At Eden Park, the Kiwis completely destroyed the Lankans in the first ODI. After SL requested that the hosts bat first, NZ were all-out on 274 in the first innings. Chamika Karunaratne scored four times in a row. For the Kiwis, fine innings were played by Finn Allen (51), Rachin Ravindra (49), and Daryl Mitchell (47).
While trying to reach a par total, Sri Lanka’s innings never really got going. Due to the Sri Lankan batters’ poor shot selection, Henry Shipley and Matt Henry were able to bowl superbly with the new ball. They were 31-5 after 10 overs, and from that point on, there was no going back.
Angelo Mathews was the only top-order batsman to score in double figures as Sri Lanka struggled to a meagre 76 before being bowled out. Shipley, who claimed 5-31 in 7 overs and scored his first ODI century, was New Zealand’s best bowler.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 274 in 49.3 overs (Finn Allen 51, Rachin Ravindra 49; Chamika Karunaratne 4-43, Kasun Rajitha 2-38) beat Sri Lanka 76 in 19.5 overs (Angelo Mathews 18; Henry Shipley 5-31, Daryl Mitchell 2-12) by 198 runs
