The Sri Lankans in New Zealand, 2000-01

Both sides had points to prove when they began a series of five one-day internationals in New Zealand at the end of January. Since a rare one-day peak, when they won the ICC Knockout Trophy in October, the New Zealanders had been mauled 5-0 in South Africa and, worse still, pipped 1-2 on home soil by Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka had also just finished a tour of South Africa, in which they were outplayed in the Test and one-day series.

It was Sri Lanka who enjoyed the turnaround. Sanath Jayasuriya struck what was probably the decisive blow of the series when he won the toss and batted first at Napier, on a pitch he correctly judged would help the slow bowlers later. His star off-spinner, Muttiah Muralitharan, swept through the closing stages, taking five for 30. The New Zealand players seemed shattered, and some shrill radio commentators, who should have known better, revived the notion that Muralitharan's action was suspect. Safe in the knowledge that it had been exhaustively checked and cleared by the International Cricket Council, Jayasuriya probably sensed New Zealand were at his mercy. He himself secured a winning 3-0 lead with a neutron bomb of a century at Auckland.

To their credit, the New Zealanders fought back, and might have won the fourth match at Hamilton, where their own captain, Stephen Fleming, rediscovered his form. But bad light and Duckworth/Lewis worked in Sri Lanka's favour just as their challenge was faltering. The home side finally pulled one back in the last match, where they scored 282 on a typical batsman's pitch at Christchurch.

The Sri Lankans were gracious winners, and their victories at Napier and Auckland suggested their one-day form was regaining its old edge. Jayasuriya still looked a master, and while he was the only player on either side to reach 200 runs, both Russel Arnold and Marvan Atapattu averaged over 56 each. Kumar Sangakkara showed great promise as a wicket-keeper/batsman. The return of Muralitharan and the tall pace bowler, Nuwan Zoysa, to fitness paid dividends - ten and eight cheap wickets respectively. They were among four Sri Lankan bowlers who conceded four runs or less per over during the series; for New Zealand, only the experienced Chris Harris, with 4.01, and Daniel Vettori, 4.27, came close - while the unfortunate Andrew Penn, who bowled eight wides in four overs at Napier, averaged 7.25. The statistics highlighted the home team's major problem - the inability of their bowlers to develop a tight, economical attack.

Match reports for

Tour Match: North Island Selection XI v Sri Lankans at New Plymouth, Jan 28, 2001
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1st ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Napier, Jan 31, 2001
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2nd ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Wellington, Feb 3, 2001
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3rd ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Auckland, Feb 6, 2001
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4th ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton, Feb 8, 2001
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5th ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Feb 11, 2001
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Match reports for

Nicky Oppenheimer XI v Sri Lankans at Randjesfontein, Dec 7, 2000
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Eastern Province v Sri Lankans at Gqeberha, Dec 9-10, 2000
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Eastern Province v Sri Lankans at Korsten, Dec 13, 2000
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1st ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Gqeberha, Dec 15, 2000
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2nd ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at East London, Dec 17, 2000
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KwaZulu-Natal v Sri Lankans at Durban, Dec 19, 2000
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Tour Match: KwaZulu-Natal v Sri Lankans at Pietermaritzburg, Dec 21-23, 2000
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1st Test: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, Dec 26-30, 2000
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2nd Test: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Cape Town, Jan 2-4, 2001
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3rd ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Paarl, Jan 9, 2001
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4th ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Cape Town, Jan 11, 2001
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5th ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein, Jan 14, 2001
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6th ODI: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg, Jan 17, 2001
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3rd Test: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Centurion, Jan 20-22, 2001
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