The first T20I of the three-match series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was held at Eden Park in Auckland. During the telecast of the match, cricket fans were taken aback when they saw the word ‘Aotearoa’ instead of ‘New Zealand’ and were curious about the reason behind this change.
Today marked the first-ever bilingual cricket broadcast in New Zealand, which included commentary in the Maori language. In Maori, New Zealand is referred to as Aotearoa and Sri Lanka as Hīraka. Even on the scorecard, one could spot the usage of Aotearoa and Hīraka for New Zealand and Sri Lanka, respectively.
New Zealand Cricket announced on their Twitter and Instagram accounts that Te Reo commentary would be available live on Spark NZ Sport, TVNZ 1, and TVNZ + for today’s match. Fans can access this commentary by selecting the alternative language option on each platform.
Rebecca Rolls, Peter McGlashan, and Maia Lewis formed the Te Reo Māori commentary team, as shared by New Zealand cricket on their social media handles. They can be seen interviewing New Zealand cricketer Ben Lister in the posted picture.
The first T20I between New Zealand and Sri Lanka proved to be an exciting contest. Sri Lanka was invited to bat after winning the toss and posted a mammoth total of 196-5 in their allotted 20 overs. Charith Asalanka played a scintillating knock of 67 runs off just 41 balls, hitting 2 fours and 6 sixes. Kusal Perera also contributed with a sensible 53 off 45 balls, while Wanindu Hasaranga added a quick-fire 21 to the total.
In response, New Zealand lost their openers early on. However, Daryl Mitchell’s all-round performance of 66 runs off just 54 balls helped in bringing their innings back on track. Captain Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, and Mark Chapman also provided support as they tried to chase down the imposing total.