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September 4, 2009

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Kiwis draw first blood in T20 series

NEW Zealand snatched a dramatic three-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka restricted New Zealand to 141 for eight and looked to be cruising to victory after scoring 85 from the first 10 overs, with opener Tillakaratne Dilshan blazing 57 from 28 balls, including eight fours and two sixes.
However, the tourists engineered a sudden batting collapse with allrounder Jacob Oram claiming figures of three for 33 from his four overs.
Captain Daniel Vettori was also instrumental with a miserly spell of spin bowling in the middle stages of the run chase, taking two for 11 from four overs.
"To lose the game after Dilshan's knock was inexcusable," Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara told reporters.
Earlier, Ross Taylor top-scored for New Zealand with 60 from 45 balls to lift the Black Caps to a modest 141-8 after Vettori had won the toss and elected to bat.
Taylor combined with Martin Guptill for 53 off 41 balls before Guptill was out for 29 runs, caught by Chamara Kapugedera off spinner Malinga Bandara.
Taylor's score, his third Twenty20 half-century, included five fours and a six. He was caught by Nuwan Kulasekera off seamer Mathews.
Medium pacer Lasith Malinga was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, taking two wickets in the last over to finish with figures of 2-21.
Elsewhere, the International Cricket Council will ask the World Anti-Doping Agency to consider a cricket-specific code for its controversial "whereabouts" rule, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat told Indian media yesterday.
The influential Indian cricket board rejected the WADA directive last month, backing its players' refusal to sign up over issues pertaining to security and privacy.
The ICC became a WADA signatory in 2006 and world cricket's governing body last year unanimously approved out-of-competition tests on players in accordance with amendments made to the code.
The issue is yet to be resolved and will be discussed by the ICC board in October.
"We will ask them (WADA) for a cricket-specific code or a relaxation of the whereabouts clause," Lorgat told the DNA newspaper.



 

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