With one ball remaining, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in a dramatic Twenty20 match at Dambulla thanks to Lockie Ferguson‘s incredible hat-trick and Glenn Phillips’ near-hat-trick in the last over. The Black Caps’ bowling assault was overpowering and pulled off an unexpected victory, even though they finished with a modest score of 108 after being brought in to bat first.
Tim Robinson, the opener, went out on the first delivery, demonstrating New Zealand’s lackluster batting performance. At 108 at the end of their innings, the squad struggled to bat out their overs and was never able to build a solid run pace. Will Young scored the most runs (30), followed by all-rounder Josh Clarkson (24) but was dismissed with an over left, leaving the Black Caps with little chance of rallying.
“We need to find a method and dig in,” said captain Mitch Santner, reflecting on the team’s strategy. “Slightly slower wickets than we’re used to at home.” He went on to say that the team’s low total was a result of them having “gone too hard too early” and overestimating the par score.
A score of 108 would normally be unassailable, but Ferguson and the other bowlers from New Zealand had other ideas. At first, Sri Lanka’s pursuit was steady, but they had trouble forming alliances. With 52 runs, Pathum Nissanka led the innings, but his teammates couldn’t consistently support him.
Ferguson’s incredible bowling, which resulted in his first hat-trick in T20 internationals, changed the course of the match. On the final ball of the sixth over, he caught-behind Kusal Perera for three. Ferguson struck once more in the following over, dismissing Kamindu Mendis for 1 by a leg-before-wicket judgment and later dismissing Charith Asalanka for a duck with the opening two deliveries of the eighth over. At 34/4, Sri Lanka was left reeling.
Santner said, “He’s a world-class bowler with his thunderbolts,” in reference to Ferguson’s performance. “His job was to break up the spin and take a few wickets in the middle.” Despite the 29 runs that Nissanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa added for the fifth wicket, Ferguson’s efforts put Sri Lanka in a vulnerable position as they were running out of partners and choices.
New Zealand’s chances depended on their bowlers because Sri Lanka needed eight runs from the last over. The game was ended by spinner Glenn Phillips, who took three wickets in four balls. He removed Nissanka first, after which he was caught by Henry Nicholls, and then Matheesha Pathirana, who was caught by wicketkeeper Mitch Hay.
After Maheesh Theekshana top-edged a delivery for Hay to catch again, Phillips took the final wicket to conclude the drama. In a thrilling triumph, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by five runs. The Black Caps won and maintained their lead thanks to the combined efforts of Phillips and Ferguson.
With five catches and a stumping, Mitch Hay’s effort behind the wickets created a new global record for the most dismissals in a T20 international encounter. Despite their batting difficulties earlier in the game, this outstanding accomplishment helped New Zealand win.
Santner had urged his players to battle together during the change of innings. “We talked about taking wickets up top, and there was a bit there for seam and spin,” he revealed. He underlined how crucial it was to exert pressure by bowling tight, knowing that the surface would take care of the rest.
“We wanted a few more runs with the bat, but we knew it was a tricky surface,” Santner said, acknowledging the team’s batting difficulties. Our goal was to exert pressure, bowl in the appropriate spots, and let the pitch do its job. “Lockie and GP were fantastic,” he said, praising Ferguson and Phillips’ efforts and emphasizing their crucial roles in winning.
Now that the T20 series is over, the two teams will concentrate on a one-day, three-match series that begins on Wednesday. When they play Sri Lanka in the lengthier format of the match, New Zealand will want to build on their exciting T20 victory.
