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The 2010 ICC World Cup T20 was off to the perfect start when two cricketing power houses - Sri Lanka and New Zealand - dished out a nerve wracking affair at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The Kiwis won the match on the day after a good bowling performance that restricted Sri Lanka to only 135/6 in their allotted 20 overs. The successful chase from the New Zealanders was riddled with twists and turns as wickets and runs abounded in liberal proportions to keep the onlookers hooked on to the action in the centre.

Sri Lanka batted first and had Mahela Jayawardene to thank for their respectable score of 135/6. The classical Jayawardene stroked the ball to all corners of the ground with clinical precision during his breezy knock of 81 from 51 balls. Barring some help from debutant Dinesh Chandimal (29), Jayawardene played the lone hand as others struggled on the slow and low pitch. In reply, the Kiwis looked in control initially with Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill consolidating the innings after the early loss of Brendon McCullum. However wickets at regular intervals saw the Kiwis dig themselves a hole as they needed 41 runs from the last 4 overs. A couple of lusty hits from Jacob Oram and a breezy cameo (16 runs from 6 balls) from Nathan McCullum saw New Zealand win by 2 wickets with a ball to spare.

The ICC T20 cricket extravaganza kicked off with two potential champions - New Zealand and Sri Lanka - lining up against each other. It was the perfect setting for the duo to test their mettle before entering the gruelling phase of the tournament. The pitch was more of the sub continental variety with the slower bowlers expected to don the chief roles.

Both teams had a clutch of stars fresh from their IPL rendezvous - Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond and Brendon McCullum. Now donning their national colours, the stars on either side were expected to light the biggest stage of them all with their undoubted talents.

Sri Lanka - the beaten finalists of the T20 World Cup in 2009 - seemed to have the edge going into the match with their decidedly superior ‘spin' arsenal with Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis expected to play the lead roles. The slow and low nature of the pitch also suggested a not so high scoring affair as has come to be accepted in the ‘slam bang' version of cricket.

New Zealand on the other hand are incidentally the most experienced team in the T20 format and have loads of match winners in their kitty who can decide the course of a game on their own. The burly Jesse Ryder was expected to play a major role with the small West Indian grounds holding little fear for the Kiwi dynamo. His form in the warm-up matches was a major gain for the Kiwis as they looked to end their major trophy drought - the last of which came in 2000 in the ICC Champions Trophy against India.

Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and opted to take first strike. The Lankan team rang in a few surprises as Sanath Jayasuriya (now 40 years old and also a Parliamentarian) was removed from the top in the batting line up that was headed by Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The Kiwis on the other hand left out Kyle Mills and gave the new ball to off spinner Nathan McCullum, who had been quite effective in the warm up matches.

The batsmen found it difficult to get going on the slow pitch and Jayawardene was lucky to get away with a couple of miscues against Shane Bond. The first six of the tournament came in the 2nd over when Jayawardene timed the ball to perfection over the deep square leg boundary. The veteran Sri Lankan batsman was quickly off the tracks while Dilshan - the player of the tournament in last summer's T20 World Cup - struggled to get his timing going.

After 4 overs, the Sri Lankans were 28/0 and had a decent platform to propel their innings to a big score. Dilshan though seemed to carry on with his poor form from the recently concluded IPL and was all at sea against a disciplined Kiwi attack. He was finally bailed out of his misery by Jacob Oram in the 6th over as the super sized all rounder castled Dilshan. The Sri Lankan opener's dismissal for 3 runs from 19 balls marked the arrival of the stylish Kumar Sangakkara.

With 7 overs gone, the batting side were 40/1 and needed to consolidate before pushing for the final assault. The two most experienced Lankan batsmen were at the crease and the onus was on them to guide the innings to a competitive score. Sangakkara (4) though didn't last long as he tried an ugly heave to release the pressure but got bowled through the gate by a Scott Styris off cutter. Dinesh Chandimal - the highest scorer in the Sri Lankan domestic T20 season - strode to the crease as the men from the Emerald Isles found it difficult to get even singles away. Chandimal displayed some urgency as he hit Styris for a six and looked to up the ante as Sri Lanka reached 71/2 in 12 overs.

Jayawardene seemed to pace his innings superbly as he completed his 50 from a mere 33 balls. The premier Lankan batsman milked the bowling with consummate ease and also got the boundaries going to initiate the final assault in the closing stages. With 5 overs to go and 8 wickets in hand, Sri Lanka were 97/2 and were in the perfect position to ram home the advantage.

Chandimal (29) though departed in the 16th over when he was pocketed at long-on by Ross Taylor. It was a smart catch from the Kiwi dasher who juggled the ball on the edge of the boundary ropes before gulping it much to the delight of Nathan McCullum - the bowler. Hard hitting batsman Chamara Kapugedera was the next man in for the Lankans as they looked for the boundaries in the closing stages of the innings.

Jayawardene on the other hand continued on his merry way as he stroked the ball around and seemed to pick the boundaries at will. He finally found Nathan McCullum in the deep after making a brilliant 81 runs from 51 balls. It was a fantastic innings from the Lankan maestro as he played proper cricketing shots throughout his innings and not for once resorted to the ugly heaves that are considered to be the patent T20 fare.

