ICC World Cup 2015, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: Player ratings

Corey Anderson won the Man of the Match for his brilliant all-round display

New Zealand kicked off their World Cup campaign in impressive fashion as they romped to a 98-run victory over Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, earlier today. Sent in to bat by Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, New Zealand posted an imposing total of 331 for 6 from their 50 overs. Sri Lanka started their reply in strong fashion with Lahiru Thirimanne scoring 65 at the top of the order, but a flurry of middle order wickets left them with too much to do and they eventually succumbed to a heavy defeat, being bowled out for 233 in 46.1 overs.

Here are the player ratings for the match:

New Zealand

Brendon McCullum - 10

An easy choice, McCullum gets full marks for setting the tone for New Zealand in the World Cup. The drizzle prior to the game had left the outfield heavy and McCullum was so concerned that he sent the very first ball he faced careening to the boundary to inquire the outfield about its condition.

Martin Guptill – 8

The Guptill who was Kulasekera’s bunny was lost somewhere between the recently concluded ODI series and the World Cup as he looked in complete control throughout his innings of 49.

Kane Williamson - 7

Williamson overcame his initial nerves and scored a vital 57, but loses points for not finishing the job of batting through till the end.

Ross Taylor – 2

Ross Taylor played a slow innings and was ultimately stumped by Sangakkara off Jeevan Mendis for 14 runs, but earns two points for his fifty-plus partnership with Kane Williamson.

Grant Elliott – 6

Coming in at a tricky position, the Kiwi all-rounder scored 29 runs which set the platform for Corey Anderson to launch from.

Corey Anderson – 10

The Man of the Match scores a complete 10 for his all-round performance. Anderson made sure New Zealand didn’t let go off the start McCullum provided by scoring a brilliant 75, and with the ball, he cleaned up Sri Lanka’s tail with twin strikes.

Luke Ronchi – 7

Wicketkeeper-batsman Ronchi, once again, vouched for his affinity towards the Sri Lankan bowlers with yet another late innings mayhem, scoring 29 off 19 balls.

Daniel Vettori – 10

Vettori, one of two veteran left-arm spinners playing in the match, scores 10 for bogging down Sri Lanka in the middle overs and for picking up both Jayawardene and Dilshan.

Tim Southee – 7

Southee bowled well at the top, swinging the ball at pace and made sure that the Sri Lankan openers didn’t run away with a rollicking start. He finished with figures of 2 for 43 from 10 overs.

Trent Boult – 7

Boult should have scored more, but perhaps because of his economy rate, he misses out on a few points. Despite Malinga playing in the same match, Boult’s yorkers stole the show, which speaks volumes about his quality as a bowler. His yorker to Thirimanne swung away and knocked his off pole out while his yorker to Sanga caught him right in front of the wicket.

Adam Milne – 6

Adam Milne bowled with a lot of zeal and picked up two wickets while conceding 56 runs from his 10 overs, thereby earning him six points.

Sri Lanka

Tillakaratne Dilshan – 2

After a wonderful series against New Zealand, Dilshan left a lot to be desired with his performance in the opening game, failing with the bat and ball in equal measure. I would give him two for the five overs he bowled which went for 7 runs apiece.

Lahiru Thirimanne – 7

Thirimanne played a beautiful innings at the top of the order for Sri Lanka which gave his team an outside chance of winning the game. But his dismissal in the 22nd over turned the tide in New Zealand’s favour.

Kumar Sangakkara – 6

Sangakkara’s run of form extended into the World Cup as he eased his way to a 38-ball 39 before becoming the victim of the circumstances that the Sri Lankan batsmen had contrived for themselves - getting out trying to score quickly.

Mahela Jayawardene – 0

Jayawardene gets the same amount of points as his contribution in the match – 0. Mahela’s expertise in the slips wasn’t needed much, and with the bat, Mahela disappointed his fans, trying to run down Vettori to third man and edging behind.

Angelo Mathews – 3

Mathews earns only three points, with at least 4 points being slashed off for his poor captaincy. Mathews stubbornly stuck to Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekera despite them going for plenty and failed to bowl out himself and Jeevan Mendis, who was the pick of the bowlers.

In the batting order too, he lacked innovation and imagination as he once again strictly adhered to the norm. Mathews could have used Kulasekera as a floater or at least sandwiched Dimuth Karunaratne between Sanga and Mahela. He did neither as Sri Lanka tried their tested-and-failed method for the umpteenth time.

Dimuth Karunaratne - 1

Karunaratne didn’t do too much with the bat, but his blinder to remove Kane Williamson at long on earns him a point.

Jeevan Mendis - 3

It was expected that Mendis wouldn't have much of a contribution to make in the World Cup, but he grosses points for the two quick wickets he picked up, even though they ultimately made no difference to the result.

Rangana Herath - 6

The wily old fox came to Sri Lanka’s rescue after the Brendon McCullum storm beat the Lankans black and blue. His economy and the wicket of the Kiwi captain gets him 6, but with good support at the other end, he could have garnered more.

Nuwan Kulasekera - 1

Kulasekara didn't deserve much for his effort today, but the wicket he picked up off the last ball makes it compulsory to grant him a solitary point.

Suranga Lakmal - 8

Easily the best Sri Lankan pace bowler today, Lakmal’s accuracy helped Sri Lanka make a comeback during New Zealand’s middle overs. Given the way he bowled, fans thought that he must have been handed the new cherry and they cannot be blamed.

Lasith Malinga - 6

Malinga had a sorry outing but earns six points for his sheer determination to play amidst pain. At the death, despite being wayward, Malinga found some of his old magic, and with time, he is destined to give Sri Lanka some hope.