A majestic century from batter Glenn Phillips helped New Zealand brave fall of wickets at the other end to reach a solid 167-7 in their Group 1, Super 12 match against Sri Lanka at the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup in Sydney on Saturday.
Batting first, NZ had lost their three wickets for 15 runs but a 84-run stand between Phillips (104) and Daryl Mitchell (22) rescued the Kiwis.
Nightmarish start for NZ
Electing to bat first, New Zealand was off to a nightmarish start. Spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva sent back dangerous openers Finn Allen (1) and Devon Conway (1), while pacer Kasun Rajitha dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for 8 off 13 balls, reducing the Kiwis to 15-3 in four overs.
The duo of Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell then took New Zealand safely through the powerplay. At the end of six overs, the Kiwis were at 25/3, with Glenn Phillips (11*) and Mitchell (3*).
The duo kept the scoreboard ticking, helping NZ cross the 50-run mark in 9.4 overs. At the end of 10 overs, the Kiwis were at 54/3, with Phillips (30*) and Mitchell (11*).
The duo brought their 50-run stand in 43 balls. The duo kept NZ in the hunt of a good total with their intelligent strike rotation and well-placed shots.
The 14th over turned out to be extremely favorable for the Kiwis as they smashed Chamika Karunaratne for 18 runs. Phillips got his half-century in just 39 balls.
It was spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who broke the 84-run stand between the duo. He was dismissed for 22 off 24 balls after dislodging his stumps. NZ was 99/4 in 14.3 overs. Mitchell failed to clear the boundary even once in his innings.
The Kiwis touched the 100-run mark in 14.4 overs.
At the end of 15 overs, NZ was at 102/4, with Phillips (65*) joined by all-rounder Jimmy Neesham (1*).
Phenomenal Philips
Philips continued to motor forward, bringing up his century in just 61 balls. His knock consisted of 10 fours and four sixes. He also helped New Zealand cross the 150-run mark in 18.5 overs.
Rajitha got his second wicket of the match after dismissing Neesham for 5 off 8 balls. Half of NZ's batting lineup was in the hut for 129 runs.
Pacer Lahiru Kumara took his first wicket of the match, dismissing Phillips for 104 off 64 balls. Ish Sodhi was also run out for just one on the second last ball of the innings.
NZ finished their innings at 167/7 in their 20 overs, with Mitchell Santner (11*) and Tim Southee (4*).
Rajitha (2/23) was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. Theekshana, Hasaranga, de Silva and Kumara got a wicket each.
Brief Scores
New Zealand: 167/7 (Glenn Phillips 104, Daryl Mitchell 22, Kasun Rajitha 2/23)
