Watch: Matt Henry removes Pathum Nissanka for golden duck in NZ vs SL T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash

Sri Lanka's campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 started well as they defeated Australia and eliminated them from the tournament. However, after getting beaten by Zimbabwe in their last group stage match, their performance has taken a hit. They lost their first encounter against England in the Super 8 clash, and now, they have a high chance of losing against New Zealand as well. 

Sri Lanka decided to bowl first in the must-win match against the Kiwis. But New Zealand went on to score 168 runs in the first innings. Following that, Sri Lanka's innings started with a huge disappointment as star opener Pathum Nissanka was dismissed on a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. Matt Henry removed the batter and sent him back to the pavilion. 

Watch the video here:

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It was a good length seam delivery that landed on the seam and nipped in. The batter tried to play the ball, but it went from the inside gap of the bat and pad onto the stumps. Nissanka was stunned, and so was the crowd. In an important game like this, losing the best batter is not something Sri Lanka had planned for. As we write, they have lost two wickets already. 

This is an important match for Sri Lanka, as they have already lost against England in the previous match. While chasing 148 runs, the hosts were bowled out for 95 runs, which was quite humiliating. 

Will Sri Lanka qualify if they lose against New Zealand?

Sri Lanka will have to win the ongoing match against New Zealand to remain in the qualification contention. If they lose today's match, they'll be eliminated from the tournament, and the race will be between New Zealand and Pakistan. The calculation is quite simple. Since the hosts lost against England, they had two more games to keep up their chances. 

Meanwhile, if they lose today and beat Pakistan in the next match, New Zealand and England will qualify for the semi-finals from Group 2. Pakistan also lost against England, and their first match ended up being abandoned due to rain. The tournament has certainly reached an interesting stage where the competition is quite high, and any team can qualify for the knockouts. Hence, the fans must keep a close watch on all the upcoming games.