New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 46th Match, Super 8 Group 2 (Y2 v Y4), ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

So Sri Lanka become the first team to be knocked out. Apart from that chase against Australia, they have had a poor tournament. Meanwhile, New Zealand have one foot in the semis. Time to bid goodbye. There's a couple of cracking games tomorrow. First up is South Africa v West Indies. And a must-win game for India against Zimbabwe at Chepauk. We will be there nice and early for those ones. Do join us then. For now it's tata and bye bye.

Mitch Santner | New Zealand captain: "Yeah, I think it was obviously a nice little period there with Sri Lanka with the ball. They squeezed us a lot. I think we lost three wickets on 84, which is never ideal, but I think the longer we could take it, me and Cole were thinking, we were trying to get to 140, but that kind of sets it up for the last kind of two-three overs and I guess 160 was not bad from there. (on his knock) Yeah, 5 off 10 last game I wasn't overly happy with. Yeah, I think it's kind of one of those wickets where if you can get in and give yourself a little bit of time, you can kind of cash in and I guess me and Cole were thinking the same. It was obviously pretty tough to start out there. So to get 160 was nice and then with the ball, we kind of knew what we had to do with, you know, I guess watching the whole first innings. (on McConchie) Yeah, I mean, at the toss, it looked like a pretty good wicket. It probably spun more than we both thought, both teams thought. So I think with the big side as the spinner, you can kind of control your lengths and then get hit to the big side when the ball spinning in like that. So, yeah, you know, it's fantastic for Cole. Obviously, a bit of a nervy start with me and him at the crease there. Three off 10 each probably. But then, you know, we were... just the longer we could take it, then we kind of took it quite deep, which was nice. (on Rachin) Yeah, I think the stats say, you know, I guess we've watched a few games here, whether it's been Super 8 or the, you know, the before. It's kind of been, the slower you bowl the more it kind of spins. And I guess I don't need a second invitation to bowl quite slow, so it was quite nice. But yeah, I think on the seam was quite nice, quite effective. (on the game against England) Yeah no. They're outstanding, obviously. We know that. Quick turnaround for us. And again, we'll see kind of what pitch we're on. If it plays something similar. It might be a bit of a slug-fest as well."

Dasun Shanaka | Sri Lanka captain: "Yeah, it is very embarrassing to disappoint the home crowd. You know, they've been very supportive. Yes, you know, we started really well, but to be honest, the Mitchell Santner... and that partnership, it was a good one, which took the game away from us. Yeah, and also the decision to bat, so it was a collective decision, but, you know, we didn't expect wicket to turn that much since it's a new pitch. (the last four overs with the ball) See, we wanted to restrict them around 130, but, you know, our best bowlers bowling at the given time, to be honest, they played really well, so we must give the credit to Mitch Santner and Colin [Cole]. (on Kusal Mendis) Yeah, he came to the game with a [an] issue. He's a key player for us, but you know, it's that kind of a day nobody got that start for us. (on the pitch) Yeah, I thought the wicket might settle a bit since it's a new pitch, but the way they bowled, the areas which we didn't bowl, I mean the Sri Lankan bowlers, yes, we bowled occasionally, but not all the time we were hitting that length, but we must give credit to New Zealand bowlers, which they, you know, executed really well tonight. (on the last game) Absolutely, one more game, we need to finish it high, yeah, hopefully we'll do our best game in that game. (what do you need to do better?) Of course, the batsmen need to take a little responsibility at the top and you know we can't rely on one or two batsmen in a game, so all the batters need to take the positive option. Yes, if you get out taking the positive option, you can be, you know, at least you can be relaxed once you come to the dugout, but here it is not the thing, we don't take the chances and it is T20 cricket, you need to show the intent a little bit more."

- Sri Lanka has not qualified for the T20 World Cup Semis since their winning campaign in the 2014 edition.

Best bowling figures for a NZ spinner in T20 WC
4/11 - Mitchell Santner vs IND, Nagpur, 2016
4/20 - Daniel Vettori vs IND, Joburg, 2007
4/27 - Rachin Ravindra vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2026*

- Six wickets by New Zealand spinners is the second-most by them in a T20 WC match after 9 wickets against India at Nagpur in 2016.

Most overs of spin in a T20 WC innings
18.0 - PAK vs AUS, Colombo RPS, 2012
18.0 - PAK vs IND, Colombo RPS, 2026
17.0 - NZ vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2026*
16.0 - AFG vs ENG, Delhi, 2016
16.0 - AFG vs WI, Nagpur, 2016
16.0 - PAK vs USA, Colombo SSC, 2026

- This is the second time New Zealand bowled 17 overs of spin in a T20I after as many against India at Lucknow in 2023

Most overs of spin in a T20 World Cup match
31.0 - IND vs PAK, Colombo RPS, 2026
30.0 - SL vs NZ, Colombo RPS, 2026*
26.0 - AUS vs PAK, Colombo RPS, 2012
25.4 - IND vs WI, Mirpur, 2014

Rachin Ravindra | Player of the Match: (how are you feeling?) "Yeah, I mean, it's always pleasing to have a win like that and come in their own conditions and play a good game of cricket. Obviously, credit to Sri Lanka. They're amazing, especially at home. But it was almost a pretty much complete performance. And it was awesome to see contributions across the board from our team. (how much did he take from his batting into his bowling?) Yeah, I guess understanding that slow was better. And I think there were a few stats that was put up even before our game against Pakistan in terms of under 85kph and the purchase you get from the surface and no one better than Santner, the captain, to tell you to bowl slow. He's obviously a master in that craft. So we all sort of talked about it as a spin group and decided pace off was better, especially the way Maheesh bowled to us with those heavy offies and slow, showed us a little bit of purchase in there. (how important it is for him to get it right with the ball?) Yeah, I guess for me, it's about offering a contribution to the team. And that's to me the important thing. I guess being able to bat in the top three and offer some overs helps to balance the team out a little bit. Obviously in these conditions, I just tend to bowl a little bit more than I do at home. I'm just glad to be in the game no matter what and it feels like even if you don't have such a good day with the bat, you can contribute with the ball and vice-versa. (what did he think about the crowd?) Yeah, I mean, it's a quiet right, you like a crowd quiet, but honestly, I think the Sri Lankan crowd was amazing. They obviously got up and hearing the national anthem and little things like that are pinch yourself moments and make you remind you why you play this game. And I think there was a period where they were screaming New Zealand, New Zealand. And again, those moments are pretty cool and it's always the reason why you want to play on these stages. And, you know, credit to them. They've turned up in massive numbers whenever Sri Lanka's played."

22:29 Local Time, 16:59 GMT, 22:29 IST: Ever since Matt Henry produced a corker first ball of the innings to get Nissanka, New Zealand never let their vice-like grip on the game go. They used the conditions so well and Santner went with spin despite Henry taking two wickets up top. New Zealand bowled 17 overs of spin and Ravindra was the unlikely hero with the ball. He finished with a four-fer and Sri Lanka were never in the game after the early loss of Nissanka and 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 Wellalage tried their best but never threatened a heist. The pitch had a lot of spin and bounce and New Zealand used that to great effect. New Zealand will be chuffed with this win as they were struggling with the bat till the 16th over and then Santner and McConchie came to the party. A remarkable turnaround after that. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff...

Glenn Phillips to Dunith Wellalage, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Crowd slowly escaping.