TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 SPORTS Perera leads Sri Lanka to ODI win over Bangladesh DHAKA: Thisara Perera’s brilliant off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake bowled so well,” he said. “It was a counter-attack inspired Sri Lanka to took another two as Bangladesh good effort by Bangladesh. They are a 13-run victory over Bangladesh in lost their last eight wickets for 53 a strong team, especially at home, the first one-day international in runs. and we must improve our game fur- Dhaka yesterday, giving the tourists Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur ther.” the lead in the three-match series. Rahim rued three dropped catches Perera proved to be Sri Lanka’s Perera smashed an unbeaten 80 off when Perera was on seven, 30 and hero after the tourists were left in 57 balls to lift the tourists from a 78. “Those catches were important,” tatters in a match reduced to 43- hopeless 67-8 in the 22nd over to Rahim said. “But Perera attacked overs-a side from the stipulated 50 180 all out after Bangladesh won very well. due to bad weather. the toss and elected to field. I thought 180 was chaseable Perera and Senanayake ensured Sensing an opening, Sri Lanka hit after Shamsur and Mominul batted Sri Lanka did not fall below 147, back to bowl out the hosts for 167 so well. “But we just could not get their lowest one-day total against in the 40th over of the rain-curtailed past the finish line. Losing close Bangladesh, by adding 82 runs for match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadi- matches seems to have become a the ninth wicket. um. habit with us, we need to find a way Perera, who helped Sri Lanka Bangladesh, riding on opener to win.” Mathews praised record last-ball wins over Shamsur Rahman’s 62 off 49 balls Bangladesh’s effort and said he Bangladesh in two Twenty20 match- and 44 from Mominul Haque, were expected them to come back hard es last week, hit six sixes and four cruising at 114-2 in the 20th over in the remaining two games. boundaries in a superb rearguard when the batting came apart. action. Senanayake made 30 as Sri Sri Lankan captain Angelo REDUCED OVERS Lanka put on 113 valuable runs for Mathews claimed three wickets and “Credit goes to them, they the last two wickets after the spec- tacular collapse by the top order. Bangladesh lost Anamul Haque off the second ball of the innings, caught in the slips off Lasith WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum reverse sweeps on his way to 281 not out against India on the fourth Malinga, but Shamsur and Mominul day of their second cricket Test match at Basin Reserve. — AP put on 79 for the second wicket. MAN OF THE MATCH McCullum torments India Perera, who was named man of the match, broke the threatening stand by having Mominul caught at with another double ton point for a fluent 44 that contained seven boundaries. WELLINGTON: New Zealand captain Brendon AGGRESSIVE Bangladesh moved to 114-2 in McCullum struck a second double century in successive The naturally aggressive McCullum curbed his the 20th over when their two main tests to bat his side to safety at the end of the fourth attacking instincts and battled problems with his shoul- batsmen, Shamsur Rahman and day of the second test against India at Wellington’s der and troublesome back in taking his side to a six-run Shakib Al Hasan, were run out in the Basin Reserve yesterday. lead at stumps on Sunday. space of five runs. McCullum was on 281, his highest Test score and the They guided New Zealand to 440 for five at tea, hav- Shamsur was given out by the second highest by a New Zealander, at the close of play ing notched up milestone after milestone throughout third umpire after television replays after having shared a world record stand for the sixth the day with the ground announcer seemingly making showed the batsman’s feet in the air wicket with wicketkeeper BJ Watling who was dis- a new announcement every five minutes. Watling, who after his bat got stuck just outside missed for 124 in the third over after tea. had brought up his ton when he clipped a Zaheer Khan the crease as he went to complete a Debutant Jimmy Neesham was on 67 at the close of half-volley off his legs to the midwicket fence after second run. play with the hosts on 571 for six, a lead of 325 runs and lunch, moved through to 124 before India took the third Senanayake swung the match Sri seemingly in a position where they cannot lose the new ball. Lanka’s way by removing Nasir match and series with a day’s play remaining. New Shami had a loud appeal turned down on the first Hossain and Mohammad Zealand had won the first test at Eden Park by 40 runs