ow ban eka attha...3kin witarai loose une
akath anthimata nikan depu lakunu 3 ban
see (
www.cricinfo.com)
Who would have expected this result when Tillakaratne Dilshan was going hammer and tongs? Sri Lanka's lower-middle order has always been a bit of a question mark and it has come up short again.
New Zealand's comeback was sparked by a couple of superb pieces of fielding from Jesse Ryder, inflicting Jayawardene's run-out and taking a tough catch off Dilshan. Vettori was his miserly best, giving away only 11 runs,and the quicker bowlers kept it nice and full at the death, not allowing the Sri Lankans the chance to get under any deliveries. Bond's return was also satisfactory, coming back strongly after being clobbered for 16 runs in his first over.
Correction: Completely missed the fact that Jacob Oram has taken a hat-trick in this game, the second in Twenty20s after Brett Lee. Oram had got rid of Mathews off the last ball of the 17th over, before taking wickets off the first two balls of the final over. Thanks to Imran from India and a bunch of others for pointing that out.
Post-match presentation: Sangakkara: "With the start we had, not chasing 142 is inexcusable ... I think Dilshan has matured a lot over the past couple of years and is maximising his opportunities, unfortunately we couldn't support him today"
Vettori: "The fightback after we got Dilshan was really impressive. He's been the difference between the two sides in the Tests and today, and it's difficult to bowl to him given the wide range of shots he has... Our death bowling was the best display in a long time ... The fielding really stands out int Twenty20. " Vettori is also the Man of the Match.
Thanks everyone for joining in, that's it from us at Cricinfo. Last word today has to go to Joe from the United States:
"Sri lanka gave 3 byes in the last ball which is equal to the margin by which NZ won."
.