The innings finally ended at 135/6 with 2 wickets - Angelo Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera - falling in the last over bowled by Shane Bond. It was a par score in the given conditions and one which gave both teams a chance to start their respective campaigns on a winning note.

New Zealand's start was rocked by the early wicket of Brendon McCullum for a duck in the first over itself. The most successful batsman in the short history of T20 internationals tried to pull one from Angelo Matthews but miscued it and Lasith Malinga did the rest. It was a great start for Mathews as he bowled a maiden in the first over of the innings and this despite the fact that he was the supposed weak link in the Lankan bowling attack boasting of the likes of Muralitharan, Mendis and Malinga.

Welegedera was the other opening bowler for the Lankans and his wayward start (conceding 11 runs from his first over) was the exact opposite of the niggardly opening over bowled by Angelo Mathews. Jesse Ryder displayed his intentions in the 3rd over itself as he deposited Mathews deep over mid-wicket for the first six of the Kiwi innings.

Welegedara's wayward ways brought on Ajantha Mendis as early as the 4th over of the innings. The unorthodox Lankan spinner almost did the trick but Dilshan grassed a scorcher from Martin Guptill. Even Malinga's introduction was greeted with disdain as Guptill stroked him for a six straight down the ground.  The Kiwis had recovered from the early set back of McCullum, and Guptill and Ryder took the score to a healthy 35/1 in 5 overs. The match was well in grasp of the Kiwis and they just needed to keep their heads to open their ICC T20 World Cup campaign with a win. Jesse Ryder's return to international cricket after a hernia operation seemed to be well timed as the burly southpaw picked up some quick runs. He finally got out to a quick turning off break from Muralitharan leaving the Kiwis at 62/2 in the 9th over. Ryder's 42 from 27 balls gave the chase its early impetus and provided the perfect platform for the remaining batsmen to overhaul the relatively modest Lankan target.

Ross Taylor - the premier Kiwi batsman - was the next man in with the clear directive to guide his team home after the good start. The New Zealanders however were pegged back in the very next over when a Sanath Jayasuriya yorker breached Martin Guptill's (19) defences. Scott Styris joined Taylor as the Lankans tried to tighten the noose around the Kiwi batsmen. With 8 overs to go, the Kiwis needed 61 runs against a Sri Lankan bowling attack that was slowly but surely piling on the pressure with some quick tidy overs. The Lankan spinners were proving to be a tough nut to crack and the pressure finally paid rich dividends when the wily Muralitharan accounted for Taylor (9) as the Kiwi batsman's favourite slog sweep led to his down fall.

At this stage the Kiwis needed 50 runs from 34 balls, and with Malinga's 3 overs still to go, the end of the innings promised loads of nail biting action. Daniel Vettori came to the crease with his team needing all his experience. The New Zealanders needed 41 runs from the last 4 overs as the scales seemed to tilt in favour of the men from the Emerald Isles.

The next twist in the match came when Scott Styris (17) tried to ‘heave' away all the pressure but missed a straight ball from Ajantha Mendis. Jacob Oram came to the crease and the big hitting Kiwi all rounder smashed Mendis for two consecutive sixes to leave his side needing 26 runs from to get from the last 3 overs. A tidy over from Malinga conceded just 6 and Welegedera was brought on by Sangakkara for the penultimate over. The lanky left armer did the trick when he castled the dangerous Jacob Oram (15) with his first ball and then Gareth Hopkins (1) ran himself out the very next delivery to leave the Kiwis tottering at 117/7 with 19 runs needed from 10 balls. New Zealand scraped together 9 runs including a well run three to leave them with 10 to get from the last over to be bowled by Malinga.

A timely boundary from Nathan McCullum saw the Kiwis needing only 4 runs from 3 balls. The match wasn't over though as Vettori (17) sacrificed his wicket in the search for an extra run with his team left to score 3 from 2 balls to win the match. Nathan McCullum (15*) then took it upon himself and did the unthinkable as he smashed Lasith Malinga straight down the ground for a six to give the Kiwis a narrow win by 2 wickets.

It was a wonderful match and an apt one for the tournament opener. The see-sawing fortunes of the contest kept the fans and players alike riveted to the action. New Zealand ran out the victors on the day when it could so easily have been the other way round. Sri Lanka on the other hand were left to ruminate on a modest batting performance that was almost defended by a resolute and well oiled bowling attack. Both teams have a few days off, before Sri Lanka take on an in-form Zimbabwe in a do-or-die encounter on Monday. New Zealand meet the African nation the following day.

Mini scorecard:
Sri Lanka: 135/6 (20 overs)
Jayawardene 81 (51)           Bond 2-35
Chandimal 29 (23)               Styris 1-13

New Zealand 139/8 (19.5 overs)
Ryder 42 (27)                        Muralitharan 2-25
Guptill 19 (24)                       Matthews 1-7

Also Read: India vs. Afghanistan Match Preview

File Photo Copyright: RSA/ Cricket Ireland

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