2nd T20 Aus v SL

Sri Lanka 4 for 161 (Jayawardene 61*, T Perera 35*) beat Australia 3 for 119 (Marsh 47*) by 2 runs (D/L method)

Thisara Perera was the difference with the bat and then held his nerve, although only barely, with the ball to seal a two-run victory off the final delivery of a rain-reduced chase. In a heated finale, Glenn Maxwell needed four runs from the last ball for victory and was frustrated by a long conference held by several Sri Lanka players before the delivery was bowled, and when Perera sent down the ball wide of off Maxwell missed and all the batsmen could manage was a bye.

The Sri Lanka players were jubilant but there were tense scenes as the players walked off, Maxwell clearly annoyed at the Sri Lankans, and even the handshakes involving players who weren't on the field at the end became testy. It became that kind of night when rain interrupted Australia's chase of 162 and despite the shower being short, the umpires did not allow play to restart for 45 minutes due to difficulties drying the outfield.

When the rain arrived after 10 overs, Australia were 15 runs behind on the Duckworth-Lewis score at 2 for 60. By the time play resumed at 10.49pm Australia needed a further 62 runs from five overs. With Shaun Marsh and George Bailey well set and eight wickets in hand, the new target of 122 from 15 overs gave Australia hope of pulling off victory.

However, Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara proved especially difficult to score off and while Bailey and Marsh managed to find 16 runs from Lasith Malinga's only remaining over, and 12 off an over from Ajantha Mendis, they were left needing 18 from the final over to be bowled by Perera. The loss of Bailey, caught at deep midwicket for 45 from 36 balls, left 16 required from four balls with the new batsman Maxwell at the crease.

Perera briefly appeared to lose his nerve and sent down a no-ball above waist height that helped the Australians and Maxwell then struck a pair of fours through the off side to leave four needed from one. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, Perera managed to deny him that boundary.

Australia's chase had started poorly with the loss of David Warner for 7 in the second over when he tried to thump Kulasekara through the leg side but succeeded only in sending a leading edge to mid-off. That was followed by the departure of his opening partner Aaron Finch for 7 in the fifth over, lbw to the first ball Mendis bowled when he tried to sweep a straight delivery.

After five overs the Australians were really struggling at 2 for 24, not helped by Marsh being unable to find the gaps. He was nearly run out and caught in the same over and appeared severely lacking in confidence until he managed to clear long-on during Akila Dananjaya's first over and followed it with a boundary through the gap at wide midwicket. But Marsh and Bailey couldn't get Australia far enough advanced in their chase when the rain came.

But really it was the final five overs of Sri Lanka's innings that made the difference as Mahela Jayawardene and Thisara Perera put together an unbeaten 59-run partnership from 28 balls. That pushed the total from what looked like being 140ish to a much more competitive 4 for 161, and left Australia needing the highest successful chase in a T20 international in Australia.

Jayawardene finished unbeaten on 61 from 45 deliveries and Perera on 35 from 15, justifying the captain Angelo Mathews' decision to send Perera in ahead of himself. Ben Laughlin, who struggled to restrict the Sri Lankans in the final few overs of the first match in Sydney, again had a hard time bowling at the death and conceded 20 runs from the last over of the innings.

That over started with a reverse sweep for four that brought Jayawardene his fifty from 42 balls. It also included two more fours to the vacant third-man area from Jayawardene and a top-edged six from Perera, leaving Laughlin with 1 for 40 from his four overs.

James Faulkner, who had bowled a terrific initial spell of 1 for 3 from his first two overs, also suffered at the hands of Perera and Jayawardene in the later stages. He was struck over midwicket for six by Perera, as well as dabbed delicately over short fine leg for four, and Faulkner finished his four overs with 1 for 24.

The Sri Lanka top order had struggled in the first half of the innings as Australia's bowlers used clever variations and took wickets to help keep the runs down. Faulkner picked up his first international wicket in the third over of the match when Tillakaratne Dilshan tried to pull his slower ball and played on for 6 off 10 balls.

None of the Sri Lanka top three managed a strike rate of better than a run a ball as they failed to pick the pace of the bowling, or the gaps in the field. Dinesh Chandimal fell victim to a change in pace from Laughlin, whose first ball of the game was a slower delivery that Chandimal smoked through cover for four. But in the same over Laughlin's quicker bouncer hurried Chandimal, who lobbed a catch to mid-off.

Kushal Perera, who had struck three crisp boundaries including two in a Mitchell Starc over - Starc struggled with his line and sent down four leg-side wides - fell for 15 when he tried to slog Glenn Maxwell over the infield. The ball flew very high off the top edge and nearly struck the hovering Spidercam, and provided a very tricky swirling catch for the cover fielder Bailey, who ran almost a complete circle as he tried to track the ball and successfully completed the take.

After ten overs the Sri Lankans were 3 for 56 and it wasn't until the 12th over of the innings that the first six was struck, when Jayawardene slammed Maxwell straight down the ground. Jayawardene began to find his touch but was lucky to survive a run-out chance on 36, when Jeevan Mendis dropped the ball at his feet and took off for a run and the bowler Laughlin had Jayawardene well covered - except he failed to pick up the ball.

Mendis fell for 25 from 24 balls when he drove Xavier Doherty hard and flat and was caught at long-off by Faulkner, ending a productive 63-run partnership with Jayawardene that had been important in rebuilding the Sri Lanka innings. To keep the left- and right-hand combination going, Thisara Perera was promoted ahead of Mathews and the results were good for Sri Lanka.

5th ODI Ind v Eng

• India: 226 (49.4 overs)
• England: 227/3 (47.2 overs) England won by 7 wickets 

Ian Bell struck an unbeaten 113 as England sealed a seven-wicket victory in the final one-day international, India winning the series 3-2.

In the first international played at Dharamsala, Tim Bresnan (4-45) twice struck in successive balls as India were 226 all out having been put in.

Suresh Raina (83), dropped on five and 61, made his fourth consecutive fifty.

But Bell shared in three 50 stands and hit his first overseas ODI hundred as England won with 16 balls remaining.

The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium, India's 43rd one-day international venue, provided a stunning spectacle in the snow capped foothills of the western Himalayas.

Cold early morning conditions proved more to England's liking when Alastair Cook won the toss for the first time since the opening match, which the tourists won by nine runs.

The entire playing area was covered in snow less than three weeks ago and despite the continuing early chill in the air Bresnan found some noticeable away swing which produced two slip catches as the Indian batsmen were exposed by the moving ball, as if at Trent Bridge in May.

Rohit Sharma was sharply taken to his right by James Tredwell and in a near replica next up Virat Kohli was taken at the fourth attempt by the spinner, with Cook poised underneath for any spillage.

Steven Finn kept up the pressure by squaring up the dangerous Yuvraj Singh, the leading edge drifting in the high altitude to backward point to dismiss the left-hander for a duck.

Tredwell was in the action again in the 10th over when he clutched Raina's edge off Chris Woakes in his left hand as he dived full length at second slip but the ball escaped from his grasp.

Woakes, brought in for the errant Jade Dernbach, was soon hit for three fours in an over by the pugnacious Raina but a quirk in the laws gave England their next success.

The umpires deemed that Bresnan had been off the field too long to be able to bowl immediately so Cook turned to Tredwell, who struck with his second ball as Gautam Gambhir (24) cut lazily and Ian Bell held a smart low catch to his left to bring India skipper Mahendra Dhoni to the crease in the 13th over.

Finn was brought back in a bid to make a key breakthrough and he did so in the second over of his new spell when Dhoni was trapped on the crease lbw for 15.

India needed a partnership and it was provided by Raina and Ravi Jadeja, who recorded the fifty stand from 76 balls by dispatching Joe Root down the ground and into the upper tier.

Raina, who passed 4,000 ODI runs during his innings, was reprieved again when Cook fumbled at backward square-leg off Tredwell, but in his next over the redoubtable Kent spinner collected his 11th wicket of the series when Jadeja's agricultural swipe at a turning ball looped gently to backward point.

England claimed the important wicket of Raina in the 42nd over when the left-hander was deceived by a slower ball from Woakes to give Bell his third catch of the innings, but Samit Patel conceded 12 and 15 in two separate overs as 49 were mustered from the final eight.

Bresnan, left out of the tour to New Zealand to rest an elbow problem, ended proceedings and left India some distance short of what was considered a par total.

Cook and Bell were determined not to suffer the same fate as the Indian top order and overcame some fortuitous early edges with calm assurance as the 50 arrived in the 11th over.

