 |
New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Group C, Johannesburg
Oram's touch and Jayasuriya's misses
S Rajesh at the Wanderers
September 15, 2007
|
Shane Bond came out a far second in the battle with Sanath Jayasuriya
© Getty Images
|
|
The touch, and the thwack
Jacob Oram is renowned for his ability to give the ball a mighty thump,
but here he showed he could be subtle as well. Of the third ball he faced,
and the last in Sanath Jayasuriya's spell, Oram conjured up a delicate
reverse-sweep, merely tapping the ball lightly and helping it on its way
to the third-man boundary. Soon, though, he was back at his furious best:
when Lasith Malinga got an attempted yorker wrong and pitched it in the
hitting zone, punishment was immediate - a huge straight hit, which
bounced just in front of the sightscreen.
Fielding woes for Sanath
Sanath Jayasuriya had a great time with bat and ball, but in the field he
had a rather forgettable day. Fielding at short fine leg, he reprieved
Brendon McCullum in the second over, getting both hands to the ball but
failing to latch on to a mistimed pull. That was nothing to the
embarrassment he would have felt after the first ball of the 18th over,
when Oram's slog gained more height than distance. Jayasuriya tried to get
under the swirler, but was never in control, and eventually stumbled, fell
and never even got a hand on the ball.
Bond dismantled
Shane Bond v Sanath Jayasuriya was always likely to be a key contest, and
there's no doubt who took the honours there. Jayasuriya flayed two fours
through the off side in the first over, and then cracked two more fours
over mid-off and square leg in Bond's second over. Bond's figures took a
further beating when Upul Tharanga joined in the fun and pulled a superb
six over fine leg. And when he dropped a clanger from Jayasuriya soon
after - cupping the ball in his hands and then spilling it - his misery
was complete.
S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo
© Cricinfo
|
