Tonight, on a pitch that gripped at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, they were in dire straits at 84/6, yet managed to orchestrate a thrilling turnaround to post 168/7, pummelling 70 runs from their final four overs, after being asked to take first strike in a crucial Super 8 fixture. In reply, Sri Lanka’s all-too-familiar batting meltdown returned to haunt them, as they could only muster 107/8, handing New Zealand a commanding 61-run win. The result knocks out Sri Lanka from this T20 World Cup, while New Zealand have a foot in the semifinals.
At the heart of New Zealand’s win were their bowlers, led by Matt Henry, the skilful pacer, who epitomises New Zealand cricket’s ethos: underrated, unfussy and effective. He struck in his first delivery, jagging one back sharply off the seam to castle Sri Lanka’s in-form opener Pathum Nissanka, whose feet went nowhere, as he fell for a duck. Henry then removed the other opener, Charith Asalanka, with a beautifully disguised slower delivery, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 20/2 in Powerplay.
Once Nissanka was dismissed, Sri Lanka’s batting unravelled in dire circumstances. There was little visible intent and no clear plans against New Zealand’s bowlers. At times, there was a streak of recklessness, which only hastened the slide. On a sluggish surface, they struggled to pierce the field, failed to rotate strike and allowed pressure to suffocate them. New Zealand employed 17 overs of spin. Much like their previous outing against England, their innings against New Zealand lacked momentum. Kamindu Mendis top-scored for Sri Lanka with 31.
The fact that Rachin Ravindra’s left-arm spin exposed their frailties with such precision, he finished with career-best figures of 4/27, underlined just how far Sri Lanka’s batting has floundered in this T20 World Cup.
For New Zealand the defining moment in their batting came when captain Mitchell Santner (47 off 26b, 2×4, 4×6) and Cole McConchie (31* off 23b, 3×4, 2×6) stitched together a scintillating 84-run partnership for the seventh wicket, a record for New Zealand in T20Is.
Joining hands at a precarious 84/6, New Zealand seemed trapped, but the duo’s fearless strokeplay changed the course of the game. Together, they turbocharged New Zealand to a total that looked far more competitive than the mid-innings collapse suggested.
Barring those four manic overs in the end, Sri Lanka’s bowlers dominated proceedings. Maheesh Theekshana (3/30) mystified batters with flick-of-the-finger offspinners and deceptive carrom balls, while pacer Dushmantha Chameera (3/38) cleverly mixed speeds, forcing errors from the Kiwis.
Nevertheless, it was New Zealanders who walked away with smiles on their faces.
