With all the technology now used to analyse cricket it's amazing that anything remains a mystery, but it appears no amount of slow-motion replays and computer programmes can help batsmen unravel the skills of Ajantha Mendis. Another magical spell, this time of 3 for 9, ended a promising start to New Zealand's run-chase even though Daniel Vettori was adamant his players knew what was coming at them.
Mendis' crucial impact came in his second over - the ninth of the innings - when he lured Ross Taylor into an ugly heave across the line and then beat Scott Styris' prod with one that held its line. He later returned to remove Peter McGlashan and didn't concede a boundary in his three overs - such was Sri Lanka's dominance he didn't have to bowl his full quota. Each time Kumar Sangakkara's team has been tested in this tournament, it has had the bowling to withstand the pressure.
It left Vettori in phlegmatic mood after a tournament where their batting failed to fire. "I think we played the first six overs pretty well and I was fairly happy with our position," he said. "Unfortunately, which makes it tough, a lot of guys picked Mendis today, but he still bowled so well that it was difficult to score from him and you saw the turn he got which made it even harder. We can sit here and blame our players - and we will work hard on our reviews - but you still have to admire the quality of bowling on display."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment