Sl Vs Nz — sl vs nz: New Zealand end Sri Lanka's T20WC run in Colombo
sl vs nz saw New Zealand stage a brilliant recovery with the bat to set up a 61-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday. The win ended Sri Lanka's run at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 and strengthened New Zealand's chances of reaching the final four.
Sl Vs Nz: Late surge and spin
Put into bat, New Zealand looked precarious at 84/6 before a lower-order revival pushed them to 168/7 in their 20 overs. Mitchell Santner led the rescue with a 47 off 26 balls, striking four sixes and two fours, while Cole McConchie remained unbeaten on 31, with three fours and two sixes. Together Santner and McConchie dug in, then accelerated: they scored 70 runs in the last four overs and piled on 84 runs for the seventh wicket in just 47 balls.
New Zealand mid-innings recovery
Finn Allen gave New Zealand a brisk start, but Sri Lanka struck back in the third over when Maheesh Theekshana removed Allen. Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Tim Seifert in the next over. A 41-run partnership between Rachin Ravindra, who made 32, and Glenn Phillips provided temporary respite, but Phillips' dismissal precipitated a middle-order collapse. New Zealand lost four wickets for nine runs; Ravindra, Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell all departed within the space of eight balls and the score was frozen on 84.
Sri Lanka reply collapses early
In reply, Sri Lanka faltered immediately. Pathum Nissanka was bowled off the first ball of the innings by pacer Matt Henry, who produced a wicket maiden and then claimed Charith Asalanka in the next over, finishing with figures of 2/3 in two overs. The home side were 19/2 after six overs — their lowest total in powerplay at T20 World Cups — and never recovered.
Key bowling figures and players
Rachin Ravindra returned to influence the game with the ball in the chase, effecting two near-identical stumpings to remove Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake on successive legal deliveries, and finishing with 4/19 — his best figures in T20I cricket. Off spinner Maheesh Theekshana finished with 3/30 and pacer Dushmantha Chameera with 3/38; both had been razor sharp in the first 15 overs but came in for heavy punishment in the slog overs as New Zealand posted 168/7.
Group standings and qualification
The result was Sri Lanka's second successive defeat in the Super Eight stage, which puts them out of semi-final contention. Meanwhile, New Zealand have strengthened their chances of making the final four with the big win: England have already qualified, and the Kiwis are currently second in Group 2 with three points. The only team who can still challenge them is Pakistan, but Salman Agha's side will have to win against Sri Lanka with a substantial margin and hope that New Zealand crumble against England to go through.
Mitchell Santner's innings also marked the end of Kamindu Mendis's resistance as New Zealand's spin and late hitting combined to deny the hosts a comeback. New Zealand's 61-run victory in Colombo on Wednesday leaves clear consequences for the Super Eight picture and ends Sri Lanka's campaign in this tournament.
