New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka: Ravindra 4-27 Not Enough as Black Caps Crush Hosts to Knock Sri Lanka Out of Super 8s
New developments in new zealand vs sri lanka saw New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 61 runs in Colombo, leaving Sri Lanka 107-8 in reply to a New Zealand total of 168-7 and eliminating the co-hosts from the T20 World Cup Super 8s. The result matters because New Zealand strengthened their semi-final hopes while Sri Lanka suffered a second straight Super 8s defeat.
New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka: scoreline and key figures
New Zealand posted 168-7, largely rescued by Mitchell Santner's 47 off 26 and Cole McConchie's 31 off 23. Sri Lanka, chasing 169, slumped to 107-8. Rachin Ravindra took 4-27 with what was described as a career-best return, while other bowling contributions included two wickets for three runs from Henry and three wickets each for Maheesh Theekshana and Dushmantha Chameera.
How the New Zealand innings recovered
New Zealand were in deep trouble early, losing three wickets for no runs and slipping to 84-6. The recovery began with a counter-attacking partnership between Santner and McConchie. The pair added 80 runs off 43 deliveries by the time Santner was out on the last ball, with McConchie producing an aggressive spell that included 18 runs in the 17th over, bowled by Dushmantha Chameera, and Theekshana conceding 21, including two wides, in the 18th over. Santner struck four sixes and two boundaries; McConchie hit two sixes and three boundaries.
Bowling display and Sri Lanka collapse
Sri Lanka had initial success with New Zealand at 90-6 after 15 overs, but the late flurry set a challenging target. In reply, Sri Lanka were unable to rebuild. Matt Hendry dismissed opener Pathum Nissanka with the first ball and Charith Asalanka's dismissal left Sri Lanka 6-2 early on. Slow bowling by the spinners then tightened the screws, curtailing runs and taking wickets when batters tried to attack. Theekshana and Chameera each finished with three wickets and Rachin Ravindra's 4-27 further dismantled the chase, leaving Sri Lanka 107-8.
Implications for the Super 8s and what comes next
The defeat means Sri Lanka have two defeats from their opening two Super 8s matches and are out of the competition. For New Zealand, the victory boosted semi-final hopes but left their path incomplete: they may still need to beat England this Friday to ensure a semi-final spot, because Pakistan could overhaul them on net run rate if Pakistan have a large win over Sri Lanka in their final Super 8s game. England are already in the last four after two Super 8s wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Captains and reactions from Colombo
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner reflected on a period when the pitch and ball suited his side and on the plan to bat through to a defendable total, saying that reaching around 160 set up the finishing overs. He acknowledged the difficulty of the start and noted that, after watching the first innings, his side knew how to bowl on the wicket that was turning more as the match progressed. On the quick turnaround to a match against England, he warned that playing on a similar surface could be a slog.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka called the result embarrassing for the home crowd and said the decision to bat was collective, adding that they had not expected the pitch to turn as much. He conceded that New Zealand played well and said Sri Lanka hoped to finish their next game on a high.
Coverage notes and further reading
Match coverage invited readers to consult a report by Sam Drury to relive New Zealand's 61-run victory over Sri Lanka and noted that while the Super 8s contest did not bring as much drama as such matches sometimes do, the coverage team enjoyed taking viewers through the action. Live-text coverage scheduled for the next day included West Indies vs South Africa at 09: 30 GMT and India vs Zimbabwe at 13: 30 GMT.