When Ishant Sharma nipped one to breach Cook's defences, England seemed content to keep wickets in hand, although Kevin Pietersen could not resist a short ball and Jadeja took an excellent running catch on the boundary.

Jadeja, India's leading wicket-taker in the series, was not introduced until the 27th over at which point England looked in command.

But Root, yet to make fewer than 30 in his short ODI career, had an uncharacteristic rush of blood with 84 still needed when he made no contact with a pull shot at a turning delivery from Jadeja and was bowled.

However, Morgan, who had made only 13 in his previous three innings, launched Ashwin down the ground for six to record the fifty stand in his 40 from as many balls, leaving Bell, the only centurion in the series, to hit the winning run.

England next travel to New Zealand, where they play three Twenty20 internationals, three one-day internationals and three Tests beginning early next month.

1st T20 Aus v SL

Australia 137/3 (20/20 ov)

David Warner stood apart from the rest on Australia Day, punching an undefeated 90 to guide his team to 3 for 137 on a pudding of a drop-in pitch at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.

While there was no switch-hit of the kind he managed in this fixture against India last year, Warner's controlled aggression was all the more admirable for the difficult surface on which he demonstrated it. The best indicators of its difficulty were to be found in the travails of the rest of Australia's top four.

Aaron Finch was again out cheaply at international level, while Shaun Marsh made an unhappy return to the national team in his first match since last summer, run out for only six. George Bailey also failed to make a score, leaving Adam Voges to offer inconspicuous but valuable support to Warner, who found it far easier than his team-mates to split the field and find the boundary.

Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera were both exemplary with the ball, though Kulasekara undid much of his good work by turfing the simplest of chances at deep midwicket when Warner had made only 69.

The hosts had left out the Tasmania allrounder James Faulkner and included the seamer Ben Laughlin for his first international since 2009. This also meant a debut for the Queensland fast bowler Ben Cutting. Sri Lanka handed Kushal Perera a debut open the batting with Tillakaratne Dilshan, with Dinesh Chandimal at No. 3 and the former captain Mahela Jayawardene at No. 4.

Australia's early progress was laborious, the batsmen struggling for timing on a drop-in pitch that offered them little in the way of consistent pace. Finch's stay was ended when he tried to turn Kulasekara to the legside and proffered a front edge that was nicely held by Kushal Perera.

Marsh was soon back at the boundary's edge himself, run out by Dilshan's underarm after turning back on the most optimistic of singles, but Warner endured. Recognising the slowness of the surface, he sat on the back foot for much of the time, punching shorter balls through the offside and only swinging straight at the fullest of deliveries.

It proved an effective method, and after Bailey perished to another mistimed stroke, Voges hung in to allow Warner to push Australia to a better total than they might have imagined at 3 for 53 after nine overs. Nonetheless a total of 137 will require diligent bowling to defend.

Sri Lanka 139/5 (18.5/20 ov)

Sri Lanka win by 5 wickets 

Sri Lanka's collective was enough to overcome an Australian team that left far too much up to David Warner on their national day, the visitors claiming a five-wicket victory on a pudding of a drop-in pitch at Sydney's Olympic Stadium.

After their bowlers had restricted Australia to 3 for 137 - of which Warner made no fewer than 90 - The Sri Lankans made a raid start to the chase and then steadied against the loss of mid-innings wickets to take a 1-0 lead with seven balls to spare.

Angelo Mathews showed the cool head that has him marked as his nation's long-term leader to finish off the innings. There were cameos, too, from Kushal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne and Thisara Perera, all of whom will be happy that Sri Lanka cannot now lose this series after also tying the ODI matches.

Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera were both exemplary with the ball, though Kulasekara undid much of his good work by turfing the simplest of chances at deep midwicket when Warner had made only 69.

While there was no switch-hit of the kind he managed in this fixture against India last year, Warner's controlled aggression to bat through the innings was all the more admirable for the difficult surface on which he demonstrated it, and the relative lack of prowess shown by the rest.

Aaron Finch was again out cheaply at international level, while Shaun Marsh made an unhappy return to the national team in his first match since last summer, run out for only six. George Bailey also failed to make a score, leaving Adam Voges to offer inconspicuous but valuable support to Warner, who found it far easier than his team-mates to split the field and find the boundary.

