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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada - Scott Styris continued his love affair with the West Indies, but New Zealand's World Cup honeymoon is over after Sri Lanka meted out a chilling reality check at the Grenada National Stadium today.
After cruising past a succession of low quality opponents through pool
play and the early stages of the Super Eights, New Zealand's first encounter with a viable challenger to Australia's crown translated to a six-wicket loss.
Sri Lanka's slow but methodical kill -- completed with the first ball of the 46th over when they reached 222 for four -- enabled them to join New Zealand and Australia on eight points.
It also halted the Black Caps' winning streak at nine, six of which had been racked up in the Caribbean.
The defeat does not have serious ramifications for the Black Caps yet, though confirmation of their place in the semifinals has been put on hold until they face South Africa here on Saturday (1.30am Sunday NZT).
However, New Zealand surrendered the competition lead to Australia and are now third behind Sri Lanka on net run rate.
"It's the first time we have really been tested and put under pressure and we didn't come through," New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming said.
"(It's) disappointing, but we're certainly a better side than that and that's the positive.
"Today we could not get anything going. We struggled with the bat, they bowled very well up front and we just couldn't post a score that was going to be competitive.
"Then when we needed early wickets, couldn't get anything to stick in the hand and with a few extras and lapses in concentration, the game slipped away."
New Zealand were on the back foot from the moment Fleming won the toss and opted to bat first, slumping to four for two inside three overs.
The in-form Styris provided the only tangible resistance to an experienced bowling attack book ended by Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan and unaffected by the absence of Lasith Malinga.
His unbeaten 111 off 157 balls was the solitary highlight of a ponderous New Zealand batting effort that was rarely given any latitude by the Sri Lankans' seasoned campaigners.
Vaas and Muralitharan each took three wickets each as New Zealand failed to break the shackles until Styris and James Franklin (25 not out) added 64 for the eighth wicket off 56 balls.
Until Franklin slammed Tillekaratne Dilshan down the ground for a six part way through the 48th over the Black Caps had only managed one boundary -- a Jacob Oram six -- from the previous 10 overs.
Styris, who lifted his tournament aggregate to 379 at 126.3, was the only Black Cap to emerge from the lopsided contest with any satisfaction. But Daniel Vettori ticked off the 200 ODI wicket milestone when Mahela Jayawardene flat batted the spinner to substitute fielder Hamish Marshall when Sri Lanka were going through the motions.
Having to defend what appeared an insufficient 219 for seven total in perfect batting conditions, New Zealand needed to be disciplined and incisive from ball one.
But the die was cast from Franklin's first over as the left armer gave Sri Lanka an instant leg up with the concession of five wides.
Illustrating the gulf between the sides, New Zealand crawled to 18 for two after 10 overs while at the corresponding stage Sri Lanka were rollicking along at 66 for one.
That acceleration was aided by an untidy fielding display blighted by three dropped chances before Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara guaranteed the pursuit would be a formality by adding 100 from 128 balls for the second wicket.
The duo and Upul Tharanga were all given reprieves and only the latter was unable to capitalise.
Tharanga was missed by Fleming on eight though he departed three runs later when Shane Bond cupped a thick edge at third man to give Franklin some temporary joy.
But Bond's effort was essentially an aberration as Craig McMillan and Fleming dropped Sangakkara (9) and Jayasuriya (30) at short mid wicket when the contest could have been in the balance.
And though New Zealand's premier paceman took a stunner, Bond crucially made no impression with ball in hand as Jayasuriya and Sangakkara paved the way for a comfortable victory.
Jayasuriya scored a sedate 64 by his standards off 80 balls while Sangakkara posted his half century off 85 deliveries before seeing out proceedings unbeaten on 69.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand
P Fulton c Silva b Vaas 28
S Fleming lbw b Vaas 0
R Taylor c Sangakkara b Vaas 0
S Styris not out 111
C McMillan c Silva b Muralitharan 1
J Oram c Maharoof b Dilshan 31
B McCullum lbw b Muralitharan 1
D Vettori c Silva b Muralitharan 5
J Franklin not out 25
Extras (2b, 2lb, 8w, 5nb) 17
Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 219
Fall: 1 (Fleming), 4 (Taylor), 71 (Fulton), 77 (McMillan), 141 (Oram), 145 (McCullum), 155 (Vettori)
Bowling: C Vaas 10-2-33-3 (5w), D Fernando 7-2-31-0 (3nb, 1w), F Maharoof 6-0-31-0 (1nb), M Muralitharan 10-0-32-3 (1nb, 2w), S Jayasuriya 10-0-44-0, T Dilshan 8-1-44-1.
Sri Lanka
U Tha ranga c Bond b Franklin 11
S Jayasuriya c McCullum b Oram 64
K Sangakkara not out 69
M Jayawardene c sub (Marshall) b Vettori 15
C Silva c Bond b Vettori 23
T Dilshan not out 14
Extras (4b, 7lb, 7w, 8nb) 26
Total (for 4 wkts, 45.1 overs) 222
Fall: 30 (Tharanga), 130 (Jayasuriya), 152 (Jayawardene), 180 (Silva)
Bowling: J Franklin 8-0-49-1 (1nb, 6w), S Bond 8-0-26-0, M Gillespie 6.1-1-42-0 (4nb), D Vettori 10-0-35-2 (1nb, 1w), S Styris 7-1-28-0, J Oram 6-0-31-1 (2nb)
Result: Sri Lanka win by 6 wickets
- NZPA
