Sri Lanka have taken the Twenty20 series against the BLACKCAPS 1-0, after winning the second match by eight wickets at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Having been put in to bat, the BLACKCAPS posted a first-innings total of 142-7. It wasn’t enough though, as a 94 run second wicket partnership between Tilikaratne Dilshan (59*) and Thisara Perara (57) all but secured the home side victory.
Mitchell McClenaghan got an early break through when he trapped Mahela Jayawardene (3) in the second over. The next wicket though proved elusive for the BLACKCAPS, with Sri Lanka benefitting from two dropped catches.
After ten overs the home side were 80 for one and required 63 from 60 deliveries.
Perera brought up his half-century soon after, but fell on 57 when he skied a Rob Nicol delivery, which Nicol himself took.
Dilshan though continued his dazzling run of form and alongside Kumar Sangakkara completed the pursuit after 17.5 overs.
Earlier, the BLACKCAPS had lost Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom early to be 14 for two.
Anton Devcich struck a quickfire 30 from 23 balls and formed a handy 36 run third-wicket partnership with Tom Latham (20).
Unfortunately for the visitors though they lost wickets just as they were beginning to look on top of the Sri Lankan attack. As a result the run-rate steadily dropped, with the BLACKCAPS bringing up triple figures after 15.5 overs.
The in-form pair of Nathan McCullum and Luke Ronchi looked to accelerate towards the end and succeeded somewhat, until the final over when McCullum was run out for 26.
Ronchi remained at the end of the innings unbeaten on 34, edging the BLACKCAPS close to the 150 mark.
The BLACKCAPS now return to New Zealand and will prepare for the Test series against the West Indies which begins on 3rd December.
