Martin Guptill hits 93 off 30 balls in rout of Sri Lanka.
RESULT: BLACKCAPS beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets
BLACKCAPS opener Martin Guptill blazed an unbeaten 93 from 30 deliveries in the second ANZ ODI at Hagley Oval, guiding the home side to an emphatic 10-wicket victory.
As the BLACKCAPS chased down Sri Lanka’s 117, Guptill in the process brought up the fastest 50 in New Zealand history, off 17 balls.
On reaching the milestone, the Christchurch crowd rose to their feet as the 30-year-old assured the BLACKCAPS of a 2-0 series advantage.
Sri Lanka once again won the toss and opted to bat but, in similar fashion to the opening match on Boxing Day, the BLACKCAPS’ fast bowlers devastated the visitors’ top order.
The aggressive approach of Sri Lanka’s frontline batsmen was quickly brought to a halt, Matt Henry dismissing both openers cheaply.
Doug Bracewell and Mitchell McClenaghan both got their names in the wickets column, too, with some exceptional fielding backing them up beautifully.
Mitchell Santner and Tom Latham both took superbly athletic catches as Sri Lanka struggled to 117 all out off 27.4 overs.
Henry ended with figures of 4-33 for his second four-wicket-bag in a row, while McClenaghan finished with 3-32.
If spectators had been underwhelmed with that batting display, the next 8.2 overs would certainly make up for it.
Tom Latham had been elevated to opener after skipper Brendon McCullum went off with a back injury in the first innings.
Latham, though, would take a back seat role as Guptill set about flaying the Sri Lankan attack to all corners of the ground.
After just 14 balls, the BLACKCAPS had 50 runs on the board. A few balls later, Guptill himself had a half-century and the crowd rose to their feet to acknowledge him.
It was not only New Zealand’s fastest ever 50, but the equal second fastest by anyone in history – just one behind AB De Villiers.
Latham (17*) continued to rotate the strike brilliantly, while Guptill’s onslaught continued. Eight sixes and nine fours later, the Sri Lankan total had been reeled in, with Guptill just seven shy of a century.
The BLACKCAPS now travel to Nelson ahead of the third ANZ ODI on New Year’s Eve.
Coach Mike Hesson said after the game that McCullum’s back injury wasn’t likely to be too serious, and he would travel with the team to Nelson.
Curtsey of New Zealand cricket:
http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/match-reports/guptill-dazzles-as-blackcaps-cruise-to-2-0