Malinga wrecks New Zealand with record-breaking spell

KANDY, Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga claimed four wickets in four balls for the second time in his career to lead Sri Lanka to a 37-run consolation win over New Zealand in the third Twenty20 international on Friday.Malinga returned career-best figures of 5-6 to bundle New Zealand, who won the series 2-1, for 88 while chasing 126 in Kandy. The 36-year-old Malinga bowled Colin Munro for 12 on the third ball of his second over to become the first T20 bowler to claim 100 wickets as he began his demolition of the Kiwi batting. He then sent Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor back to the pavilion on balls four, five and six as he raised the roof in front of a raucous home crowd. New Zealand slipped to 15 for four.It was only the third time a bowler had taken four wickets in as many balls in internationals, after Malinga himself against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup, and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan earlier this year.He now has five hat-tricks in international cricket to his name, with five in one-day internationals and two in T20Is.Malinga, who surpassed Pakistan spinner Shahid Afridi’s tally of 97 scalps to become the leading T20 international wicket-taker on Sunday, came back in his third over to get Tim Seifert for eight and register his second five-wicket haul in T20Is. The veteran speedster, who retired from Test cricket in 2011 and played his farewell one-day international in July, has improved his T20 tally to 104 wickets in 76 matches.Akila Dananjaya backed up his captain’s effort with two wickets while Lakshan Sandakan wrapped up the win in 16 overs after trapping Seth Rance lbw for eight.New Zealand skipper Tim Southee remained unbeaten on 28. Earlier, spinners Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle shared three wickets each to keep Sri Lanka to 125 for eight after the hosts elected to bat first.Sri LankaD. Gunathilaka b Astle 30K. Perera c Astle b Santner 3A. Fernando b Astle 6N. Dickwella c Munro b Santner 24L. Madushanka lbw b Santner 20D. Shanaka c Mitchell b Astle 7W. Hasaranga not out 14I. Udana run out (Santner/Seifert/Rance) 2A. Dananjaya b Kuggeleijn 0L. Malinga not out 6Extras: (b1, lb8, w4) 13Total: (8 wickets, 20 overs) 125Bowling: Southee 4-0-16-0 (w2), Rance 3-0-29-0, Santner 4-1-12-3, Kuggeleijn 4-0-21-1 (w1), Astle 4-0-28-3, de Grandhomme 1-0-10-0 (w1)New ZealandC. Munro b Malinga 12T. Seifert c Gunathilaka b Malinga 8H. Rutherford lbw b Malinga 0C. de Grandhomme b Malinga 0R. Taylor lbw b Malinga 0D. Mitchell run out (Hasaranga/Perera) 6M. Santner st Perera b Dananjaya 16S. Kuggeleijn b Dananjaya 0T. Southee not out 28T. Astle lbw b de Silva 3S. Rance lbw b Sandakan 8Extras: (lb2, w5) 7Total: (all out, 16 overs) 88Bowling: Malinga 4-1-6-5 (w1), Dananjaya 4-0-28-0 (w1), Sandakan 4-0-33-1 (w3), Gunathilaka 1-0-7-0, Hasaranga 3-0-12-1Toss: Sri Lanka Result: Sri Lanka won by 37 runs Series: New Zealand won the 3-match series 2-1Umpires: Prageeth Rambukwella (SRI) and Lyndon Hannibal (SRI)TV umpire: Raveendra Wimalasiri (SRI)Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM).

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