Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori shared five wickets as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by three runs in a Twenty20 international here on Wednesday after the poor show in the test series which Sri Lanka swept 2-0.
The tourists, restricted to 141-8, hit back to keep the World Twenty20 finalists down to 138-9 in a tense finish at the Premadasa stadium.
Oram finished with 3-33 and skipper Vettori took 2-11 as Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for 71 runs after Tillakaratne Dilshan's brilliant 57 off 28 had lifted them to 67-2 in the seventh over.
Oram, bowling the final over with Sri Lanka needing nine runs with three wickets in hand, dismissed Malinda Bandara and Nuwan Kulasekara off the first two balls and conceded just five runs in the over.
Ian Butler, who did not play in the Test series which Sri Lanka swept 2-0, took 2-29 including the important wicket of Dilshan.
New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, returning to official cricket after two years after breaking the links with ICL, was hit for four consecutive boundaries by Dilshan in his first over. 
Taylor hit five fours and a six in his third Twenty20 half-century, but the Kiwis lost five wickets for 19 runs after they had reached 117-3 in the 17th over.
Taylor brought up New Zealand's 100 in the 15th over with a boundary off Sanath Jayasuriya, and celebrated the landmark by pulling the next delivery over mid-wicket for six.
The second Twenty20 match will be played at the same venue on Friday before New Zealand join India and Sri Lanka in a limited-overs tri-series starting here on September 8.
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