Sri Lanka's pursuit began with speed and audacity, Tillakaratne Dilshan executed one of his trademark scoops from the bowling of Mitchell Starc so effectively that it sailed for six a few metres to the offside of the wicketkeeper. Kushal Perera was more orthodox, but struck the ball cleanly as Australia cast around for a momentum changer.

They found it in Ben Laughlin, recalled for his first international since 2009. Known primarily for his slower ball variations, Laughlin squeezed a bouncer past Dilshan and into the gap between helmet and grille, forcing a delay while a cut above the eye was treated. The break disrupted Sri Lanka's flow, and it was Laughlin who took advantage in the field sprawling to grasp a Dilshan half-chance from Xavier Doherty.

The surface's sluggishness lent itself to bowlers not offering much pace, and Maxwell's introduction brought further wickets. Kushal Perera snicked an attempted cut behind, and Dinesh Chandimal was held at long off. Mahela played all around a flighted ball from Doherty, and when Lahiru Thirimanne sliced Mitchell Starc to backward point the chase was drifting.

But Mathews played with calm and precision, while his opposite number Bailey seemed to miss a couple of tricks by not using Maxwell's full quota and also not calling on the quite respectable left-arm spin of Voges.

Laughlin's earlier heroics were to be overshadowed as Mathews took to him for critical boundaries to cut the target down, and Thisara Perera ended the contest with a pair of sixes from the same bowler, delighting the Sri Lankan minority in a crowd of 40,242.

Australia's earlier progress was laborious, the batsmen struggling for timing on a drop-in pitch that offered them little in the way of consistent pace. Finch's stay was ended when he tried to turn Kulasekara to the legside and proffered a front edge that was nicely held by Kushal Perera.

Marsh was soon back at the boundary's edge himself, run out by Dilshan's underarm after turning back on the most optimistic of singles, but Warner endured. Recognising the slowness of the surface, he sat on the back foot for much of the time, punching shorter balls through the offside and only swinging straight at the fullest of deliveries.

It proved an effective method, and after Bailey perished to another mistimed stroke, Voges hung in to allow Warner to push Australia to a better total than they might have imagined at 3 for 53 after nine overs. Nonetheless a total of 137 looked slim, and so it was to prove.

3rd ODI SA v NZ

South Africa team

GC Smith, Q de Kock†, CA Ingram, F du Plessis*, F Behardien, R McLaren, DA Miller, RK Kleinveldt, LL Tsotsobe, DW Steyn, AM Phangiso

	New Zealand team
BJ Watling, MJ Guptill, BB McCullum*†, C Munro, KS Williamson, JEC Franklin, NL McCullum, GD Elliott, JDS Neesham, KD Mills, MJ McClenaghan

New Zealand 260/9 (50 ov)

South Africa 264/9 (50.0 ov)

South Africa won by 1 wicket 

NZ 260/9 50 ovs FOW: 1/15 Guptil, 2/27 Williamson, 3/46 Watling, 4/68 B McCullum, 5/129 Elliott,6/196 Munro, 7/199 N McCullum, 8/216 Neesham, 9/234 Mills

New Zealand Innings - Close

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Guptill	c Ingram	b Tsotsobe	5	18	1	0
Watling	c Du Plessis	b McLaren	20	40	2	0
Williamson	c de Kock	b Tsotsobe	6	17	1	0
Elliott	c Steyn	b Tsotsobe	54	67	8	0
B McCullum	c Steyn	b McLaren	13	25	1	0
Munro	c de Kock	b Tsotsobe	57	62	6	1
Franklin	not out		53	52	3	1
N McCullum	c de Kock	b McLaren	2	2	0	0
Neesham	lbw	b McLaren	13	8	3	0
Mills	run out (Du Plessis)		7	6	1	0
McClenaghan	not out		2	3	0	0
Extras		17w 1b 10lb	28
Total		for 9	260	(50.0 ovs)

