New Zealand trounced in Auckland by Srilanka

Fourth one-day international, Auckland: New Zealand 73 lost to Sri Lanka 262-6 by 189 runs
Scorecard
The one-day series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will head to a crunch decider after the Kiwis slumped to their highest ever one-day defeat.

They were bowled out for 73 to lose by 189 runs with Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga taking three wickets each.

Sri Lanka won the toss at Eden Park and notched up 262-6 in their 50 overs, Sanath Jayasuriya weighing in with 70 and Kumar Sangakkara 79.

The fifth and final match takes place in Hamilton on Tuesday.

It was New Zealand's largest margin of defeat, eclipsing the 174-run loss to India 10 years.

And it was their second lowest one-day total, only the 64 against Pakistan in 1985-86 was worse.

The technical ineptitude of the New Zealand batsman made them easy prey for Vaas and Malinga's accurate full-pitched bowling.


As batsman after batsman tried to score runs by working the bat around the pad, the toll of lbws mounted as New Zealand's innings and hopes of wrapping up the series in Auckland evaporated.

The score now stands at 2-2 with one-match remaining.

Captain Stephen Fleming, playing in his first match of the series, was out for a duck, as was Ross Taylor (0) and all of them including Peter Fulton (9), Hamish Marshall (3), Andre Adams (1) and Michael Mason (1) were trapped in front of their stumps.

Brendon McCullum (17), Shane Bond (2) and Mark Gillespie (0) bucked the trend and fell to catches, McCullum to a superb, diving leg side catch by wicket-keeper Sangakkara off Farveez Maharoof.

Bond was caught and bowled by Malinga and Gillespie was Sangakkara's second catching victim.

Jeetan Patel (6) was bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan who also dismissed Mason to take 2-7.

Craig McMillan, who returned to the squad for this game, was the only New Zealand batsman to offer resistance, remaining not out on 29.

Jayasuriya had set up Sri Lanka's domination superbly.

His 44-ball innings of 70 included seven fours and five sixes and he hit four of those sixes from five balls, reaching his half century from 32 deliveries.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said: "Obviously Sanath (Jayasuriya) batted brilliantly and gave us a great start and platform.

"Vaasy bowled a brilliant spell to take three wickets and from that point we were on top."

Fleming summed up New Zealand's performance by saying: "It was rubbish, that's what it was."