Sri Lanka bungled out by New Zealand
New Zealand knocked Sri Lanka out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a commanding 61-run victory in Colombo on Wednesday, staging a remarkable turnaround with the bat before sealing the contest with a clinical bowling display.
After recovering from 6/84 to post 7/168 in their 20 overs, the Black Caps restricted the hosts to 107/8. It marked Sri Lanka’s second successive defeat in the Super 8 stage, ending their semi-final hopes. With England already through, New Zealand now sit second in Group 2 with three points. Pakistan remain the only side capable of challenging them, but Salman Agha’s team must beat Sri Lanka by a significant margin and hope England defeat New Zealand.
Put into bat, New Zealand’s innings looked in tatters at 6/84 before skipper Mitchell Santner and Cole McConchie engineered a stunning revival.
Santner struck 47 off 26 balls, hammering four sixes and two fours, while McConchie remained unbeaten on 31, finding the boundary three times and clearing it twice. Their 84-run stand for the seventh wicket came off just 47 balls, with 70 runs plundered in the final four overs.
Earlier, Finn Allen provided early momentum, but Sri Lanka hit back swiftly. Maheesh Theekshana removed Allen in the third over, and Dushmantha Chameera dismissed Tim Seifert soon after. A 41-run partnership between Rachin Ravindra (32) and Glenn Phillips steadied the innings briefly, but Phillips’ departure triggered a collapse as Ravindra, Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell fell in the space of eight balls.
Theekshana (3/30) and Chameera (3/38) were incisive early on but suffered in the death overs as New Zealand roared back.
Sri Lanka’s chase never recovered from a disastrous start. Pathum Nissanka was bowled first ball by Matt Henry, who followed up with a wicket maiden and then dismissed Charith Asalanka. Henry finished with 2/3 in two overs as the hosts slumped to 20/2 after six overs — their lowest powerplay total at T20 World Cups.
Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake fell in quick succession to identical stumpings off Ravindra, who claimed 4/27 — his best T20I figures.
Kamindu Mendis (31) and Dunith Wellalage (29) attempted resistance, but Sri Lanka struggled for momentum, managing just 38 runs in boundaries compared to New Zealand’s 100.
South Africa defeat West Indies
In Ahmedabad on Thursday, Aiden Markram delivered a masterclass as South Africa cruised past West Indies by nine wickets to edge closer to a semi-final berth.
After Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd rescued West Indies from 7/83 to 8/176 with a record partnership, Markram’s unbeaten 82* off 46 balls powered South Africa to 1/177 in just 16.1 overs — their sixth win of the tournament.
The victory placed the Proteas atop Group 1 with two wins from two matches.
Markram struck four sixes and seven fours, including a straight drive to seal the chase. It was his sixth half-century of the tournament — the most by a South African in T20 World Cups.
Quinton de Kock smashed 47 off 24 balls, while Ryan Rickelton remained unbeaten on 45* (28). The 95-run opening stand between Markram and De Kock, achieved in eight overs, was their third 50-plus partnership of the tournament — the most by any opening pair so far.
West Indies began aggressively, with captain Shai Hope launching two sixes off Keshav Maharaj in the opening over as the side raced to 29 in two overs.
But Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi turned the tide. Rabada removed Hope and Shimron Hetmyer in three balls, while Ngidi dismissed Brandon King and Roston Chase as West Indies slipped from 29/1 to 43/4.
Holder struck four fours and three sixes before falling for 49, while Shepherd compiled his maiden T20I fifty, finishing unbeaten on 52* off 37 balls. The pair’s counterattack featured 11 sixes and 15 fours overall, yielding 126 boundary runs.
Despite a rare off day in the field, with three dropped catches, South Africa’s bowlers — Rabada (2/22), Ngidi (3/30) and Corbin Bosch (2/31) — had already laid the foundation.
India blitz Zimbabwe in search of Semis
At Chepauk, India unleashed a batting onslaught against Zimbabwe, posting 4/256 — the highest total of this edition and the second-highest in T20 World Cup history.
Half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya powered India past West Indies’ 6/254 and within four runs of Sri Lanka’s all-time record of 260 set in 2007. India smashed 17 sixes and 17 fours, amassing 170 runs in boundaries.
Despite Brian Bennett’s unbeaten 97, Zimbabwe were restricted to 6/184, handing India a 72-run win and eliminating Zimbabwe from semi-final contention. With South Africa already through, India’s clash against West Indies on Sunday is effectively a knockout.
After Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza opted to field, Sanju Samson returned to open alongside Sharma and immediately struck a six off the second ball.
India raced to 1/80 in the powerplay. Sharma, rediscovering form, notched his maiden T20I fifty in 26 balls and finished with 55 off 30, striking four fours and four sixes.
India surged past 150 in the 13th over, 200 in the 17th and 250 in the final over. Pandya and Tilak Varma (44*) added 84 runs in 31 balls for the unbeaten fifth wicket. Pandya brought up his 50 in 23 balls, finishing with two sixes off the final two deliveries.
Zimbabwe made a steady start at 44/0 in the powerplay before Axar Patel removed Tadiwanashe Marumani.
Bennett fought valiantly, reaching his half-century in 36 balls and ending unbeaten on 97 off 59 deliveries, with eight fours and six sixes. Apart from Raza’s 31, support was limited.
Arshdeep Singh returned the best figures for India, claiming 3/24 in four overs on a batter-friendly surface.
Zimbabwe will face South Africa in their final fixture, while India prepare for a decisive showdown against West Indies with a semi-final berth at stake.