(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – With 180 to chase and small ground, despite losing an early wicket, Dickwella and Kusal Perera blasted their side off to a fast start. Both departed shortly, but Thisara continued the fight like he did in the ODIs earlier.
The task was too much for him to do alone, so he succumbed and post that, it was just a mere formality as the rest to come were cleaned up within no time. Everything had a share in the wickets column, with Ferguson and Sodhi taking 3 apiece. A fine performance from the home side.
A clinical victory for the Black Caps in the end. They had some hiccups on the way, but eventually they stood tall and got the job done. First, they stumbled with the bat when they were reduced to 33/4 inside the Powerplay courtesy Malinga and Rajitha, but some calm sense from Taylor combined with fireworks from the returning Bracewell and debutant Kuggeleijn saw them end up with a massive total on the board.
Sri Lanka in New Zealand, Only T20 International, 2019Eden Park, Auckland 11 January 2019