At Hamilton, February 8. Sri Lanka won by three runs (D/L method). Toss: Sri Lanka.
The New Zealanders stiffened their resistance, but the weather turned against them. Rain had already cut the match to 35 overs, and when bad light ended play just after 8 p.m., with four overs remaining, Sri Lanka were 28 short, tight fielding having almost throttled their scoring-rate. On Duckworth/Lewis rules, however, they were still three ahead of par and so emerged the winners. Fleming had led his team's revival. After nine runs in three innings, he hit himself out of trouble, with five fours and a six in a 75-ball 67. Three sixes from Oram helped New Zealand to a competitive 182. A breezy start from Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana raised 96 before Astle removed them both in the 14th over, and the New Zealanders' keen outcricket was pinning the Sri Lankans down as the light failed. Man of the Match: S. T. Jayasuriya.

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