New Zealander Rasheen Ravindra, right, celebrates with his teammates the wicket of Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka, centre, during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, February 25, 2026. (AP Photo)
TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: New Zealand kept their T20 World Cup campaign alive with a 61-run thrashing of Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, a result shaped by composure under pressure with the bat, clinical accuracy with the ball, and an atmosphere driven relentlessly by Sri Lankan fans who refused to be drawn away even as the competition eluded their team.Long after the inevitable outcome was in sight, the stands remained full, the drums beating and the horns continuing to blare through Colombo Night. Every boundary was welcomed, every piece of good work recognized. Wins or losses have never defined the Sri Lankan fanbase, and even as their World Cup campaign comes to an end, loyalty has not wavered. Covering a match in Sri Lanka is rarely just about cricket. It feels like a festival, and on this night the celebration continues despite the pain.
T20 World Cup: Sitanshu Cuttack’s press conference ahead of India-Zimbabwe match
Santner and McConchie reverse roles
Earlier, when they placed the racket on a surface that offered variable grip and bounce, the visitors started with intent. Finn Allen produced sharp counter-punching against Dilshan Madushanka, meeting the movement with instinctive aggression. But once the tempo went up, it went down. Allen’s dismissal sparked a short-lived flurry, Tim Seifert followed shortly after, and Sri Lanka sensed an opportunity.Rasheen Ravindra brought fluency through the middle, rotating the strike and finding the occasional boundary, but the introduction of spin decisively changed the balance.
Mahesh Thekshana, who made subtle changes in pace and trajectory, stifled New Zealand’s scoring options. Ravindra went down trying to cut the ball too flat, Mark Chapman was undone by a spin and bounce, and Darryl Mitchell was hit by a slip rather than a spin.
From a comfortable position of 75 for 2, New Zealand slumped to 84 for 6 in the space of nine deliveries.Here Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie stepped in to save the innings.
The approach was uncomplicated and clear. Survival came first. Boundaries were not chased, singles were assessed and dot balls were absorbed without panic. McConchie, playing his first major inning in the tournament, broke a 33-ball boundary drought late in the 16th with a powerful drive across the field. The release was immediate. Santner follows the length read early and targets the lateral boundaries of the shorter leg with authority.
The momentum swing was sudden and decisive. Santner chased down Thekshana, who had been Sri Lanka’s most economical bowler up until then, bowling hard runs and punishing full tosses.
McConchie matched stroke for stroke using clever bat angles and powerful underhand strokes to exploit gaps behind the square.What started as a recovery turned into a late boom. In the last four overs, the seventh-wicket pair plundered 70 runs, turning New Zealand’s total from meager to formidable.
Santner’s 47 off 26 balls bolstered the attack, while McConchie’s unbeaten 31 ensured there was no late collapse. Together they added 84 off 47 deliveries and lifted New Zealand to a competitive position of 168 for 7.
Henry prepares the defense
In response, Sri Lanka’s chase could not find its feet and was bogged down from the first ball. Matt Henry bowled Pathum Nissanka with a rough delivery backwards to hit middle stump. It was a classic dismissal by the bowler and a psychological blow that stunned the entire field.Henry followed it up with a wicket drive and then struck again with the first ball of the second ball, removing Charith Asalanka. Two overs, two wickets and just three runs summed up his impact. Sri Lanka stumbled to 20 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, their lowest total of the tournament, and the uphill climb became steeper with each over.The pressure never eased. Lockie Ferguson’s pace added urgency without sacrificing control, while Santner and Ish Sodhi closed down the scoring options at both ends.
The play reflects the intensity of the bowling, with precise catching and athleticism inside the ring ensuring that Sri Lanka are forced to take risks rather than accumulate.The decisive blow came from Rasheen Ravindra, whose left-arm spin turned the pressure into a collapse. By cleverly varying his pace and width, Ravindra lured the batsmen out of their creases and allowed Tim Seifert to shine behind the stumps. Both Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake were at a loss, beaten by flying, drifting and turning.
Ravindra struck again when Dasun Shanaka clipped the top edges, completing the four-wicket haul by dismissing Dushan Hemantha.
His figures of 4 for 27 reflect not just wicket, but an ability to sense panic and exploit it mercilessly.Camindu Mendes put up a brief resistance, but the wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Glenn Phillips and Darryl Mitchell ensured the chances were taken advantage of, Santner stepped up to close out the innings, and Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 107.For New Zealand, the win means more than just ending Sri Lanka’s campaign. It keeps their semi-final hopes alive in a hotly contested Super Eight stage. Their plan is now clear. Batting early with the new ball, smothering in the middle, and trusting their batting depth to recover from adversity.For Sri Lanka, the tournament ends in disappointment, but it also reminds us of what remains unbreakable. Even as the final wicket fell, the crowd stayed. The band continued to play, the trumpets blared and the applause continued. The result was New Zealand’s, but the night, as always in Colombo, belonged to the fans.Summary scores New Zealand: 168/7 in 20 overs (Mitchell Santner 47, Cole McConchie 31 not out; Mahesh Thekshana 3/30, Dushmantha Chameera 3/38)Sri Lanka: 107/8 in 20 overs (Kamindu Mendis 31, Rasheen Ravindra 4/27, Matt Henry 2/14)
