New Zealand fight back to eliminate cohosts Sri Lanka from T20 World Cup
Al Jazeera
February 25, 2026
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New Zealand staged a remarkable comeback to defeat cohosts Sri Lanka by 61 runs in their Super Eights match at the T20 World Cup, eliminating Sri Lanka from the tournament. Despite starting poorly, New Zealand’s lower-order partnership turned the tide as Mitchell Santner played a masterful innings of 47 off just 26 balls, anchoring his team to a competitive total of 168-7. Sri Lanka, despite an initial strong effort with the ball, struggled in their chase and were restricted to 107-8, succumbing to their second consecutive loss in the Super Eights stage.
The match began with New Zealand losing both openers early on but managed to rebuild through Santner’s leadership and a rapid partnership with Cole McConchie. Sri Lanka’s spinners, led by Maheesh Theekshana, briefly halted the momentum but couldn’t prevent New Zealand from plundering 70 runs in the final four overs. With Santner hitting four sixes during this pivotal phase, New Zealand secured a strong foundation for their bowlers to defend.
In response, Sri Lanka’s chase was derailed by the impressive bowling of Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry. Ravindra took three wickets, including key dismissals of Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake in a single over, while Henry removed both Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka with clever deliveries. Despite brief resistance from Kamindu Mendis and Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka couldn’t recover from their top-order collapse and fell short of the target.
Sri Lanka’s defeat was particularly disappointing as they aimed to secure a semifinal spot as cohosts. Their captain, Dasun Shanaka
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Originally published on Al Jazeera on 2/25/2026