Queenstown: New Zealand won the series by 4 wickets in the 3rd T20 cricket match against Sri Lanka.
Batting first in this match held yesterday in Queenstown, New Zealand, Sri Lanka scored 182 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. Kushal Mendis scored 73 runs off 48 balls with 5 sixes and 6 fours. Kushal Perera scored 31 runs, Padum Nishanka scored 25 runs and Dhananjaya de Silva added 20 runs. Ben Lister took 2 wickets for New Zealand.
Batting with a target of 183 runs, the New Zealand team scored 173 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in 19 overs. Opener Tim Scheibert scored 88 off 48 balls with 3 sixes and 10 fours before being dismissed by Pramod Madhushan. Shad Bowes 17, skipper Tom Latham 31 runs out. New Zealand needed 10 runs in the last over bowled by Lagiru Kumara.
Mark Chapman, who blasted the first ball for a six, was dismissed in the next ball. Chapman added 16 runs. James Neesham (0) was run out on the next ball which was bowled wide. Daryl Mitchell (15) is out after tossing the 3rd ball. 3 runs in 3 balls, 1 run in the 4th ball. The next ball was bowled by Lagiru Kumara off Stembu and Rachin Ravindra hit it between deep point and deep third man to take 2 runs and New Zealand won by 183 runs in 19.5 overs.
Rachin Ravindra remained unbeaten with 2 runs. New Zealand won the trophy by 4 wickets to clinch the 3-match T20I series 2-1. Sri Lanka won the first match in a super over. In the 2nd match, the New Zealand team responded by winning by 9 wickets. Tim Shepherd was named Man of the Match and Man of the Series.