New Zealand VS Sri Lanka :
In the second ODI in Pallekele, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first after winning the toss. As of right now, Sri Lanka is leading the three-match series 1-0.
Mitchell Santner stated that although New Zealand was unsure if they would have bowled first as well, they were pleased to have the first lease of a solid batting ground. Charith Asalanka stated that the choice to chase was influenced by the high likelihood of dew in the evening.
Although Santner did imply that Adam Milne might play next time, New Zealand’s starting lineup remained the same. In place of seamer Dilshan Madushanka, the hosts brought in spin-bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage.
New Zealand VS Sri Lanka : In the second ODI in Dambulla, Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 45 runs (DLS method) thanks to a comeback by Maheesh Theekshana (2-32), Charith Asalanka (2-15), and Jeffrey Vandersay (1-40). Since December 2015, this was Sri Lanka’s first victory over New Zealand in an ODI.
New Zealand VS Sri Lanka
New Zealand VS Sri Lanka : After a long rain break, New Zealand appeared to be on track to reach the finish line with openers Will Young (48 off 46) and Tim Robinson (35 off 36), but the introduction of spin caused a collapse that all but decided the outcome in favor of the home team. The visitors lost five wickets for just 22 runs in 29 deliveries after starting at 88/0, and the chase never really got going.
When Young and Robinson were batting, it did appear that the Black Caps would win the series. Specifically, the former displayed fluid touch and flashed flashes of his heroics during the historic victory in the Test series in India. Even though he was scratchy, Robinson and his partner maintained the momentum till Theekshana stumped him while attempting to charge the spinner. In an attempt to boost the ante, Young cleaned up after falling to the same bowler shortly after. Henry Nicholls and Mark Chapman’s twin Asalanka strikes further hurt New Zealand as they began to lose wickets and momentum.
When Glenn Phillips fell to Vandersay, the game was all but done even with Michael Bracewell (34* off 32) trying his best from one end. The spin choke had completely taken the air out of New Zealand’s chase and Dilshan Madushanka (3-39) did a neat clean up job at the end by mopping up the lower order. It completed a convincing win for Sri Lanka whose masterly batting performance earlier in the day was set up by tons from Kusal Mendis (143) and Avishka Fernando (100). The duo’s 206-run stand put the hosts en route to a formidable total on a good batting surface.
The centurions made up for the early loss of Pathum Nissanka, who had a strong showing during his brief appearance out there, by batting with grace and fluidity. Fernando produced a much-needed century, his first in the format since 2021, while Mendis maintained his outstanding performance in 2024 across all white-ball variants. For the most part, the former was the aggressor, and on spin, it was very harsh. Early on, Fernando waited, and then he too indulged in the spinners. The slow bowlers from New Zealand had a disappointing performance, giving up 211 runs in 33 overs at a rate of 6.39 runs per over while taking only two wickets between them.
In the back end, the visitors did manage to pull things back a little, but the damage had already been done. After causing a 30-minute disruption at the beginning of the session, heavy showers cut off Sri Lanka’s batting at 49.2 for the second time in the day. However, because of this lengthy delay, the match was shortened to a 27-over chase for New Zealand. The shorter chase would have been appreciated by the Black Caps, but they ultimately failed to carry out their objectives effectively.