Santner inspires stunning rearguard as NZ knockout suspect SL: T20 World Cup S8 No 46 (RPS)

Skipper Santner and Ravindra combined as co-hosts Sri Lanka were eliminated after collapsing to a 61-run defeat by New Zealand in Colombo.

New Zealand delivered a clinical all-round performance in Colombo, turning a middle order collapse when they were on the ropes as 78-6 into a dominant victory that silenced the large local crowd.

After a slightly stuttering start, Mitchell Santner’s (47) late acceleration with Col McConchie (37) put on a NZ record of 84 for the 8th wicket and gave the innings real momentum, pushing the score beyond Sri Lanka’s comfort zone on a surface offering grip and variable bounce.

The turning point came with the ball. Rachin Ravindra’s four-wicket spell dismantled Sri Lanka’s middle order just as they were attempting to rebuild, ensuring the chase never truly developed.

Sri Lanka struggled to find fluency against disciplined spin and smart pace variations, and once the required rate climbed into double digits, the collapse felt inevitable. For New Zealand, it was a statement Super 8 win built on control rather than chaos.

New Zealand 168 for 7 (Santner 47, Ravindra 32, Theekshana 3-30, Chameera 3-38) beat Sri Lanka 107 for 8 (Kamindu 31, Wellalage 29, Ravindra 4-27, Henry 2-3) by 61 runs.

Feb 2026.