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Santner, Rachin Star as NZ Thrashes SL in T20 WC Super Eight Clash

New Zealand secured a commanding 61-run victory over co-hosts Sri Lanka in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash. Captain Mitchell Santner played a pivotal role, scoring 47 and joining an elite group of all-rounders with 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is. Rachin Ravindra shone with both bat and ball, his 4/27 becoming the third-best bowling figures by a New Zealander in T20 World Cup history. The win was set up by a record 84-run seventh-wicket partnership between Santner and Cole McConchie.

Key Points: NZ's Santner, Rachin Make History in T20 WC Win Over SL

  • Santner's historic all-round double
  • Record 7th-wicket partnership
  • Rachin's 4/27, third-best for NZ in T20 WC
  • Sri Lanka restricted to 107/8 in chase
2 min read

T20 WC: Santner joins elite all-rounder club; Rachin registers third best figures by a Kiwi in tournament history

Mitchell Santner joins elite all-rounder club and Rachin Ravindra takes third-best Kiwi T20 WC figures in New Zealand's 61-run victory over Sri Lanka.

"Santner joined an elite company of all-rounders... as a player with a double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is. - Match Report"

Colombo, February 25

It was a match filled with history for the Kiwis, particularly skipper Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, as they ousted co-hosts Sri Lanka with a dominant 61-run win in their ICC T20 World Cup Super Eight clash at Colombo on Wednesday.

Santner and Rachin's all-round performances were the highlights of the one-sided encounter between New Zealand and Sri Lanka as the latter was restricted to 107/8 while chasing 169 runs.

After SL opted to field first, they restricted the Kiwis to 84/6, and it seemed that their chances of making it to the semifinals were in peril. Skipper Santner (47 in 26 balls, with two fours and four sixes) and Cole McConchie (31* in 23 balls, with three fours and two sixes) stitched an 84-run stand for the seventh wicket, which is the highest in tournament history for 7th wicket or lower, outdoing Steve Smith and Mike Hussey's 74-run stand against Bangladesh in the 2010 edition at Bridgetown.

Santner, with his knock, joined an elite company of all-rounders from Test-playing nations, such as Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammed Nabi, Sikandar Raza, Hardik Pandya, and Shadab Khan, as a player with a double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is.

Besides his 137 wickets, Santner has also scored 1,021 runs in 88 innings at an average of 20.01 and a strike rate of 131.74, including a fifty and a best score of 77*. This year in 10 T20Is and eight innings, he has made 173 runs at an average of 34.60 and a strike rate of over 158, with best figures of 47*, marking a massive improvement in his hitting as a lower-order batter. He is enjoying his best calendar year as a batter in T20Is.

Sri Lanka's demolition saw them get restricted to 107/8, with highlight knocks coming from Kamindu Mendis (31 in 23 balls, with four boundaries) and Dunith Wellalage (29 in 23 balls, with two fours). Rachin Ravindra, who had earlier cracked 32 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six, took a four-wicket haul, breaking the back of the Lankan batting.

Rachin's figures of 4/27 are the third-best figures by a Kiwi bowler in T20 World Cup history, with Santner's 4/11 against India in 2016 at Nagpur and Daniel Vettori's 4/20 against India at Johannesburg in 2007 being the top two efforts.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Ananya R
Rachin Ravindra is such a promising talent. 32 runs and 4 wickets? That's a proper all-round performance. His name has Indian roots too, which makes it fun to watch him do well! Hope he continues this form.
V
Vikram M
Santner joining that elite club with Shakib, Nabi, and Hardik is no small feat. 1000 runs and 100 wickets in T20Is is a massive achievement. His batting has improved so much this year. Respect!
S
Sarah B
As a cricket fan living in India, it's great to see such a dominant all-round display. The 7th wicket partnership record is insane! Shows you should never count a team out. Sri Lanka looked completely out of ideas.
K
Karthik V
While the Kiwis were brilliant, I have to say the Sri Lankan batting was a bit disappointing. 107/8 chasing 169? They seemed to lack fight after the top order fell. Need to bounce back strong for their fans.
P
Priya S
Rachin's figures are the third best for a Kiwi in T20 WC! Only behind Santner and Vettori, and both of those were against India 😅. Interesting stat. New Zealand always produces such quality spinners.

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