
New Zealand, meanwhile, ripped through South Africa’s top order after McCullum (59) and Williamson (66) had helped propel the Black Caps, World Cup semi-finalist in three of the last four tournaments, to a total of 331-8.
South Africa were reeling at 62-6 in the 14th over when Wayne Parnell clipped Daniel Vettori to stand-in wicketkeeper Tom Latham, though JP Duminy (80) and Vernon Philander (57) did give the Proteas’ innings some punch with a 121-run stand for the seventh wicket.
However, when Duminy was cleaned up by Boult with the score on 183, South Africa could only notch a further 14 runs, with Boult polishing off proceedings with the second ball of the 43rd over, forcing last man Morne Morkel to hole out to Black Caps skipper McCullum.
Each and every game of the ICC Cricket World Cup will be shown live on our dedicated channel, Sky Sports World Cup, starting with New Zealand against Sri Lanka from 10pm on Friday, 13 February.
Before then don’t miss our World Cup Preview Show, with Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan, from 8pm on Friday on the same channel.
