Reality says that after tonight's three-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in Wellington, New Zealand are staring down the barrel of a third National Bank series defeat in succession but at least after the spirited defence there is hope that determination has returned to the side for Auckland's game on Tuesday.

The scene could not be more appropriate. The nationwide public holiday on Waitangi Day is an occasion celebrating New Zealand's nationhood and the teamwork associated with Maori and European settlers working together.

It will take teamwork of the cricketing kind to restore the side's fortunes, and the fight and "desperation", as captain Stephen Fleming described it after the loss, was the most important thing to come out of the game.

New Zealand failed to score enough runs in registering 204/7 but with Sri Lanka losing an over due to its own slow over rate, the home team fought doggedly the whole way and in the end only missed out by three balls.

This was a white-knuckle affair where the ability to keep the score ticking over with singles was the paramount requirement for both teams.

Dazzling strokeplay was impossible on a slow pitch and it became a war of attrition, hardly the sort of thing to make the game linger in the memory, but one still capable of providing tension.

Once again New Zealand's score had to make do without Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair and Fleming himself contributing while Roger Twose was forced from the field after a mid-pitch collision with Craig McMillan suffering a sprained thumb which is likely to keep him out of the Auckland game.

But the middle-order showed they had learned the lessons of Napier and applied themselves to the task of working the ball around in the field and while it was a long time between boundaries, it was at least more effective than the wholesale capitulation in Napier when no-one was prepared to take responsibility.

McMillan, Chris Harris and Adam Parore did a fine job in continuing the momentum. McMillan made it to 37 before succumbing to the temptation that Jayasuriya's bowling offered and sent it back to the bowler who held it.

Harris, who had earlier passed the milestone of 3000 runs in ODIs, carried on to achieve his 11th ODI half century before he was bowled in the 48th over for 56 scored off 87 balls. There was only one boundary in his innings.

Adam Parore, who had joined Harris in the 35th over, applied himself well in support of Harris, and then in his own right to be out in the 49th over for 35, his best score in an ODI since November 1999.

Fleming was philosophical about the disappointment: "I've had many testing times in my career and we're in the middle of one now, we've just got to keep going.

"I'm not going to start saying this is the lowest of the low, we're at rock bottom, we're not going to get out, because I know some of the work that is going on internally with the young players and new players we have got that will provide benefits for the future. But we're about results and that's the most disappointing thing," he said.

The facts were simple for New Zealand to keep the series alive.

"We've got to win three in a row. We've just got to build on what we did today. Certain aspects of the bowling went well," Fleming said.

"We've got to get better partnerships going at the top. I thought it was a much better controlled batting effort today than in Napier. That's where the alarm bells were so we have got to continue to deliver better still," he said.

Sri Lanka paced their response well. Jayasuriya looked to make his usual lively start with the bat but after an initial flurry of boundaries, was forced to retreat after losing opening partner Marvan Atapattu at 23.

He was eventually out for 38, the second of Jacob Oram's two victims. Tidy fielding from Sinclair and Fleming respectively saw Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Dharmasena run out while Daniel Vettori completed another fine bowling display by having Aravinda de Silva leg before wicket for 37.

But the hero of the hour for Sri Lanka was Russel Arnold who finished 78 not out having guided the team home in outstanding fashion. His 50 came up off 74 balls in the 45th over and such was the control he took that by the end of the game in the 49th, he was 78 not out from 90 balls.

His 48th over six from Chris Martin's bowling really put the issue beyond doubt although Andrew Penn's fielding botch which allowed four runs in the 46th over did not help.

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