[Espncricinfo] – Kusal Mendis’ unbeaten 73 trumped Mark Chapman’s 76, as Sri Lanka secured a narrow three-wicket win in the second ODI in Pallekele, and with it seal the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. It was their first ODI series win against New Zealand since 2012.

Having been set a subpar target of 210 in a rain-truncated 47-over game, Sri Lanka were made to work hard on a sluggish surface as New Zealand’s array of spin options kept chipping away. But a string of mini-partnerships was enough to see the hosts through, culminating in an unbeaten eighth wicket stand of 47 off 59 – the best of the innings – between Kusal and Maheesh Theekshana.

Michael Bracewell was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, picking up figures of 4 for 36 in 10 overs. He was one of two bowlers allocated for 10 overs in the innings, alongside Mitchell Santner who ended with miserly figures of 1 for 33, but Sri Lanka smartly recognised their threat and targeted the rest of the attack to sneak home.

Earlier a brilliant exhibition of catching had seen New Zealand bowled out for 209, a total that was heavily supplemented by Chapman’s 76 off 81 and Mitchell Hay’s 49 off 62 – they were two of just four New Zealand batters to make it to double digits.

Before his heroics with the bat, Theekshana had done his part with the ball grabbing 3 for 31. Jeffrey Vandersay also picked up three, while the tireless Asitha Fernando finished with two scalps.
But on a surface where nearly every spinner proved threatening to some degree, it was always going to take a special batting effort to separate the two sides. And Kusal provided that in spades.
Having come into bat at the fall of the first wicket inside the fifth over, it wasn’t long before Kusal decided on a more conservative approach. The first ball he faced spun sharply past his forward defence, and then an attempt at his escape shot – the slog sweep – saw a top edge that looped safely over the keeper.

A couple of overs later Kusal was under the microscope once more, after a tight lbw shout went in his favour – a decision that was only upheld on review courtesy of an umpire’s call on impact. These nervy moments meant that Kusal wouldn’t get his first boundary until the 26th delivery he faced. In fact, in total across his innings he would score just the six boundaries; instead, this was an innings marked more by his grit, with 46 singles and two doubles – 67% of his runs – an abnormally high percentage of non-boundary runs for a Kusal Mendis innings.
That he did so while struggling with cramps, or quite possibly a groin strain, for most of his innings speaks volumes towards his effort on the night.

But this was not a match Mendis could have won on his own. Aside from five-run stand with Kamindu Mendis, Kusal put together meaningful contributions with each of his other partners – 18, 19, 28, 39, 31 and 47 – with each pushing Sri Lanka a little further towards the finish line.

One of the most important came with Janith Liyanage, as the pair came together in the 22nd over with Sri Lanka precariously poised on 93 for 5, and Kusal already being impacted by cramps. With New Zealand seeking further breakthroughs, and the pair of Glenn Phillips and Ish Sodhi bowling well in tandem, Liyanage proved the ideal partner to keep rotating the strike and the spin threat at bay.