NOTTINGHAM, England, CMC – Spinner Ajantha Mendis snared three wickets cheaply yesterday and steered Sri Lanka to a 48-run victory over New Zealand and into the ICC World Twenty20 Championship semi-finals as group winners.
Electing to bat, Sri Lanka scored 158 for eight off their 20 overs and New Zealand plunged to 110 all out off 17 overs in the Super Eight Group F match at Trent Bridge.
The result ensured Sri Lankans kept their 100 per cent win record in the tournament so far.
Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored for Sri Lanka with 48 off 37 balls five boundaries and former captain Mahela Jayawardene contributed a 29-ball 41 not out with six fours and one six.
Captain Kumar Sangakkara struck a run-a-ball 35 with three boundaries.
Sangakkara’s opposite number Daniel Vettori led New Zealand’s bowling with two for 32 off four overs to help limit the Sri Lankans to a total that gave the Black Caps hope to chase.
New Zealand’s reply was hardly threatening although openers Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond had rushed the score to 30 without loss in the third over.
Apart from No.3 batsman Martin Guptill (43) and the openers Redmond (23) and McCullum (10), no other batsman got to double figures.
Off-spinner Mendis bagged three for nine off three overs, backed up by left-arm pacer Isuru Udana (2-17) in another solid win for the Sri Lankans.
