Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Ferguson end SL's winless tour
Bracewell and Kuggeleijn bashed 44 off 26 and 35 not out off 15 respectively before Ferguson's three-for dented Sri Lanka's chase
Bracewell and Kuggeleijn bashed 44 off 26 and 35 not out off 15 respectively before Ferguson's three-for dented Sri Lanka's chase
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: @saurabh_42
That's all from us folks. This is Saurabh, signing off on behalf of Hemant and Chandan.
10.15pm The Man of the Match is Doug Bracewell. "Good result there. Managed to get a few away and Kuggs on debut was outstanding. I was backing myself and enjoyed it. I was pretty happy with the performance, nice to contribute with the bat and more so with the ball."
Lasith Malinga: "We bowled well for the first 16 overs, but still I felt 180 was possible on this ground. I think the batsmen still don't know how to win the game, that's why we are on the losing side. We always talk about using variations and using the conditions, I think the bowlers did that well today. People have to understand how to win the match and how to get the team across the line. Most of the time we are not very clear."
Tim Southee: "Tremendous effort. Lockie's had a great summer so far. Lots of cricket ahead. (I'd like to) thank Sri Lanka for the entertainment they have provided and wish them all the best for Australia.
10.10pm New Zealand won the Tests 1-0, swept the ODIs 3-0, and have now won the sole T20I too - and this after being 27/4 and 55/5. Just shows you that wickets aren't as important in T20s I suppose. Quite a dispiriting show from Sri Lanka though. They had the chase well in control, but some inexplicable shot-making saw their downfall. They didn't need to keep going hard, but did it anyway. Lots to ponder for Malinga and his men. It's a World Cup year and hasn't begun well at all. New Zealand will be very pleased. Good comeback for Bracewell, and to a lesser extend Santner and successful debut for Kuggeleijn. Lockie Ferguson showed that express pace will still get your results, regardless of match situation. We'll have the presentations for you shortly
CAK Rajitha c †Seifert b Sodhi 5 (18m 9b 0x4 0x6) SR: 55.55
CBRLS Kumara c Kuggeleijn b Sodhi 4 (2m 2b 1x4 0x6) SR: 200.00
Lakshitha : "There can not be anything more frustrating in international cricket than watching the Sri Lankans playing so well momentarily and failing miserably during the past couple of years."
The Sri Lanka captain wanted his team to show character in the middle, and not sit back satisfied merely by good starts - with bat or ball
Having watched from the sidelines during the ODI series, the allrounder came good in the lone T20I against Sri Lanka with bat and ball
Bracewell and Kuggeleijn bashed 44 off 26 and 35 not out off 15 respectively before Ferguson's three-for dented Sri Lanka's chase
With Sri Lanka having slipped to ninth on the T20I rankings, this will be the first time they'll not gain direct qualification into the T20 World Cup
Tim Southee will be leading New Zealand in Kane Williamson's absence as Sri Lanka look to finish the tour on a high