Rain made an appearance for the fifth game in a row on this tour but
that didn't prevent Sri Lanka from taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in
the ODI series. In another truncated fixture, Sri Lanka's bowlers gave
New Zealand a tough time in conditions helpful for bowling and their
batsmen approached the task of chasing down 131 in 32 overs positively.
In what turned out to be a comfortable victory, Jeevan Mendis
stood out for his triple-strike in a space of five deliveries that hurt
New Zealand's prospects at a time when they were seeking to lend some
stability to their innings.New Zealand suffered their tenth defeat in 11
completed ODIs since February this year.
Heavy rain delayed the start of play by two and a half hours after Sri
Lanka had chosen to bowl. It returned in the 30th over of the New
Zealand innings, resulting in another long interruption but, in the
interim, Sri Lanka had inflicted enough damage to ensure a relatively
easy chase.
Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara gave Rob Nicol a tough time once the
game got underway. Malinga troubled him with the away-going delivery
and Kulasekara moved it both ways. Nicol was tentative against
deliveries that were slightly short of a length and was dismissed when
he charged out to clear mid-on but failed, as he had done in previous
attempts as well.
BJ Watling built a promising stand with Brendon McCullum. The scoring
wasn't brisk but both cashed in on the odd occasion that the Sri Lankan
bowlers erred in length, dispatching short deliveries through point and
cover. McCullum even launched Rangana Herath over long-off for six but
just as New Zealand were looking settled, they lost Watling to a run-out
as he hesitated while responding to a second run.
There was good bounce for the seamers and the movement off the pitch was
encouraging throughout the day. Ross Taylor was visibly livid after he
nicked a wide one from Thisara Perera to the keeper and it triggered a
phase of stagnation in the innings which was to prove costly. After
Taylor's wicket, McCullum managed just two runs off Herath's next 12
deliveries. The frustration was evident when he tried to swing Herath
out of the ground off the 13th, but found long-on.
Williamson played some attractive punches off the back foot and got a
partnership going with James Franklin, but it lasted just 32 runs. Both
had scored runs off Mendis, driving him down the ground for singles but
his variation pegged New Zealand further back. Williamson was beaten in
flight and bowled off a googly as he tried to drive, and Nathan McCullum
fell next ball in the 28th over, dismissed in an almost identical
manner. Mendis' third victim, Andrew Ellis, was trapped in front against
a straight ball as he tried to sweep.
It had been drizzling since the time Mendis first struck and the umpires
called for the covers when the rain grew a little heavier. It left
Franklin arguing with Ian Gould, just ahead of what was to be a delay of
a further hour and a half. When New Zealand came out to bat again, with
the game reduced to 32 overs, they had too little time to push for a
desirable score.
With the ball moving around, Upul Tharanga and Dinesh Chandimal had
their insecure moments against Trent Boult and Tim Southee. It took 23
deliveries for the first boundary to arrive, but once Tharanga smacked
Southee over midwicket, the chase acquired a momentum that was only
briefly interrupted by his dismissal. He departed after displaying some
excellent timing, cutting and punching through point, before Chandimal
and Kumar Sangakkara took over.
Opening the batting for the first time in an ODI, Chandimal initially
struggled to middle the ball but there was an adequate dose of
off-target deliveries that helped him get going. He picked off a
boundary through fine leg, scored a four off a misfield at deep point
and drilled Nathan McCullum twice down the ground. Sangakkara was more
fluent at the other end, scoring at greater ease, even unfurling his
favourite extra-cover drive on one knee and pulling a six over deep
square leg, to guide his team to victory in this rain-marred series.
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