New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 61 runs in the Super 8 match played at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. It is a must win match for both the sides, the Kiwis won this match after losing their first game against Pakistan and the co-hosts coming off heavy defeats against England respectively. This defeat knocked Sri Lanka out of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
New Zealand have kept their hopes of a semi-final race intact, as they are currently second on the table with three points from one win and one washout. There is a game to be played against group leader England. The Kiwi team has an excellent run rate of +3.050, which is higher than the three Lions.
New Zealand and Pakistan semi-final scenario explained
Even if the Kiwis lose, they will have to lose by a big margin to match Pakistan’s negative run rate of -0.461. Pakistan’s net run rate has been affected by a big margin after the defeat against England last night.
Sri Lanka is completely out of the semi-final position. If New Zealand loses against the Three Lions by a wide margin then Pakistan will face the co-hosts in their final Super 8 game; Pakistan will then have to win against the island nation by a big margin to overtake the Kiwis’ net run rate.
If New Zealand wins against England, they will qualify along with Harry Brooks’ side, who have already booked a place in the semi-finals. New Zealand will face England on Friday, 27 February. Sri Lanka will host Pakistan on Saturday, February 28. The end of the week is going to be exciting.
Sri Lanka could not take advantage of the opportunity
Talking about the match, Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and decided to bowl first. Finn Allen gave the Black Caps an explosive start to the night, scoring 23 runs from 13 balls, but was dismissed by Mahesh Theekshana. Tim Seifert was an anchor who played run-and-gun. The latter could not score much by scoring 8 runs in 9 balls.
Rachin Ravindra exerted some control in the middle overs, scoring 32 runs from 22 balls and returning to the pavilion, while Theekshana took his second wicket of the game. New Zealand slipped from 83/4 to 84/6 after losing three wickets in the space of one run.
At one time 120 runs seemed impossible for the Kiwi team. However, captain Mitchell Santner took the command in his hands and in his explosive innings scored 47 runs in 26 balls hitting four sixes and two fours. He was supported by Cole McConchie, who remained unbeaten on 31 off 23 balls as the score reached 168/7 in 20 overs.
Rachin Ravindra’s all-round performance took over the match
Sri Lanka, chasing the target, lost the wicket of in-form Pathum Nissanka on the very first ball of the second innings. They were reduced to 46/5 inside 10 overs and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Kamindu Mendis was the top scorer for the co-hosts with 31 runs.
Sri Lanka scored 107/8 in 20 overs. Rachin Ravindra was the bowler of choice for the Black Caps as the all-rounder took 4 for 27 in his four-over spell. He was named player of the match for his all-round performance.
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