Matt Henry (two for 3) silenced a full home on the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday when he breached Pathum Nissanka’s gate with a nip-backer and castled him off the primary ball of Sri Lanka’s chase of 169 runs.
The host nation by no means actually recovered from the morale-crushing fall of its in-form batter and crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2026 with a 61-run loss to New Zealand, its second-straight defeat within the Tremendous Eights.
Henry struck in his second over by speeding Charith Asalanka with bounce, forcing his pull shot into the arms of Daryl Mitchell at quick midwicket.
Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake have been equivalent of their laboured stints within the center and their dismissal – crushed by Rachin Ravindra and stumped after a hop down the crease.
The top of their laborious 21-run partnership off 36 balls despatched Sri Lanka right into a free fall. It additionally acquired Ravindra a career-best 4 for 27. Dasun Shanaka fluffed his reduce to level whereas Dushan Hemantha chased a large supply and sliced it to lengthy on to grow to be Ravindra’s subsequent two victims.
Kamindu Mendis’ reverse sweeps off Ish Sodhi and Cole McConchie got here too late to essentially swing the competition again in Sri Lanka’s favour. He finally pulled a half-tracker from Mitchell Santner to deep midwicket and departed for 23-ball 31.
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Dunith Wellalage (29, 23b, 2×4, 1×6) fought until the top and dragged Sri Lanka to 107 for eight.
The sport slipped away from Sri Lanka’s grasp within the final 4 overs of the primary innings, the place it leaked 70 runs to the unfancied pair of Santner (47, 26b, 2×4, 4×6) and McConchie (31 n.o., 23b, 3×4, 2×6). Their seventh-wicket partnership acquired New Zealand 84 off 47 balls, salvaging it from a precarious 84 for six.
Runs got here at a trickle within the early part of this alliance, however the shackles have been damaged within the seventeenth over with McConchie clearing the midwicket fence along with his clips twice off Chameera. The change in temper rubbed off on Santner too, who made essentially the most of a size ball and a full toss from Maheesh Theekshana to deposit sixes over midwicket.
Santner thumped one other full toss over lengthy on within the nineteenth over from Madushanka, which additionally included three wides and went for an additional 19. Chameera nabbed Santner off the ultimate supply of the innings, however solely after the whole had been inflated additional to 168.
The ounce of hope that Sri Lanka may scale the whole was put to relaxation by Henry in his first two overs.
The sport slipped away from Sri Lanka’s grasp within the final 4 overs of the primary innings, the place it leaked 70 runs to the unfancied pair of Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie.
| Picture Credit score:
AP
The sport slipped away from Sri Lanka’s grasp within the final 4 overs of the primary innings, the place it leaked 70 runs to the unfancied pair of Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie.
| Picture Credit score:
AP
Sri Lanka’s meek capitulation was surprising after its spinners managed the tempo of the New Zealand innings.
The Kiwi openers had threatened to run away within the PowerPlay, dispatching size deliveries from Wellalage from deep of their crease. Finn Allen creamed him twice by means of covers and Tim Seifert clubbed him by means of sq. leg to make it 12 runs off boundaries within the second over.
Maheesh Theekshana shelled Allen’s edge at quick third off Dilshan Madushanka however redeemed himself simply 4 balls later, nabbing him caught and bowled with some grip off the floor.
The early intent had been curbed with Seifert choosing the deep square-leg fielder along with his clip off Chameera.
Rachin and Glenn Phillips plotted a affected person restoration with their 41-run stand just for Theekshana and Wellalage to wrest the management again. Troubled by the duo’s grip and switch, New Zealand collapsed from 75 for 2 to 84 for six and regarded out of kinds.
However Sri Lanka had little inkling that Santner and McConchie have been about to interrupt free and solid a pall over their night.
Revealed on Feb 25, 2026