Williamson century leads NZ to win

Sri Lanka's tour of New Zealand has been defined by the hosts' refusal to give in, and again in Nelson, New Zealand clawed back from difficult situations, with ball and bat, to claim a tense four-wicket victory in the fourth ODI. Kane Williamson's effortless fifth hundred will headline the victory, but fine performances from the lower middle order, and the death bowlers, effectively sealed it. New Zealand eclipsed Sri Lanka's 276 all out, in the 48th over.

The match was decided in the over before that. Thisara Perera had summoned a decent string of yorkers late in the innings, to dismiss Williamson for 103, and to leave New Zealand needing 25 runs off the last 18 balls, but his eighth over was substantially worse than the seven that had come before it.

He missed his length first ball, and was clattered over mid-off by Luke Ronchi. When Perera overpitched again next ball, Ronchi hit it even better, sending it into the sightscreen. Two more straight sixes would follow in the over, and New Zealand needed only one run from the final two overs after that. Daniel Vettori smote one through the covers to finish the match.

That New Zealand even took the match that far was thanks to Williamson, who transplanted his mastery over the Sri Lanka spinners from Tests to the ODIs. New Zealand lost both openers cheaply to the opposition's new-ball pair and, though there were no big shots in the early phase of Williamson's knock, there was none of the inertia that had dogged some of the batsmen around him.

He was off the mark with a two behind point first ball, and at no stage from then on did he appear at pains to rotate strike. Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott both soaked up deliveries early in their stay. Throughout the middle overs, it was Williamson who prevented the asking rate from climbing far above 6.5, though Elliott did eventually play a helpful hand, as the pair put on 88 for the fourth wicket.

There was not as much turn on the Nelson track as Sri Lanka had hoped, but the visitors persisted with their spinners, who could not create chances through the middle overs. Corey Anderson was barely tested upon his arrival to the crease, and he and Williamson swiftly set about building the steady stand that saw the hosts truly take control of the match. They scored at more than five an over, collecting regular singles into the outfield, and rarely failing to punish the poor deliveries.

Anderson slammed two sixes off square leg between the 40th and 42nd overs to dent the required run rate, while Williamson neared his century with a beautifully struck chip over midwicket, off Rangana Herath. He completed his ton in the 43rd over, but was bowled attempting to glance a leg-side Perera yorker soon after. Anderson was run out 10 balls after that as well, but the pair's 79-run stand had propelled New Zealand to within sight of victory. All they needed from there was the one big over, which Ronchi provided.

Sri Lanka's senior three had contributed 214 runs, with Mahela Jayawardene easing to a sublime 94 and Kumar Sangakkara going smoothly to 76, but the foundation the top order had provided was squandered by the lower middle order. Sangakkara strode past Sanath Jayasuriya's ODI run tally during this innings, becoming the most prolific ODI batsman for Sri Lanka, to match the Test record he has already earned. He is also the third-highest ODI run-scorer overall.

Sri Lanka were 180 for 2 at the end of the 33rd over, with a score in excess of 300 well in their sights, but they went on to lose six wickets in the last six overs, as the New Zealand attack bowled tightly at the death. Tim Southee and Mitchell McClenaghan shared five wickets between them, and conceded only eight runs from the last three overs. Anderson had chipped in with the key wicket of Jayawardene.

This resurgence was remarkable, because New Zealand were hamstrung by the loss of their best bowler from the early and middle overs. Adam Milne jolted Sri Lanka's innings by dismissing Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews in two balls before the batting Powerplay, but only bowled seven overs thanks to a side strain. Milne should have had Jayawardene out in that same over too, as replays suggest the batsman got a faint edge to a ball Ronchi collected down the leg side.

Apart from that hiccup, though, Jaywardene's innings was composed of the timing and intelligence that is the hallmark of any of his fine knocks. He was watchful against the spin of Daniel Vettori very early in his innings, but came down the track to launch Williamson for six in the 23rd over, and his strike-rate rarely dipped below 90 after that. There was a purring cover drive in the 25th over, a quick-wristed flick through midwicket for four, and a lofted drive whose languor was completely at odds with the speed at which the ball left the blade. That shot, again off Williamson, took the ball way into the crowd past long-off, in the 37th over. It took him past fifty off 55 balls.

There was more clever hitting after the milestone, but with Lahiru Thirimanne struggling to time the ball and Perera also out of sorts, too much was left to Jayawardene. When he was dismissed by a clever piece of bowling from Anderson, Sri Lanka's prospects of crossing 300 received a big blow, and they would eventually fall well short.