New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by five runs in a sensational finale to their Twenty20 on Sunday and drew the series 1-1. New Zealand was all out for 108 in 19.3 overs but dismissed Sri Lanka for 103 in 19.5 overs. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson snared a hat trick, Glenn Phillips grabbed three wickets in four balls, and wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay pouched five catches and a stumping in a stunning win.
Phillips got the key wicket from the second ball of the last over when opening batter Pathum Nissanka holed out at long on for 52. When Phillips got Matheesha Pathirana stumped off the next ball, he was on a hat trick.
Nuwan Thusara avoided the hat trick ball, the fourth ball of the over, and took a single. But Maheesh Theekshana, one of only three Sri Lankans to achieve double figures by reaching 14, sliced a catch to Hay to end the match.
Ferguson turned the game around with 3-7 off his two overs before he had to leave due to a strained calf.
Ferguson got Kusal Perera caught behind off the last ball of his first over. Kamindu Mendis was trapped off the first ball of his next over, then captain Charith Asalanka gave a thick edge down the leg side that was brilliantly caught by a diving Hay.
Ferguson, who missed Saturday’s four-wicket defeat, became the fifth New Zealand bowler after Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell and Matt Henry to achieve a T20 hat trick.
Hay became the first wicketkeeper in T20 history to feature in six dismissals. When New Zealand batted, Wanindu Hasaranga took 4-17 after he was hobbled by a hamstring injury in his first over.
Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara used the first delivery of the match to clean bowl Tim Robinson off a yorker. Hasaranga spun the Kiwis into deeper trouble. Phillips was clean bowled when he attempted to reverse sweep a googly, and Michael Bracewell and Hay were also bowled.
New Zealand slumped to 52-6 in the 11th over when Hasaranga had Will Young, the top scorer with 30, stumped. Josh Clarkson (24) and captain Mitchell Santner (19) lifted the Black Caps total. But fast bowler Pathirana limited the run rate in the death overs by taking 3-11 with deceiving slower deliveries.
The teams begin a three-match one-day international series in Dambulla on Wednesday.
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