Even without Brendon McCullum, New Zealand are exhilarating to watch. In the second Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Auckland on Sunday, the Lankans batted first and put on 142, a decent, if slightly-below-par score.
But any hopes of a Sri Lankan fight evaporated once New Zealand came in to bat. Martin Guptill, who creamed his way to a 30-ball 93 just the other day, took centrestage again, hitting New Zealand’s fastest-ever fifty in just 19 balls on his way to a blazing 63.
On an ordinary day, that should have been the highlight of the game, but it wasn’t to be. The left-handed Colin Munro came in at the fall of Guptill’s wickets and went berserk. In a innings featuring seven towering sixes, Munro overshadowed Guptill and got to his own half-century in just 14 balls, making it the second fastest Twenty20 fifty ever.
New Zealand ultimately strolled home with nine wickets and ten overs in hand. And proved yet again why they’re the most exciting cricket team to watch today.
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