Cricket World Cup: NZ v Sri Lanka - 3 questions

New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult and Kane Williamson celebrate the wicket of Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara. Photo / New Zealand Herald / Brett Phibbs

Herald cricket writers Dylan Cleaver, Andrew Alderson and David Leggat answer three questions about New Zealand's win over Sri Lanka in the opening game of the Cricket World Cup.

1. What was the most impressive aspect of the the Black Caps' win?

Dylan Cleaver: The sheer margin of victory. A 98-run win is a thrashing when you consider we're talking about Sri Lanka here, not Afghanistan. That means all facets of their game are in working order. If you had to highlight one specific factor, look at their batting in the last 10 overs where they scored 102 runs.

Andrew Alderson: Senior players delivered. McCullum's 65 off 49 eased the pressure against Malinga; an anxious-looking Williamson battled through to post a 13th half-century in 17 innings; Vettori's two for 34 included key wickets Dilshan and Jayawardene; Southee's opening spell of none for 15 from five overs imposed immediate restrictions.

David Leggat: The batting smarts. Having got a flying start, they had to work their way out of a potentially sticky situation with two batsmen on 2 and 1 when the power play arrived. All that momentum could have been lost, but Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi and especially Corey Anderson made sure it wasn't, with a blend of brutalilty and savvy batting and sharp reading of the situation.

2. Will Sri Lanka bounce back from that defeat?

DC: They'll need to beat up a couple of minnows to get their mojo back. My sense is that they're down on confidence and there is way too much reliance on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. I know he's already got a test series win in England on his CV, but Angelo Mathews has not struck me as a particularly inspirational or innovative skipper since Sri Lanka landed here.

AA: Expect a resurgence. Should dispatch Afghanistan and Bangladesh before meeting England and Australia. Malinga will be more match-fit by then and how often, as happened yesterday, do Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawardene score less than 50 in the same innings? Put it this way... it didn't happen in January's seven-match series.

DL: It's far from a deal breaker for them. And Lasith Malinga will be better for the workout. They need to rely on more than Sangakkara, Jayawardene and Dilshan with the bat - and to be fair Thirimanne looked good for his 65. Their fielding must improve, but they've been talking about that since they arrived. It's sure not the end of the world but they need to buck up.

3. How important was that win for New Zealand considering there is still a lot of cricket to play?

DC: The way the tournament is formatted, it's not especially important in terms of qualification for the quarter-finals, that was expected anyway. It is a really good tone setter, however.The challenge is to maintain that intensity through to the end of March.

AA: It will imbue the New Zealanders with substantial confidence because of its impeccable construction. A big total with the majority of the order getting an early batting exam, which enabled the bowlers to exert themselves without any reason for stage fright.

DL: A good start, and an extra jab of self belief. No more, no less.

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