Sri Lanka's bowlers gave their team an excellent chance of winning the series, restricting New Zealand to 131 in conditions helpful for bowling. The venue was different but that didn't stop heavy rain from delaying the start of play for two-and-a-half hours. It returned in the 30th over, resulting in another long interruption but, in the interim, New Zealand were kept quiet through frequent strikes inflicted first by the quicks and then by Jeevan Mendis. Sri Lanka have chased well and will back themselves to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in this rain-marred series.
Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara shared the new ball after their captain opted to field in overcast conditions, and keeping the Duckworth-Lewis factor in mind with the ever-existing rain threat. Malinga largely moved the ball away, beating the outside edge, and Kulasekara nipped it both ways, giving Rob Nicol, in particular, a hard time at the start.
Nicol played and missed, nicked past slip, and even got a leading edge to the third-man boundary when he stepped out to counter the quicks. He tried to launch Kulasekara, after several failed attempts, over mid-on but couldn't clear the fielder.
BJ Watling looked more assured at the other end and built a promising stand with Brendon McCullum. The scoring wasn't brisk but both latched on to opportunities that the Sri Lanka bowlers occasionally presented, and dispatched short deliveries through point and cover. McCullum danced down to Rangana Herath's second delivery and smashed it over long-on, but just as New Zealand were looking settled they lost Watling to a run-out, as he hesitated in his response to McCullum's call for a second.
There was good bounce for the fast bowlers, and the movement off the pitch was encouraging throughout the innings thus far. Ross Taylor chased a wide one from Thisara Perera that deviated further away, nicking him to the keeper. Perera was economical, and Herath kept McCullum quiet from round the wicket. After Taylor's wicket, McCullum faced 12 deliveries from Herath, scoring just two, defending most towards midwicket or extra cover. The frustration was evident when he tried to swing Herath out of the ground off the 13th ball, but found Dinesh Chandimal at long-on - a sharp catch given the ball was struck hard and flat.
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 almost identical manner. Mendis went on to take three wickets in five deliveries when 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, though Adam Milne, the debutant, stole 10 off the final two balls to end an otherwise indifferent innings on a positive note.
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