Bowler O M R W Steyn 10.0 1 56 0 Tsotsobe 10.0 2 45 4 Kleinveldt 10.0 1 44 0 Phangiso 8.0 0 43 0 McLaren 10.0 0 52 4 Behardien 2.0 0 9 0 New Zealand 260 for 9 (Munro 57, Elliott 54, Franklin 53*, Tsotsobe 4-45, McLaren 4-52) v South Africa A solid recovery from New Zealand's middle order lifted them to 260 for 9 in the final ODI. Grant Elliott, Colin Munro and James Franklin hit half-centuries as South Africa again struggled to close out an innings efficiently after Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Ryan McLaren had taken four wicket apiece. As has often been the case the top order failed, but New Zealand have shown grit during this series and retain hope of completing a notable whitewash. When Brendon McCullum was caught at third man New Zealand were limping along at 68 for 4 in the 22nd over, but a stand of 61 between Elliott and Munro gave them a base then James Franklin ended unbeaten on 53, reaching his fifty with a six off the penultimate ball of the innings. Elliott was initially the more confident, however Munro grew as his innings progressed and at one stage lofted Dale Steyn for six having already taken debutant Aaron Phangiso for three boundaries in an over during a maiden international fifty. Munro had been given lbw against McLaren when he had 2 but he correctly reviewed as the ball had pitched outside leg and also took an inside edge. Eventually, however, both batsmen fell to Tsotsobe: Elliott was the second wicket to the innings to be caught at third man and Munro edged a slower ball. New Zealand, though, benefited from their deep batting order which has been key throughout this series. This time it was Franklin, as he did in the first match, to squeeze priceless runs in the latter stages. Losing regular wickets meant Franklin could not cut loose, but he took the innings as deep as he could with some smart batting. He managed to keep the strike after the ninth wicket fell in the 48th over and the final 11 balls of the innings brought 26 runs. The closing period was also notable for South Africa scurrying between deliveries as the over-rate again became a problem. They were, at rough estimates, about five down on the requirement and were not helped by the wides that were sent down. There was a familiar pattern to the start of the innings. Martin Guptill's awful series continued when he edged to slip for 5 having made ducks in his previous two innings. Aside from his century in the second Twenty20 and battling 48 in the second Test it has been a desperate tour for Guptill. Tsotsobe had his tail up and gave Guptill a little send-off, then continued to keep the pressure on the top order along with Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt. The hero of the previous match, Kane Williamson, could not produce a repeat and fell to a bottom edge as he tried to cut a very wide delivery the ball after top edging a pull down to third man. BJ Watling worked hard to try and give the innings a foundation, but having reached 20, got a leading edge trying to play to the leg side and offered a catch to point off McLaren. McCullum has moved himself around the batting order during this tour, trying to shore up the various weaknesses in the New Zealand line-up, but has underperformed. On this occasion, he had time to build an innings, but having played studiously for 24 deliveries he upper-cut McLaren towards third man where Steyn barely had to move to take the catch. SA 264/9 50 ovs South Africa  Innings - Close Runs Balls 4s 6s de Kock b Franklin 31 38 4 0 Smith c Watling b Williamson 116 130 14 0 Ingram c Guptill b N McCullum 25 40 3 0 Du Plessis c Guptill b Mills 19 23 2 0 Behardien c and b Williamson 4 9 0 0 Miller b Mills 15 19 2 0 McLaren not out 25 24 1 1 Kleinveldt b McClenaghan 6 5 1 0 Phangiso c B McCullum b McClenaghan 9 6 1 0 Steyn c Elliott b Franklin 4 6 0 0 Tsotsobe not out 0 0 0 0 Extras 5w 4b 1lb 10 Total for 9 264 (50.0 ovs) Bowler O M R W Mills 10.0 0 40 2 McClenaghan 10.0 0 70 2 Neesham 3.0 0 22 0 N McCullum 10.0 1 35 1 Franklin 6.0 0 38 2 Elliott 3.0 0 14 0 Williamson 8.0 0 40 2 FOW: De Kock 1/83, Ingram 2/122, Du Plessis 3/165, Behardien 4/174, Miller 5/205 Smith 6/229, Kleinveldt 7/237, Phangiso 8/251, Steyn 9/258 25 over report: South Africa were well-placed to avoid there first one-day whitewash at home as they reached 116 for 1 at the midway point of the chase in Potchefstroom. Graeme Smith and Quinton de Kock added 83 for the first wicket and Smith continued to register back-to-back half-centuries. New Zealand will remember the South Africa collapse in the second match when the home side had appeared comfortably on course for victory and James Franklin broke the opening stand when de Kock bottom-edged a pull into his stumps. After that New Zealand managed to exert some pressure through Nathan McCullum. De Kock had given glimpses of the strokeplay that has got people excited with boundaries on both sides of the wicket. But it his off-side shots that often stand out and twice he stood tall to pierce the gap between cover and point before slightly misjudging the length of Franklin's delivery. Smith, meanwhile, pushed himself into third place in the list of all-time run-scorers for South Africa in one-day cricket now behind just Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs. His first boundary had a stroke of luck when he got an inside edge past the stumps against Mitchell McClenaghan who has caused him problems during the series. However, he was given plenty of deliveries to work through his favourite leg side, both backward and in front of square, and there was also the rare appearance of a cover drive on his way to a 64-ball fifty. Nathan McCullum produced a tight spell with his offspin to ensure South Africa did not race away with the chase. Colin Ingram found it difficult to rotate the strike and the target could yet prove testing for an inexperienced middle order. 