One-day tri-series in Dambulla …
AN INSPIRED bowling performance from New Zealand helped secure a mammoth 200-run win over India in the first one-day international of the ongoing tri-series at Dambulla. Daryl Tuffey notched up figures of three for 34, while Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills snapped up two wickets apiece as India’s chase of 289 embarrassingly folded up at 88 – with no fewer than six catches coming in the slip cordon.
A 190-run partnership from New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor (95) and Scott Styris (89) had earlier laid the groundwork for the bonus-point win, which was achieved with more than 20 overs to spare.
India openers Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Karthik posted 39 for the first wicket before falling in successive deliveries to Mills and Tuffey respectively, precipitating the loss of all 10 wickets for 49 runs.
Tuffey notched up two more as Rohit Sharma was caught by Taylor at first slip in the 10th over and Suresh Raina failed to negotiate a wide delivery to be snaffled by second slip Styris.
From an attempted quick single off a Tuffey bouncer, confusion in calling between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh gave the paceman the chance to catch the India skipper well short of his crease. Yuvraj followed his captain shortly after, caught at slip off Andy McKay, and the tail soon crumbled.
Praveen Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Ravindra Jadeja, India’s top scorer with 20, soon followed the trend of finding slip fielders, Oram and debutant Kane Williamson doing the damage, as Ashish Nehra’s wicket off the bowling of Mills brought the match to an end.
Earlier, India’s pacemen ran through the New Zealand top order, picking up three wickets in the first seven overs. Praveen Kumar snapped up Martin Guptill and Williamson for 11 and zero respectively, while Nehra squeezed out Peter Ingram (12).
Styris and Taylor steadied the New Zealand ship thereafter, the latter bringing up his 16th ODI 50 with a quick single off Sehwag, while Styris – who had prodded the duo’s stand past the 100-run mark – marked his 25th half-century a few overs later.
Styris looked intent on reaching his century before his partner, smashing Pragyan Ojha for a huge six over long on, but was clean-bowled just two balls later.
Nehra – who ended with figures of four for 47 – struck in the 43rd over, trapping Taylor leg-before and the Black Caps’ tail petered out within the next six overs. (Eurosport)
NEW ZEALAND innings
P. Ingram c Dhoni b Nehra    12
M. Guptill c Dhoni b Kumar    11
R. Taylor lbw b Nehra    95
K. Williamson b Kumar    0
S. Styris b Ojha    89
J. Oram lbw b Nehra    14
G. Elliott stp. Dhoni b Singh    7
G. Hopkins c Karthik b Kumar    10
D. Tuffey c Ojha b Nehra    19
K. Mills run-out    9
A. McKay not out    0
Extras: (b-1, lb-12, w-9)    22
Total: (all out, 48.5 overs)    288
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-27, 3-28, 4-218, 5-236, 6-241, 7-254, 8-277, 9-288.
Bowling: P. Kumar 9-3-43-3 (w-1), A. Nehra  9.5-1-47-4 (w-3), A. Mithun 4-0-24-0 (w-3), P. Ojha 10-0-58-1 (w-1), R. Jadeja 9-0-63-0, Yuvraj Singh 4-0-23-1, V. Sehwag 3-0-17-0.
INDIA innings
D. Karthik  lbw b Tuffey    14
V. Sehwag c ( wkp.) Hopkins b Mills    19
R. Sharma c Taylor b Tuffey    4
Yuvraj Singh c Taylor b Mckay    5
S. Raina c Styris b Tuffey    6
M. Dhoni run-out (Tuffey)    2
R. Jadeja c Styris b Williamson    20
P. Kumar c Taylor b Oram    1
A. Mithun c Taylor b Oram    4
A. Nehra c Oram b Mills    4
P. Ojha not out    0
Extras: (w-9)    9
Total: (all out, 29.3 overs)    88
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-39, 3-44, 4-50, 5—53, 6-62, 7-67, 8-82, 9-84.
Bowling: K. Mills 6.3-2-26-2 (w-1), D. Tuffey 8-1-34-3 (w-1), A. McKay 6-0-11-1 (w-2), J. Oram 6-0-15-2 (w-1), K. Wlliamson 3-1-2-1.