After a week full of disappointment in rain and chilly conditions in New Zealand's south island, Sri Lanka came up with a sensational effort to win the fourth One-Day International against the hosts here at Eden Park as they cruised to a comfortable 189 run win. The victory helped the tourists to keep the competition alive with the five match series now levelled at 2-2. New Zealand were bowled out for 73 in just 26.3 overs, their second lowest total in ODIs. The victory margin is the hosts worst in one-day cricket.

The drop in wicket at Eden Park was always going to produce a low scoring affair, but the genius Sanath Jayasuriya made it look like a batting paradise as he hurried to his fifty off just 32 balls with five fours and four thrilling sixes, three of them off successive balls.

Jayasuriya was involved in a mid-pitch altercation with Stephen Fleming after the New Zealand skipper took Jayasuriya's opening partner Upul Tharanga for task for running on the pitch and soon afterwards the 37-year-old unleashed his wrath with some amazing strokes.

A score of 200 on a drop in pitch would have been considered a competitive one, but in three overs of mayhem, the left-hander helped Sri Lanka to get into an impregnable position demoralizing the opposition.

After Jayasuriya's heroics, Kumar Sangakkara put the game beyond the hosts, top scoring with 79 as Sri Lanka reached a comfortable 262 for six in 50 overs. Chasing 263 was always going to be difficult for the hosts, but no one expected them to go down so tamely.

The bowlers ensured that the game ended well before schedule as the deadly accurate Chaminda Vaas got three early wickets cheaply with all three of his victims – Fleming (0), Ross Taylor (0) and Hamish Marshall (3) – getting out leg before wicket. Vaas didn't give anything for the batsmen and the express Lasith Malinga backed up his senior colleague picking up three for 14.

The Slinger, as the New Zealanders call him, as now established himself as one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket.

Vaas bowled so well that at one stage his figures read 5-3-2-3 and he could have got a fourth wicket if Mahela Jayawardene had held onto a difficult chance off Shane Bond at first slip. The 32-year-old's love affair with New Zealand continued as he used the overcast conditions to good effect. God only knows why this guy has been so underrated compared to some of the others like Steve Harmison and Shaun Pollock.

The missed opportunity

Malinga too was denied a fourth wicket when usual suspect Dilhara Fernando dropped one off Craig McMillan at third man. New Zealand were 58 for eight at that stage and if that catch had been taken, Sri Lanka could have attempted to bowl out New Zealand for their lowest score ever in ODIs. The Kiwis' lowest ever stands at 64 against Pakistan in the 1985-86 season in Sharjah.

Only two New Zealanders got to double figures.

It was a splendid effort by the tourists with the ball as well and it must have sent a message to the New Zealand authorities to prepare sporting wickets. Previously, visiting teams, especially those from the sub-continent, have struggled on these pitches and Sri Lanka's batsmen like Jayasuriya and Sangakkara and bowlers Vaas and Malinga exposed enough weak links in the New Zealand side.

The false impression

The way Jayasuriya batted early on in the day gave many people a false impression on the wicket. Sri Lanka's 50 came in 53 balls, but the second fifty came in just 31 balls with Jayasuriya going berserk.

The mandatory Power Play had gone without any incidents and Fleming committed a costly mistake when he called for the second Power Play immediately afterwards with a sedate Jayasuriya yet to erupt.

In three overs he just smashed the New Zealand attack all over the park

The 11th over was bowled by Michael Mason and he went for 20 runs including three successive sixes. The 12th over was bowled by Mark Gillespie and it cost the New Zealanders 12 runs and in the next over Jayasuriya hammered Andre Adams for 18 runs. Amazing stuff. Tharanga's contribution during that period was a mere four runs.

Jayasuriya made 70 in 44 balls with seven fours and five sixes and added 102 runs for the first wicket with Tharanga in 92 balls.

Two balls after his dismissal, captain Mahela Jayawardene perished before scoring and soon afterwards Tharanga departed as Sri Lanka lost three wickets for just one run.

Knowing that Sri Lanka needed to keep wickets in tact, Sangakkara and Marvan Atapattu batted watchfully. Atapattu was extra cautious as he took 17 balls to get off the mark.

Runs dried up in the third Power Play as New Zealand did some damage control giving away only eight runs during the third phase.

While Jayasuriya took all the accolades, Sangakkara too played a special knock. He's been Sri Lanka's in form batsman all tour and his effort was vital in Sri Lanka going pass 250.

The left-hander added 91 runs for the fourth wicket with Atapattu.

Sangakkara attacked towards the end of Sri Lanka's innings and made 79 in 103 balls and hit eight fours and a six. Farveez Maharoof finished off things in style again as he smashed 21 in 14 balls with two sixes and a four.

Upul Tharanga b Gillespie 22

Sanath Jayasuriya c Mason b Gillespie 70

Mahela Jayawardene c Fleming b Gillespie 0

Kumar Sangakkara c Taylor b Bond 79

Marvan Atapattu c McCullum b Adams 34

Chamara Kapugedera not out 10

Farveez Maharoof c Adams b Bond 21

Chaminda Vaas not out 5

Extras (11lb,6w,4nb) 21

Batting time: 219 minutes. Overs: 50.

Fall of wicket: 1-102, 2-102, 3-103, 4-194, 5-232,

6-256.

Did not bat: Dilhara Fernando, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Bowling: Michael Mason 10-1-62-0 (3w), Shane Bond 10-2-47-2 (2w, 2nb), Mark Gillespie 10-1-39-3 (2nb), Andre Adams 9-2-53-1, Jeetan Patel 9-0-41-0 (1w), Craig McMillan 2-0-9-0.

Brendon McCullum c Sangakkara b Maharoof 17

Stephen Fleming lbw b Vaas 0

Ross Taylor lbw b Vaas 0

Peter Fulton lbw b Malinga 9

Hamish Marshall lbw b Vaas 3

Craig McMillan not out 29

Andre Adams lbw b Malinga 1

Shane Bond c and b Malinga 2

Mark Gillespie c Sangakkara b Fernando 0

Jeetan Patel b Muralitharan 6

Michael Mason lbw b Muralitharan 1

Extras (2lb,1w,2nb) 5

Batting time: 126 minutes. Overs: 26.3.

Fall of wicket: 1-5, 2-17, 3-17, 4-25, 5-37, 6-39, 7-49,

8-54, 9-71, 10-73.

Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 8-3-10-3, Lasith Malinga 8-3-14-3, F. Maharoof 4-0-27-1 (1nb, 1w), Dilhara Fernando 4-1-13-1 (1nb), Muttiah Muralitharan 2.3-0-7-2.

Umpires: Steve Davis, Australia, Gary Baxter, New Zealand.

TV Umpire: Tony Hill, New Zealand. Match Referee: Javagal Srinath, India.

Result: Sri Lanka won by 189 runs.