50 over report: South Africa nearly messed up another run chase, but Ryan McLaren's six off the final ball ensured they avoided their first limited-overs whitewash on home soil by securing a gripping one-wicket victory in Potchefstroom. Graeme Smith's tenth ODI hundred was guiding the innings only for another uncertain display from the middle and lower order to ensure the game was never dead and it came down to needing three off the last ball. James Franklin, who the ball before had Dale Steyn caught at deep midwicket, tried to bowl wide of off stump and McLaren responded by scooping him over fine leg. Still, while the crowd went wild, South Africa's celebrations, after the initial relief, were muted as they have still come second best in this series and, barring Smith, their batting performance was again one to raise concerns. New Zealand never gave up and deserve immense credit for how they have turned their fortunes around during this one-day series. For a side that fielded outstandingly, though, they will regret one moment when McLaren, on 6, was dropped at deep midwicket by Jimmy Neesham who approached the catch far too casually. While Smith was at the crease the chase, while never simple, was under control. He had brought up his hundred with consecutive boundaries off Kane Williamson but attempting to loft the same bowler down the ground picked out long-on with 32 still needed from 26 balls. Rory Kleinveldt and Aaron Phangiso then both fell swinging across the line at Mitchell McClenaghan to set up the grandstand final over where eight were needed with two wickets in hand. But Smith's innings deserved to be a matchwinner. During the course of his 130-ball stay he moved second in the list of all-time run-scorers for South Africa in ODIs, now just behind Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs. Early on he was given plenty of the pads to pick off, but the cover drive, not often a shot associated with Smith, twice made an appearance. His opening stand of 83 with Quinton de Kock laid the ideal base to chase 260 but after de Kock misjudged his pull against Franklin the innings stalled as New Zealand applied pressure. Nathan McCullum's offspin was hard to score off and when South Africa called for the Powerplay in the 27th over Colin Ingram pulled the first ball of it to midwicket. More loose shots follow, with Smith watching on from the other end. Faf du Plessis also picked out midwicket against Kyle Mills, Farhaan Behardien chipped a catch back to Williamson who did well to hold on while colliding with Smith and David Miller played a hot-headed hoick across the line shortly after Smith had reached his hundred. At 205 for 5 in the 42nd over New Zealand were back in contention and when they removed Smith the whitewash was on the cards, but McLaren managed to keep his cool. New Zealand had earlier recovered impressively to reach 260 after familiar problems at the top of the order left them 68 for 4 with Grant Elliott, Colin Munro and Franklin hitting half-centuries. South Africa will again be concerned about how they could not finish off an innings with the ball as well as they had started. Elliott, who played an important innings in Kimberley, began binding the innings. Munro grew as his stay progressed at one stage lofted Steyn for six having already taken debutant Phangiso for three boundaries in an over during a maiden international fifty. He had been given lbw against McLaren when he had 2 but he correctly reviewed as the ball had pitched outside leg and also took an inside edge. Eventually, however, both batsmen fell to Lonwabo Tsotsobe who had made the early breakthroughs with the new ball. Elliott was the second wicket of the innings to be caught at third man and Munro edged a slower ball. New Zealand, though, benefited from their deep batting order which has been key throughout this series. South Africa, who were again slow with their overs but escaped punishment from match referee David Boon, also gave a helping hand by conceded 17 wides. Losing regular wickets meant Franklin could not cut loose, but he took the innings as deep as he could with some smart batting. He managed to keep the strike after the ninth wicket fell in the 48th over and the final 11 balls of the innings brought 26 runs, including a six off the penultimate delivery to reach his fifty. It was enough to set up an engrossing finish.