Third one-day international, Christchurch: New Zealand 110-6 beat Sri Lanka 112 by four wickets (D/L)Scorecard
An outstanding fielding performance from New Zealand helped them beat Sri Lanka by four wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match one-day series.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 112 in 35 overs, leaving the Kiwis an adjusted target of 110 from 46 overs after rain at various stages.
Peter Fulton top-scored with 43 not out and wrapped things up with a six as they got home in just 25 overs.
Michael Mason earlier took 4-24 during Sri Lanka's innings.
Sri Lanka, asked to bat first at Jade Stadium, were reduced to 55-4 as Mason and Shane Bond ran through the top order.
Wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum distinguished himself by leaping high and to his right to take an inside edge off the left-handed Upul Tharanga (11) and the overall fielding was exceptional both in the ring and the deep.
Quick work by Vettori and James Marshall led to the run-outs of Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan for one and 18, and Marvan Atapattu's 28 proved to be the highest score for the tourists.
It should have been an easy chase for the hosts but they contrived to collapse from 51-3 to 70-6 before Fulton and James Franklin produced a match-clinching partnership of 40.
There was controversy, however, over the dismissal of Ross Taylor for a duck when Tillakaratne Dilshan claimed a juggling catch, only for TV replys to show he had dropped the chance.
"The technology is there and the umpires are there to make those decisions. Nothing came out to me in the middle before the next ball was bowled," Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene commented.
But Vettori replied: "Sri Lanka have had numerous opportunities to display their own spirit of the game and this was another let-down of it."
Despite that, he was well satisfied with the result.
"Maybe we were a little aggressive in going after the runs, but Peter Fulton and James Franklin again showed pretty cool heads," Vettori added.
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