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Cole McConchie gave New Zealand a late boost with 31* off 23 balls
Dushmantha Chameera is all fired up after castling Glenn Phillips
Maheesh Theekshana celebrates a wicket with Dasun Shanaka
Surrender meekly to New Zealand by 61 runs
84-6 New Zealand hit 70 runs off the last 4 overs as SL bowlers get carried away
Pathetic is how Sri Lanka’s batting in the Super-Eights can be summed up as they succumbed to their second successive defeat by 61 runs to New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium yesterday and with it, kissing goodbye to their chance of making it to the semi-finals of the Men’s T20 World Cup.
As a host nation, Sri Lanka had a lot of hopes of making at least to the last four of the competition playing in their own conditions and in front of the home crowd who backed them till the end. But once again it was the batting that let them down as so often has been the case. Bowled out for 95 in the first Super-Eight match against England, Sri Lanka managed just 107-8 in their second outing against the Black Caps who recovered from 84-6 to post a competitive total of 168-7. The way the team has performed in the T20 World Cup in fits and starts, they don’t deserve a semi-final place because there are teams far better than them in the tournament who warrant a place in the last four.
Ever since Matt Henry produced a corker first ball of the innings to get Pathum Nissanka, New Zealand never let their vice-like grip on the game go. They used the conditions so well and Mitchell Santner went with spin despite Henry taking two wickets at the top. New Zealand bowled 17 overs of spin and Player of the Match Rachin Ravindra was the unlikely hero with the ball. He finished with a career best 4/27 with his left-arm spin and Sri Lanka were never in the game after the early loss of Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. Kusal Mendis struggled as he batted on one leg and the asking rate shot up by the time the powerplay was done. Kamindu Mendis and Dunith Wellalage tried their best but never looked threatening. The pitch had a lot of spin and bounce and New Zealand used that to great effect. New Zealand will be delighted with this win as they were struggling with the bat till the 16th over. That was when Santner and Cole McConchie came to the party to produce a remarkable turnaround.
New Zealand looked down and out when Daryl Mitchell was cleaned up by Wellalage, but an 84-run stand off 47 balls between Santner and McConchie lifted them to 168-7 what looked like a par total. Finn Allen provided a flying start but couldn’t convert, and Tim Seifert followed soon after, leaving them wobbling at 34-2. Ravindra and Glenn Phillips stitched a brief stand (41 off 31 balls), but the squeeze came through the middle overs. Maheesh Theekshana struck twice in the 12th over, and Wellalage followed it up with a stunning burst as three wickets fell for no runs in that phase. At that point, New Zealand seemed headed for a below-par finish. But an 18-run 17th over shifted the momentum, and Santner and McConchie carried it through to the end as New Zealand hit 70 runs off the last 4 overs.
Sri Lanka have one final game in the Super Eight against Pakistan at Pallekele on Saturday.
Mitchell Santner rescued New Zealand with a 26-ball 47
Kusal Mendis is stumped by Tim Siefert as Sri Lanka crumble
Rachin Ravindra (right) is congratulated by Tim Siefert on his way to a 4-wicket haul
