The game-changing 267-run stand that sent records tumbling was born of enjoyment and good vibes, protagonists Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott said, after the pair was instrumental in earning New Zealand a 3-1 lead in the series against Sri Lanka. The team was on track for a mediocre score, at 93 for 5, when the pair came together, but they both scored quickly, then began to launch a sustained attack that transformed the outlook of the innings.
Ronchi hit his maiden international ton and finished on 170 not out from 99 balls, while Elliott scored his second ODI ton, to remain unbeaten on 104 from 96.
“It was really fun to be out there with Ronchs. I was sitting at the non-striker’s trying to get the strike off him, but I couldn’t – he kept hitting fours and sixes all the time,” Elliott said. “I really enjoyed watching his innings, and it was great to have a fellow Wellingtonian there to celebrate the hundred with me, and also to celebrate his first hundred.”
Ronchi said the pair did not put pressure on themselves, despite the dire match situation when they came together. That manifested in a faster scoring rate than is common in such a situation, and an eventual total that was highly unlikely to be reeled in.”When we first started the innings we thought we’d just bat for a while and get through that little period when the ball was still doing a bit,” Ronchi said. “After that we were pretty relaxed about the whole situation and enjoyed the position we were in. Both of us were scoring quite freely and getting what we wanted out of the bowlers.
“You start playing shots and things happen without you even thinking of it, and then you know you’re flowing nicely and in the zone. We were both definitely in that zone at some stage and continued on. It was a lot of fun in the whole situation. There was a lot of joy in getting the hundred and pushing on and winning.”
Elliott was the more measured of the two batsmen, often choosing to rotate the strike, rather than match Ronchi stroke for stroke. He has played in a similar vein for New Zealand in the past, and suggested he would continue to shelve his more aggressive domestic avatar away in national colours, at least until the last few overs of the innings.
