Published: Nov 16, 2013, 06:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 16, 2013, 06:13 PM (IST)
Sachithra Senanayake was adjudged Man of the Match in the final match of the ODI series © AFP (File Photo)
Nov 16, 2013
Sri Lankan spinners helped their team to complete a 36-run victory over New Zealand in a rain-affected third One-Day International match at Dambulla on Saturday. Set a revised target of 216 in 33 overs, New Zealand batting crumbled and never recovered from the early setback. And the fading light forced the umpires to call back the players as Sri Lanka emerged winners to level the series 1-1.
The Sri Lankan spinners Sachithra Senanayake and Rangana Herath breaking the meat of the batting and pushing them out of the chase. The victory for the match was set inside the first ten overs of the second innings as the visitors were five down with just unconvincingly mustered 26 runs on board.
However, some late resistance from Nathan McCullum (35 not out) and James Neesham (42 not out) kept the field busy.
New Zealand’s moment of the day was the duration between 14th and 17th over when Nathan McCullum and Mitchell McClenaghan bagged two wickets each to bring down the home side from 91 for no loss to 110 for four.
The Sri Lankan innings was set at the top with Mahela Jayawardene (46) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (53) opening the batting and scoring over six an over.
The match, delayed by 90 minutes due to bad weather, had been earlier truncated to 43 overs-a-side before another wet spell reduced it further to 33 overs each.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 211 for 8 in 33 overs (Tillakaratne Dilshan 53, Mahela Jayawardene 46; Nathan McCullum 2 for 13, Jimmy Neesham 2 for 26, Mitchell McClenaghan 2 for 34) beat New Zealand 126 for 6 in 25 overs (James Neesham 42*, Nathan McCullum 35*; Sachithra Senanayake 2 for 14; Rangana Herath 3 for 14) by 36 runs via D/L method.
Man of the Match: Sachithra Senanayake
