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          A day when Chris Martin was missed

          • Nitin SundarJun 9, 2013, 05:18 PM
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              Social media manager Nitin spent his formative years perfecting the art of landing the googly, before blossoming into a book-cricket specialist. More excellence followed in the underarm version of the game before, like the majority of India's misguided youth, he started taking studies seriously. After four forgettable years of electrical engineering, followed by a rigorous MBA and 16 months in the strategy consulting industry, he began to ponder life's more profound issues. Such as the angle made by Brian Lara's bat with the horizontal at the peak of his back-lift. A move to ESPNcricinfo followed and Nitin is now a prolific nurdler in office cricket, with a questionable technique against the short ball.

          The last time Daniel Vettori played an ODI, Australia were still World Champions, Muttiah Muralitharan was still an international cricketer, and Osama Bin Laden was still around.

          The IPL continues to have an impact on the way cricket fans watch the game.

          If it's an ICC event and Sri Lanka are playing, expect some observations on the length of their national anthem.

          The game got underway eventually. People getting in late would have missed Brendon McCullum take the catch of the tournament, off the first ball of the match.

          Sri Lanka's top order were stunned by some high-intensity bowling from New Zealand's attack. Mitchell McClenaghan looked particularly sharp.

          Vettori came on quite early, and made an immediate impression.

          At 34 for 4, it didn't look like Sri Lanka would go very far.

          The further Sri Lanka slid into trouble, the better the Vettori jokes became.

          Kumar Sangakkara resisted from one end even as his team-mates fell around him. Where have we seen that before?

          Despite Sangakkara's 68, Sri Lanka wound up for a sorry 138 in under 38 overs. It meant New Zealand had to come out and bat for about 30 minutes before the mid-game break.

          Luke Ronchi fell before the break, but New Zealand remained favourites at the halfway mark. Circumstances changed drastically after the interval, beginning with Lasith Malinga trapping Kane Williamson with a devilish, dipping slow full-toss.

          That dismissal stunned New Zealand so much they went from 48 for 1 to 49 for 4. Panic time. James Franklin exited cheaply, before Malinga trapped Vettori with another slow full toss. Vettori got an inside edge, but New Zealand had exhausted their only referral.

          The tension was palpable. Every other ball missed the bat, and the Sri Lankans, led by Kumar Sangakkara, appealed for everything.

          Another slow full toss, another wicket. Brendon McCullum bowled under the bat.

          Seventeen to get. Two wickets left. Who would you want batting for you?

          Just when you thought you'd seen everything, Kyle Mills was run out off a direct hit. The throw was intended for the bowler's end, but missed and caught him short at the striker's. That meant New Zealand's last pair had 15 overs in which to hit the winning runs. One of them from Malinga.

          But Tim Southee was up to the task.

          It all ended in the next over from Dilshan, with Southee and McClenaghan scrambling home.

          You don't say. New Zealand ended up with a net run-rate of +1.048. England managed +0.960 for walloping Australia in their opening game.