ICC World Cup: New Zealand thrash Sri Lanka by 98 runs in WC opener

Christchurch Hosts New Zealand gave the cricket World Cup a cracking start with a scintillating batting show as they crushed last edition losing finalists Sri Lanka by 98 runs in the opening match of the showpiece event here todaySent into bat New Zealand posted an imposing 331 for six with captain Brendon McCullum 65 and bighitting Corey Anderson 75 smashing boundaryladen half centuries to set the World Cup alightNew Zealand batter Corey Anderson plays a shot during the Pool A 2015 Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch AFP PHOTOInform Kane Williamson also chipped in with a useful 57 on a batting pitch at the Hagley Oval as the Black Caps hit the Lankan bowlers all over the parkChasing a stiff target Sri Lanka lost three key wickets including those of Mahela Jayawardene 0 and Kumar Sangakkara 39 in a heap in middle overs to be bundled out for 233 in 461 overs and lose the lopsided Group A gameOpener Lahiru Thirimanne was the lone batsman to offer any semblance of a fight with a 60ball 65 while captain Angelo Mathews made 46 as Sri Lankan batting came a cropperMathews decision to bowl first seemed correct as there was light rain just after the toss and the start of the match was delayed by eight minutes but it ultimately boomeranged as the home side batsmen made a flying star and there was hardly any lull except a few overs midway into the Kiwi inningsMcCullum who hit 10 fours and a six in his 49ball knock and Martin Guptill 49 put on 111 runs from 155 overs for the opening wicket before a twin strike off consecutive deliveries by legspinner Jeevan Mendis in the 34th over that of Williamson and Ross Taylor 14 put brakes on the New Zealand inningsBut Anderson who came out at 193 for 4 in the 34th over upped the tempo for New Zealand with his 75 off 46 deliveries which included eight fours and two sixes before he was out on the last ball of the inningsHe added 65 with Grant Elliott 29 for the fifth wicket and 73 with Luke Ronchi 29 not out for the sixth wicket as New Zealand scored 102 runs from the last 10 oversSri Lanka made a cautious start without losing early wickets and they were on track till the 22nd over when they were 124 for one But three quick key wickets fell that of Thirimanne Jayawardene and Sangakkara as Sri Lanka lost the plot from there on to suffer a crushing defeatVeteran leftarm spinner Daniel Vettori gave New Zealand the breakthrough by having Tillakaratne Dilshan caught and bowled for 24 before pacer Trent Boult sent Thirimannes wickets cartwheeling in the last ball of the 22nd overThat triggered a mini collapse as six balls later Vettori got the wicket of Jayawardene as wicketkeeper Ronchi gleefully snapped an outside edgeNext over Boult returned to win an LBW decision against Sangakkara who today became the second highest run scorer in ODI cricket after surpassing former Australian captain Ricky Ponting as Sri Lanka were reduced to 129 for four from 124 from one in the space of two oversMathews gave some fight with a 52ball 46 but the asking rate had crossed 10 runs per over by the 35th over and 12 an over at the end of 40th over with three wickets in hand When Mathews was out in the 42nd over as the eighth batsman to be dismissed it was all over for Sri LankaFor New Zealand five bowlers Vettroi Boult Anderson Tim Shouthee and Adam Milne took two wickets apieceEarlier the home side made a rollicking start with McCullum and Guptil racing to 77 for no loss at the end of 10 overs with the Kiwi captain smashing an erratic Lasith Malinga for 23 runs in the bowlers fourth over and eighth of inningsMalinga was taken off immediately after conceding 42 runs from his first spell of four overs An expensive Malinga ended the day wicketless while conceding 84 from his 10 oversNew Zealand reached to 100mark in the 14th over but McCullum got out two overs later while going for a predetermined shot off leftarm spinner Rangana Herath only to find Jeevan Mendis just mere inches from boundary ropesNew Zealand lost their first wicket at Nelson score of 111The other partner Guptil was out in the 23rd over off Suranga Lakmal with wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara diving to his right to take the edge offered by the batsmanSri Lanka were able to slow down the New Zealand innings in the middle overs with Lakmal Herath and Angelo Mathews bowling economical spells It looked like the match could turn on its head as the home side were dealt a double blow with Williamson and Taylor getting out in consecutive balls in the 34th over bowled by MendisBut Anderson had other ideas in his mind as he smashed the Lankan bowlers to all over the park in his 46ball innings to take New Zealand to an imposing totalFor Sri Lanka Lakmal and Mendis grabbed two wickets each while Herath and Kulasekara got one apiece