sri lanka 218 bits per 5 (Perera 101, Asalanka 46) New Zealand 211 for 7 (Ravindra 69, Asalanka 3-50, Hasaranga 2-38) by 7 runs.
Sri Lanka thought they had done enough with two wickets at the death before Zachary Foulkes’ last-minute fireworks gave them another scare. However, despite the tense moments, Sri Lanka took consolation with a 7-run win.
Asalanka also played a starring role, backing up his 46 with the bat in a three-wicket haul that derailed New Zealand’s well-planned chase despite treatment from Mitchell. He also took a fierce catch at extra cover to round off his impressive outing. But nothing went beyond Ferrera to win the match award.
Jacob Duffy, who had been a thorn in the Sri Lankan side’s side throughout the series, took only one wicket this round, but his economy rate of 7.50 was still the best of any bowler who bowled at least two overs in the game. He was deservedly named Player of the Series.
SL and NZ trade hits early
The roller coaster nature of the game was telegraphed right from the start. Sri Lanka lost three of their top four in the opening 10 overs and an opener in the powerplay, but this did not slow them down.
Kusal Mendis hit 22 for 16, Pathum Nissanka 12 for 14 and Avishka Fernando 12 for 17 as Sri Lanka maintained a steady rate of around 8 per over.
Despite the early wicket, New Zealand might have been better off had they inadvertently prevented a reverse sweep when Perera was just 15 years old.
Despite having two excellent chances to dismiss both Nissanka and Mendis, it was one they would likely look back on and regret.
Ferrera and Sri Lanka on afterburner
Despite losing three wickets, Sri Lanka’s 85 runs after the first 10 overs was their highest score at the midway point of an innings in any series. But the next 10 overs will comfortably put that record in the shade.
Led by the belligerent Perera and helped by a short boundary from Nelson, Sri Lanka plundered 133 runs in the last 10 overs. This would have been much more had it not been for two excellent overs at the death of Mitchell and Duffy.
Those two overs were for six each, but Sri Lanka still ended up on a mammoth 218. This speaks volumes about the damage done in the previous overs. Particularly devastating was the four-over period that resulted in 75 runs in 14-18 overs. Most of that was down to Ferrera, who achieved a strike rate of over 200, which included 13 fours and four sixes.
He initially targeted the boundary behind the square with a catalog of sweeps, switch hits and blatant slogs, but eventually his knock was a true 360 ​​exhibition. It was a monster six over cover that put his century firmly on point.
He stayed with the equally combative Asalanka, who hit 46 off 24 in a 100-run fourth wicket stand that came from just 45 deliveries.
A well-prepared New Zealand takes the shots.
Regardless of the game situation, you can always expect New Zealand to come up with an effective plan, their chase in Nelson being a prime example.
Most teams would have been scared when hunting a target of 219, but from the very first kick of the chase, New Zealand set the tone with Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra taking Chamidu Wickramasinghe for a boundary each.
He was followed by Nuwan Suchhara, who conceded five runs, but New Zealand made up for it by holding Binura Fernando, Sri Lanka’s most effective seamer in the series, to 18 runs in the opening over.
They scored 63 points on the power play, but the onslaught continued after that. By the halfway point, New Zealand had scored 108 runs and still had eight wickets in hand.
Asalanka, an unexpected hero
With Suchhara and Binura rescued for the death overs and Theekshana given an off day, Asalanka was left in a riddle through the middle overs. Are you going to rely on the green Wickramasinghe to handle his quota of fifth bowlers himself, or are you going to bowl a few yourself?
He ended up choosing the latter, and that may have been what changed the direction of the game in Sri Lanka’s direction. In the first match, the Lankan skipper got rid of Mark Chapman, while in the second he got rid of Glenn Phillips. However, it was only his third time that he brought in the big fish as he fired past Ravindra’s inside edge to deny New Zealand’s opener a 39-ball 69.
Perhaps Asalanka overestimated his bowling abilities and was rightly punished by Mitchell. But his breakthrough meant New Zealand had to score huge runs against Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers.
New Zealand can’t stop the landing
Despite Asalanka’s attack, Mitchell’s monster attack brought the equation down to 30 to 51 with six wickets in hand.
At that point the hard work seemed almost complete, but New Zealand was unable to continue the landing. Hasaranga’s double wicket in 16 overs did much to reverse the momentum that had swung New Zealand’s way through Mitchell’s onslaught. And later, the writing seemed to be on the wall when Mitchell fell while trying to deal with Thushara.
But Foulkes forced Sri Lanka to push for victory with a powerful strike, but the visitors almost held on.
