New Zealand delivered a clinical all-round performance to eliminate co-hosts Sri Lanka from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant 61-run victory in Colombo on Wednesday (25).
Rescuing themselves from 84 for 6, skipper Mitchell Santner smashed a fiery 47 off 26 while Cole McConchie remained unbeaten on 31, powering New Zealand to 168 for 7 with a late surge of 70 runs in the final four overs.
The bowlers then crushed Sri Lanka’s chase early, with Matt Henry striking in the first over and Rachin Ravindra spinning a web with career-best figures of 4 for 27 as the hosts stumbled to 107 for 8.
Though Kamindu Mendis and Dunith Wellalage showed brief resistance, Sri Lanka never built momentum and managed just 38 boundary runs compared to New Zealand’s commanding 100, sealing their second straight Super Eight defeat.
The victory strengthens New Zealand’s semi-final push in Group 2, while Sri Lanka crash out of contention, leaving Pakistan needing a massive win and other results to go their way to stay alive in the tournament race.
