DUNEDIN, (New Zealand): New Zealand made 315-8 batting first in Sunday's sixth one-day international against Sri Lanka, with Ross Taylor scoring 96 to partly atone for running out Kane Williamson for 97.
Taylor, who scored just 65 runs across four previous innings in the series, struggled for touch early, but picked up the pace later as the Black Caps produced another big total at University Oval.
Taylor was at fault in Williamson's dismissal, having his back turned as his teammate completed most of a second run, and Taylor himself also fell just short of a century, being dismissed lbw after a video review.
Corey Anderson chipped in with 40 runs for New Zealand, which punished most of the Sri Lanka's bowlers, particularly Thisara Perera, who gave up 86 runs in his ten overs.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and batted on the same pitch used when New Zealand scored 360 in the fifth game of the series two days' earlier.
McCullum was out for a duck in the second over and opening partner Martin Guptill fell for 28 in an innings prolonged once by a technical failure and later by poor umpiring.
When on 6, Guptill was struck low on the pad in front of middle stump by a delivery from Dhammika Prasad. Umpire Derek Walker surprisingly said Guptill was not out and Sri Lanka could not ask for a video review because the system was temporarily out of order
Guptill survived another chance when he got an edge through to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who appeared to have got his gloves under the ball, but after several replays, it was ruled that the ball had not carried.
It was third time lucky for Sri Lanka, when Guptill again edged a Perera delivery to Sangakkara. He was given not out, but that was overruled on replay, which showed a slight inside edge.
Williamson wrestled the upper hand from the Sri Lanka bowlers in his innings of 95 balls in which he hit eight fours and two sixes.
Williamson substantially lifted the run rate, even when Taylor was struggling to score, and gave New Zealand steady momentum through the crucial middle overs of the innings.
With his help, New Zealand was on target for a total well in excess of 300 but his dismissal, just as he was becoming fully dominant, took some of the impetus from New Zealand's batting effort.
There were three run outs in the New Zealand innings, but two came in the last over, during the late scramble for runs.
New Zealand leads the seven-match series 3-1.