Lockie Ferguson’s maiden hat-trick paved the way for New Zealand to level the series in a low-scoring second and final T20I against Sri Lanka, played on Sunday in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka chose to bowl first after winning the toss on a pitch that looked hard, assisted spinners, and remained unchanged.
New Zealand, on the other hand, made a single change, bringing back experienced pacer Lockie Ferguson, who replaced Jacob Duffy.
Playing XI:
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Charith Asalanka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitch Hay (WK), Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (C), Ish Sodhi, Zakary Foulkes, Lockie Ferguson
After coming out to bat, New Zealand suffered an early setback, losing two wickets for just six runs in 2.1 overs. Nuwan Thushara gave the hosts the perfect start, claiming a first-ball wicket by bowling Tim Robinson with a perfect inswinging yorker. He then dismissed Mark Chapman with a slower delivery off the first ball of his second over, with Kamindu Mendis holding an easy catch at short extra cover.
New Zealand could only manage 33 runs in the first six overs, and from there, it was all about Wanindu Hasaranga. He ripped through the middle order, hitting the stumps three times, as half the side was dismissed for just 45 runs in 8.3 overs. Will Young followed soon after, getting stumped by Kusal Mendis off Hasaranga. Among the batters, Young stood out, scoring 30 runs at just under a run-a-ball.
Mitchell Santner and Josh Clarkson built the highest partnership of the innings, adding 32 runs in 35 balls, before both were dismissed by Matheesha Pathirana. The skipper fell for 19, while Clarkson added 24 runs off 25 balls, helping the Black Caps surpass the three-figure mark. In between those two wickets, Pathirana also removed Zakary Foulkes in the penultimate over.
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In 19.3 overs, the visitors were bowled out for 108, with Maheesh Theekshana picking up the final wicket. Hasaranga starred with impressive figures of 4-1-17-4, while Pathirana was equally economical, claiming three wickets for 11 runs in his four overs, including a maiden.
Chasing a target of just over 100, the hosts got off to a poor start, courtesy of Lockie Ferguson, who became the fifth New Zealand bowler to take a hat-trick in this format, reducing Sri Lanka to 34 for 4. After Santner dismissed Kusal Mendis earlier, Ferguson struck at the end of the powerplay, removing Kusal Perera, and then started the 8th over with the wickets of Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka to complete the milestone.
A 29-run stand between Pathum Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa ended when the latter was caught behind off Michael Bracewell for 15. Nissanka hung in there, but New Zealand continued to chip away at the other end, claiming the wickets of Hasaranga and Wellalage within three overs, leaving Sri Lanka at 82 for 7.
With Sri Lanka needing 26 runs from the final four overs, Phillips and Bracewell bowled a couple of tight overs, conceding just 10 runs combined, bringing the equation down to 16 off 12 balls. Theekshana managed to find a much-needed boundary in the 19th over, leaving Sri Lanka needing eight off the last over.
Phillips was given the ball and removed the opener with the second delivery, as Nissanka walked back after a hard-fought fifty. Pathirana was stumped off the very next delivery, making the equation even tougher for the hosts. The off-spinner finished things off with the wicket of Theekshana, who had tried hard, scoring 14, but New Zealand sealed a 5-run win.
For New Zealand, Phillips bowled only 1.5 overs, picking up 3 for 6. Ferguson, surprisingly, bowled just two overs for seven runs, taking those three scalps, while Bracewell bagged two wickets.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Robinson | b Nuwan Thushara | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Will Young | st Kusal Mendis b Wanindu Hasaranga | 30 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 93.75 |
| Matt Henry | c Kamindu Mendis b Nuwan Thushara | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Glenn Phillips | b Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Michael Bracewell | b Wanindu Hasaranga | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mitchell Hay | b Wanindu Hasaranga | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Mitchell Santner | c Dunith Wellalage b Matheesha Pathirana | 19 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 79.17 |
| Josh Clarkson | b Matheesha Pathirana | 24 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 96.00 |
| Zakary Foulkes | c Bhanuka Rajapakse b Matheesha Pathirana | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Ish Sodhi | c Kamindu Mendis b Maheesh Theekshana | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Lockie Ferguson | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 19 (b 11 , lb 5 , nb 0, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 108/10 (19.3 Overs, RR: 5.54) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuwan Thushara | 4 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 5.50 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 3.3 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 4.85 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 6.50 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 4.25 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 4 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 2.75 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Henry Nicholls b Glenn Phillips | 52 | 51 | 6 | 0 | 101.96 |
| Kusal Mendis | b Mitchell Santner | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Kusal Perera | c Mitchell Hay b Lockie Ferguson | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 30.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | lbw b Lockie Ferguson | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Mitchell Hay b Lockie Ferguson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Bhanuka Rajapakse | c Mitchell Hay b Michael Bracewell | 15 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 115.38 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | c Henry Nicholls b Zakary Foulkes | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Dunith Wellalage | c Mitchell Hay b Michael Bracewell | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 11.11 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | c Mitchell Hay b Glenn Phillips | 14 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 87.50 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | st Mitchell Hay b Glenn Phillips | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nuwan Thushara | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 11 (b 4 , lb 0 , nb 2, w 5, pen 0) |
| Total | 103/10 (19.5 Overs, RR: 5.19) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Santner | 4 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 3.50 | |
| Zakary Foulkes | 4 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 | |
| Lockie Ferguson | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3.50 | |
| Ish Sodhi | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 6.50 | |
| Michael Bracewell | 4 | 0 | 23 | 2 | 5.75 | |
| Glenn Phillips | 1.5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4.00 | |
