Eng Vs Nz: New Zealand dominate Sri Lanka in Colombo
In a Super 8s encounter framed here as eng vs nz, New Zealand recorded a 61-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Santner's 47 off 26 and Cole McConchie's 31 off 23 helped lift New Zealand to 168-7, and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 107-8 chasing 169.
Eng Vs Nz match recap
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first in Colombo. New Zealand recovered from a difficult middle phase — having lost three wickets for no runs and slipping to 84-6 — to reach 168-7. The recovery was built largely around Mitch Santner, who scored 47 off 26, and Cole McConchie, who made 31 off 23.
New Zealand innings swing
New Zealand's plan in the middle overs was clear. Santner and McConchie put together a partnership that the Sri Lankan attack could not fully break, nudging the total into the 160s. Santner said that, after the period where the team lost wickets on 84, he and Cole were thinking they would try to reach 140 to set the platform for the final overs and that "160 wasn't a bad total from there. " On his own knock he reflected: "Well I wasn't particularly happy with my four off 10 in the last game! It's one of those wickets where, if you can get in and give yourself a bit of time, you can cash in. It was pretty tough to start out there, so to hit 160 was nice. "
Sri Lanka chase collapses
In reply Sri Lanka slumped to 107-8 while chasing 169. Ravindra finished with figures of 4-27. The context also notes "Three wickets for Theekshana and Chameera" in the match summary. The chase never recovered after the New Zealand bowlers pressed at key moments.
Captains' post-match reactions
New Zealand captain Mitch Santner described conditions and tactics after the match: "There was obviously a nice little period for us with the track and with the ball. They squeezed us a lot, I think we lost three wickets on 84 which is never ideal. The longer we could take it, myself and Cole [McConchie] were thinking we would try to get to 140, which kind of set it up for the last two or three overs. I guess 160 wasn't a bad total from there. " He added that watching the first innings helped the bowlers plan: "Then we knew what we had to do with the ball after watching the whole of the first innings. It looked like a pretty wicket at the toss. We have watched a few games here and it has kind of been a case of the more you bowl, the more it spins. Also, on the seam was quite nice and effective. " On the quick turnaround to face England next he said: "They are outstanding, we know that. It is a quick turnaround for us. If we play on something similar to this, it might be a bit of a slog-fest as well. "
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka voiced disappointment: "It's embarrassing to disappoint the home crowd, they've been very supportive. We started really well but that partnership [between Santner and McConchie] was a really good one that took the game away from us. Also, the decision to bat was a collective decision but we didn't expect the pitch to turn that much. We wanted to restrict them to 130 but, to be honest, they played really well so we must give them credit. One more game, we need to finish on a high so hopefully we can have our best game. "
What's next and schedule
Match coverage suggested readers relive New Zealand's result through Sam Drury's match report and highlighted the tournament schedule ahead. The bulletin invited readers to join again tomorrow for a packed day of action, with live-text commentary announced for West Indies versus South Africa at 09: 30 GMT and India versus Zimbabwe at 13: 30 GMT. An editorial question from the coverage asked: "What should England do about Jos Buttler?"
New Zealand's 61-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo was powered by Santner and McConchie in a recovery from 84-6, and by bowling that included Ravindra's 4-27 and the noted three-wicket returns for Theekshana and Chameera.
