Guptill, Munro blitzkrieg wrecks Sri Lanka

Munro brought up the winning runs with a six to be unbeaten on 50 after 14 balls, the second fastest Twenty20 half-century behind a 12-ball spree by India’s Yuvraj Singh against England in 2007.

It was also the fastest 50 by a New Zealander, eclipsing the 20-minute-old record set by Guptill who took 19 balls to get there at the top of the innings.

Guptill was the only wicket to fall in the New Zealand innings, out for 63 off 25 balls with six fours and five sixes, while Munro clouted seven sixes and one four.

It took New Zealand exactly 10 overs to mow down the modest 143-run target with Kane Williamson unbeaten on 32.  

The victory gave New Zealand a clean sweep in their home series against Sri Lanka, winning the Twenty20 games, completing a white wash in the two test games and winning the one-dayers 3-1. Sri Lanka’s resounding defeat in the  Twenty20 matches saw them slip from first to third behind the West Indies and Australia in the world T20 rankings. As has happened throughout the tour, the Sri Lankan top order failed to click. 

After being sent in to bat, they were all out for 142 with only Angelo Mathews showing any resistance with an unbeaten 81.

It was Mathews’ highest score in the shortest form of the game, easily eclipsing his previous best of 58 against England five years ago.

Tillakaratne Dilshan with 28 was the only other Sri Lankan to reach double figures as the wickets kept on tumbling.

Sri Lanka’s downfall was as much a result of poor shot execution and repeated ill-timed slogs, as it was of good bowling and fielding by New Zealand. 

The chief destroyer for New Zealand was Grant Elliott who took four for 22 in his first game back at Eden Park since his six off the  penultimate ball against South Africa to get New Zealand into the World Cup final last year.

Adam Milne and Mitchell Santner, who replaced Matt Henry and Ish Sodhi in the New Zealand line up, took two wickets apiece.