Dilshan hits ton as Sri Lanka sink bumbling NZ

Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan belts the ball on way to his century against New Zealalnd in Hamilton yesterday.

AFP/HamiltonSri Lanka cruised to a six-wicket win in the second one-day international against New Zealand yesterday, thanks to a masterful century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a comedy of errors from the Black Caps. Dilshan scored 116 as the visitors comfortably overhauled New Zealand’s first innings total of 248 to level the seven-match series 1-1, with Angelo Mathews (39) and Kumar Sangakkara (38) also making valuable contributions. Their efforts came after New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and put the hosts in a strong position with a big-hitting 117, only for his teammates to squander any chance of victory through a series of basic mistakes. The Black Caps lost four wickets to run-outs and a clumsily conceded stumping, effectively handing the match to Sri Lanka. “That’s cricket, it’s not ideal but it’s one of those crazy things,” bowler Matt Henry said. Mathews’ men struck early when opener Martin Guptill departed for 10 trying to loft Nuwan Kulasekara over mid-off, offering an easy catch to continue an indifferent run of form at international level.  McCullum responded to the setback with typical aggression, bringing up his second consecutive 50 in 39 balls, including eight boundaries. He continued to blast away even when Mathews’ decision to use a second spinner paid dividends as Rangan Herath coaxed an outside edge to dismiss Tom Latham for five. With fellow veteran Ross Taylor grafting at the other end, McCullum completed his century with a boundary after 88 balls. It was only the fifth time in 203 one-day innings that McCullum has managed to covert his 28 half centuries into a ton, sending a message to World Cup rivals that he is finally reproducing his Test form in the limited overs arena.  But his departure sparked a collapse that raises serious questions about New Zealand’s batting depth as they lost four wickets for 14 runs. Dan Vettori lasted only eight balls before he was run out for seven and Taylor was sent packing on 34 when he skied a Herath delivery trying to push the pace. Luke Ronchi did not face a ball before he was run out and Corey Anderson (5) was caught short of his crease chasing a quick single in the next over.