Roughly 20 days after the women’s team won the T20 World Cup, and about a week after the men’s Test team completed a whitewash of India at home, New Zealand’s cricketers continue to do the near-impossible.

On this occasion they defended 108 all out on a tricky – but far from unplayable – Dambulla surface. Lockie Ferguson bowled only two overs before having to leave the field because of a calf injury, but he claimed a hat-trick to rip out Sri Lanka’s top order, as he collected figures of 3 for 7.

As has often been the case on this long South Asian sojourn, Glenn Phillips was vital to New Zealand’s victory too. He’d been out for 4 off 9, but took three wickets in the final over – which he had only had to bowl because of Ferguson’s absence. The most prized of those wickets was that of Pathum Nissanka,  who had been Sri Lanka’s backbone, making 52 off 50, until he tried to smash Phillips over long-on, but could not clear the fielder.

He was the last recognised batter to be dismissed, however. Zakary Foulkes, Mitchell Santner, and Michael Bracewell had all been effective in keeping Sri Lanka on a leash, as they squeezed wickets out of the batters’ frustrations. New Zealand have never defended a lower total in T20Is. Only twice have Full Members failed to finish off a chase of such modest proportions. ( Zimbabwe vs Namibia in 2023 and West Indies vs Zimbabwe in 2010)

Sri Lanka would have thought themselves almost certain to win, when they earlier had the opposition 52 for 6 in the 11th over. But New Zealand cobbled together what looked an unimpressive total between Will Young’s 30, Santner’s 19, and Josh Clarkson’s 24. All of those innings came at less than a run-a-ball.

This result ties the series 1-1, Sri Lanka having eased to victory on Saturday.

Although Ferguson only bowled half his overs (he’d only just recovered from a right hamstring complaint to make it into this XI), he essentially broke the game open in overs six and eight. Having allowed only three singles off his first five balls, he delivered a spectacular, swinging almost-yorker just on off stump, to take Kusal Perera’s outside edge, nicely caught by a diving Mitchell Hay.

Next over, he nailed Kamindu Mendis in front of the stumps with a rapid yorker the batter was way to late on, and for his hat-trick wicket got a little luck. He pushed the ball – another attempted yorker – to Charith Asalanka a little far down leg. But Asalanka, in good form, got a little edge to that ball, which Hay received, low to the ground.

Sri Lanka, suddenly were 34 for 4.

With Ferguson unavailable through the back end of the innings, and Santner choosing to keep the pressure on Sri Lanka by bowling his frontliners relatively early, it fell to Phillips to bowl the big-pressure final over.

Sri Lanka needed eight from it, which is not a huge amount when you have a top-order player batting on a half-century at the crease. Phillips found a way.

When Nissanka got on strike for the second ball, he went down low and tried to slog-sweep it, only to find the long-on fielder. Next ball, Phillips slid a ball past the outside edge of Matheesha Pathirana, who stumbled forward, and was duly stumped.

Sri Lanka could have still won – or at least tied – the game going into the final two deliveries. Maheesh Theekshana, who can occasionally produce boundaries, was on strike. But Phillips bowled bravely, slowing up a big offbreak outside off, with a little extra top spin. Theekshana swung, and only got a top edge, that Hay tracked down with his gloves to spark New Zealand jubilation.

It was clear there was big turn on this track from the outset. On top of which, Wanidu Hasaranga was in especially devastating touch. First ball, he bowled Phillips attempting what may have been a pre-meditated reverse slap. It was the googly that did that damage. Later in the over, he ripped a big legbreak, bowled slow through the air, beat Bracewell’s outside edge and took the top of his offstump – a classical legspinner’s dismissal.

Hay was dismissed similarly next over, before getting Young overbalanced attempting a sweep, with Kusal Mendis collecting the ball down the leg side and flinging down the stumps while Young was out of the crease – an especially sharp piece of wicketkeeping after Mendis had been struck on the knee the previous over.

That Wanindu did all this with a leg injury he’d picked up early in the game, made it even more impressive. He was hobbling through many of his deliveries.

Brief scores:
New Zealand 108 in 19.3 overs (Will Young 30, Josh Clarkson 24; Wanidu, Hasaranga 4-17, Nuwan Thushara 2-22, Maheesh Theekshana 1-16, Matheesha Pathirana 3-11) beat  Sri Lanka 103 in 19.5 overs  (Pathum Nissanka 52; Mitchell Santner 1-14, Zakary Foulkes 1-23,  Ferguson 3-07, Michael Bracewll 2-23, Glenn Phillips 3-06 ) by five runs

[Cricinfo]