A heavily rotated Black Caps side have fallen to defeat in their Twenty20 series opener against Sri Lanka, beaten by four wickets in Dambulla.
With a host of key players at home in New Zealand to prepare for this month’s three-test series against England, the Mitchell Santner-led Black Caps could only muster 135 with the bat, before the hosts walked down the total with an over to spare.
Set 136 for victory, the hosts were also made to work for their victory, as captain Charith Asalanka added a game-high 35 not out to guide Sri Lanka home after his side fell to 87/5 in reply.
Despite the nature of the loss, though, there was still a shining light in bowling all-rounder Zak Foulkes, who top-scored with 27 not out, before taking 3/20 with the ball to underline his credentials as a player the Black Caps can build around.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Black Caps were quickly in trouble, and lost their top three inside the powerplay.