delivery but was successful on the next, with Watling Mahmudullah in three deliveries to and India had needed to win the game to level the two- banging the ground with his bat and slowly walking off make it 133-6 in the 29th over. match series. looking like a man who had failed to score rather than Mathews grabbed three of the “It has been a great day,” an exhausted McCullum one who had potentially helped save the match for his last four wickets to seal the victory told Radio Sport. “Today I thought BJ and myself were team. which came when Robel Hossain able to put ourselves in a really strong position. McCullum brought up his 250 with his third six and became the third Bangladesh bats- then took a minor role in his flourishing partnership man to be run out. PARTNERSHIP with Neesham, which was worth 125 by the end of the The second and third matches “The way Neesh came in and we created that part- day. will be played at the same venue on nership we are really pleased with where we are and we “The last hour was a bit of a daze in all honesty and I DHAKA: Sri Lankan cricket captain Angelo Mathews (left) reacts after winning Thursday and Saturday. Sri Lanka have to make some decisions overnight.” was just trying to get through,” McCullum said. the first One-Day International (ODI) cricket match against Bangladesh. — AFP had won both the preceding Test McCullum was within sight of Martin Crowe’s New “Thankfully Neesh was playing some shots in and tick- and Twenty20 series. — AFP Zealand best score of 299, set against Sri Lanka at the ing the board over because I was just hanging in there if same ground in 1991 and could become the first New I’m brutally honest.” — Reuters Zealand player to score a triple century if he continues SCOREBOARD to bat on the final day on Tuesday. McCullum and Watling had continued their resurrec- SCOREBOARD DHAKA: Full scoreboard of the first one-day international between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium tion of New Zealand’s innings having been thrust in Dhaka yesterday: together at 94 for five and in danger of losing the game WELLINGTON: Scoreboard at the close of play on the Sri Lanka Bangladesh inside three days. fourth day of the second test between New Zealand and K. Perera lbw b Rubel 20 Anamul Haque c Mathews b Malinga 0 Instead, they combined for a 352-run partnership, a India at Wellington’s Basin Reserve yesterday. T. Dilshan c Rahim b Rubel 3 Shamsur Rahman run out 62 world record for the sixth wicket, surpassing the 351 New Zealand first innings 192 K. Sangakkara c Sunny b Al-Amin 8 Mominul Haque c Dilshan b T. Perera 44 that Sri Lankan duo Mahela and Prasanna Jayawardene India first innings 438 D. Chandimal run out 13 Mushfiqur Rahim c Sangakkara b Mathews 27 scored against India in 2009. A. Priyanjan lbw b Shakib 6 Shakib Al Hasan run out 3 It was also the third highest by any New Zealand New Zealand second innings (overnight 252-5) A. Mathews b Sunny 3 Nasir Hossain c Mathews b Senanayake 8 combination in Test cricket. Andrew Jones and Crowe P. Fulton lbw b Khan 1 K. Vithanage run out 7 Mohammad Mahmudullah c Priyanjan b Senanayake 0 hold the highest partnership for New Zealand after they H. Rutherford c Dhoni b Khan 35 N. Kulasekara b Sunny 0 Sohag Gazi c Vithanage b Mathews 6 scored a then-world record of 467 against Sri Lanka in K. Williamson c Dhoni b Khan 7 T. Perera not out 80 Arafat Sunny c Sangakkara b Mathews 5 1991 at the Basin Reserve. T. Latham c Dhoni b Shami 29 S. Senanayake b Shakib 30 Rubel Hossain run out 4 Watling, however, fell six balls after they set the B. McCullum not out 281 L. Malinga c Anamul b Gazi 0 Al-Amin Hossain not out 2 world record on the second delivery of the third new C. Anderson c & b Jadeja 2 Extras: (lb1, w9) 10 Extras:(b1, lb2, w2, nb1) 6 ball when he was trapped in front by Mohammed BJ Watling lbw b Shami 124 Total (all out, 40 overs) 180 Total (all out, 39.2 overs) 167 Shami for 124, ending his 367-ball, 510-minute stay. J. Neesham not out 67 Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Dilshan), 2-28 (K. Perera), 3-43 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Anamul), 2-79 (Mominul), 3-114 McCullum, who scored 224 in the first test at Eden Park, Extras: (b-5, lb-11, nb-7, w-2) 25 (Sangakkara), 4-52 (Shamsur), 4-119 (Shakib), 5-133 (Nasir), 6- 133 Total (for six wickets, 189 overs) 571 is the second New Zealand batsman after Stephen (Priyanjan), 5-58 (Chandimal), 6-62 (Mathews), 7-64 (Mahmudullah), 7-142 (Gazi), 8-161 (Sunny), 9-162 (Rahim), Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-27 3-52 4-87 5-94 6-446 (Kulasekara), 8-67 (Vithanage), 9-149 (Senanayake), 10-180 10-167 (Rubel).