Sports

Rachin Ravindra’s brilliant performance, New Zealand knocks co-organizer Sri Lanka out of T20 World Cup 2026. Read

By Sandy Verma

New Zealand Kept their semi-final dreams alive and co-organised Sri Lanka To T20 World Cup 2026 with an impressive 61-run win, which took place in Colombo on 25 February 2026. be the hero of the night Rachin Ravindrawhose all-round brilliance turned a difficult situation into a strong win at the R. Premadasa Stadium. This victory New Zealand significantly increased their net run rate as they England Heading towards an important final Super 8 clash against. For Sri Lanka, a second consecutive Super 8 defeat brought a sad end to their domestic campaign, ensuring their exit from the tournament.

Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie rescue New Zealand after Maheesh Theekshana’s triple strike

New Zealand’s innings was a tale of two halves, recovering from a serious middle-order collapse to post a strong total of 168/7 on the challenging Colombo surface. After choosing to bowl, Sri Lanka Mahesh Theekshana Wrested control early through, who bowled a dangerous spell of 3/30. Find Allen (23) and Mark Chapman Was out without scoring any runs.

Rachin Ravindra provided some stability by scoring 32 runs off 22 balls, but when Dushmantha Chameera by Glenn Phillips (18), the Black Caps were headed for a low score at 84/6 in the 13th over. However, the game Mitchell Santner And Cole McConchie The situation took a dramatic turn during the 84-run seventh-wicket partnership between , who scored 70 runs in the last four overs alone. Santner, playing the role of captain, scored 47 runs in just 26 balls, which included four huge sixes that hit short leg-side boundaries.

McConchie provided perfect support, scoring 31, ensuring New Zealand had all the momentum at the break. The collapse in the final overs stunned the Sri Lankan bowlers, as they gave up a position of complete control and posted a total that was well above the ground’s average first innings score.

Rachin Ravindra’s four-wicket performance dashes Sri Lankan T20 World Cup 2026 hopes in Colombo

Defending 168, New Zealand gave a clinical bowling performance and bowled out Sri Lanka for just 107 runs, with Ravindra proving to be the architect of the collapse. The chase started very poorly for the co-organizers, when Matt Henry on the first ball of the innings Pathum Nissanka out, after this Charith Asalanka With K out, the hosts reached 6/2.

Ravindra then played the lead role with his left-arm orthodox spin, dismantling the Sri Lankan middle order while taking impressive figures of 4/27. he first Where in Mendi (11) and Pavan Rathnayake (10) in the same over, both being beaten with flight and turn and then expertly stumped by Tim Seifert. Ravindra captain Dasun Shanaka And Dushan Hemantha The dismissal ended any real chances of a comeback for the home team.

Kamindu Mendis 31 more Dunith Wellalage Despite a final score of 29, the required run rate crossed 15, forcing the batsmen to play disappointing shots, resulting in a flurry of wickets. Santner concluded his brilliant day by dismissing set batsman Kamindu Mendis, while Glenn Phillips It ensured a 61-run victory by dismissing the last batsmen. This victory goes to New Zealand Pakistan Sri Lanka remains the first team to be officially eliminated from the Super 8 stage, making it a thrilling Group 2 finale.

Here are the fans’ reactions:

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2026: Salman Agha’s wife responds to trolls targeting their child after Pakistan’s Super 8 defeat against England

Sandy Verma 302 posts 0 comments
You might also like More from author

Comments are closed.