Sri Lanka collapse against New Zealand to exit T20 World Cup
BBC NEWS
By Sam Drury – BBC Sport journalist
25/02/26

Sri Lanka out of T20 World Cup after heavy defeat to New Zealand
T20 World Cup, Super 8 Group 2, Colombo (RPS)

New Zealand 168-7 (20 overs): Santner 47 (26); Theekshana 3-30
Sri Lanka 107-8 (20 overs): Ravindra 4-27, Henry 2-3
New Zealand won by 61 runs

Scorecard. Tables

Co-hosts Sri Lanka are out of the T20 World Cup after collapsing to a 61-run defeat by New Zealand in Colombo.

Needing to win to keep their semi-final hopes alive, Sri Lanka looked to be in control late into the New Zealand innings, having restricted them to 98-6 after 16 overs.

However, the bowlers crumbled in the face of a late surge from Mitchell Santner (47 from 26 balls) and Cole McConchie (31 not out from 23) and New Zealand bludgeoned 70 from the final four overs.

A chase of 169 left the game in the balance but Sri Lanka’s top order folded, with fast bowler Matt Henry taking two wickets in the powerplay.

From there, the home side failed to generate any momentum and when Rachin Ravindra had both Kusal Mendis and Pavan Rathnayake stumped in the ninth over, Sri Lanka were 29-4 and the game was up.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra, who made 32 from 22 with the bat, took a further two wickets to end with figures of 4-27, while Henry was afforded the rest of the night off after taking 2-3 from his two overs as Sri Lanka dragged themselves to 107-8.

After losing to England in their opening Super 8s game, Sri Lanka depart with a whimper while New Zealand remain in contention to reach a fifth T20 World Cup semi-final.

For much of the first innings, though, Sri Lanka’s bowlers looked like being the match-winners, with spinner Maheesh Theekshana taking 3-9 from his first three overs and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera also impressing.

They led the way as New Zealand slumped from 75-2 to 84-6 in less than three overs.

But Sri Lanka failed to finish the job and McConchie began the fightback before his captain took over with a brutal display of hitting, dismantling a suddenly fragile Sri Lanka attack, in a stand of 84.

It took New Zealand to a competitive total that, ultimately, proved more than good enough as the spinners took over and Sri Lanka fell apart.

Both sides have one Super 8s game remaining. New Zealand can seal their place in the semi-finals with victory over England on Friday, while Sri Lanka face Pakistan in Pallekele on Saturday.

SKY NEWS UK

Monday 23 February 2026 13:26, UK

Britain’s athletes landed back in London after securing five medals, including three golds, led by the team’s star Matt Weston.

Team GB’s athletes have returned home to a rapturous welcome after their most successful Winter Olympics ever.

The competitors landed at London’s Gatwick Airport on Monday morning after securing a record-equalling tally of medals.

They were led out of arrivals to cheers from the waiting public by Matt Weston, the double gold medal-winning skeleton competitor.

Team GB’s total haul of five medals was also achieved in 2014 and 2018, but their three golds in 2026 were more than at any other winter Games.

They took home two golds in the middle weekend of the Olympics: the first for Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale in the mixed team snowboarding, and the second for Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker in the mixed team skeleton.

Weston won his second gold medal of the Games alongside Stoecker, after picking up his first in the men’s singles skeleton on 13 February.

Stoecker said: “This welcome has been completely overwhelming. I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet how much the nation had got behind us. And that’s just incredible, especially for our sport, which is quite niche, so we don’t always get that much attention.”

Who is Matt Weston?

Curling ‘cheating’ controversy explaine

He told Sky News: “It feels amazing around my neck. It’s just a crazy thing to think that I’m a gold medallist now, it’s been a long journey.

“Being there, you don’t realise how big it’s actually become in the UK.”

“It’s an amazing feeling to see how people are supporting us, it being a winter games just means even more for us, for all the support.”

When asked how he was going to unwind, Grant Hardie, curling silver medallist, said: “You put so much into so many hours of training, and it’s just going to be nice to have a complete switch off”.

He added that he would “not think about curling for a few months at least, and [would] try to get on the golf course.”

Halfpipe skiing bronze medallist, Zoe Atkin, described the experience as “surreal,” saying her medal was “really heavy, but it feels really good”.

Atkin, whose sister also won bronze in the 2018 Winter Olympics, joked that “when I get home, we’re going to weigh them”.

She said seeing her sister win in 2018 was a “huge inspiration” and “to be able to back her up eight years later with my own bronze is just so special”.

Jubilant Team GB return home after record-breaking Winter Olympics

SKY NEWS UK

Monday 23 February 2026

Britain’s athletes landed back in London after securing five medals, including three golds, led by the team’s star Matt Weston.

Team GB’s athletes have returned home to a rapturous welcome after their most successful Winter Olympics ever.

The competitors landed at London’s Gatwick Airport on Monday morning after securing a record-equalling tally of medals.

They were led out of arrivals to cheers from the waiting public by Matt Weston, the double gold medal-winning skeleton competitor.

Team GB’s total haul of five medals was also achieved in 2014 and 2018, but their three golds in 2026 were more than at any other winter Games.

They took home two golds in the middle weekend of the Olympics: the first for Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale in the mixed team snowboarding, and the second for Matt Weston and Tabby Stoecker in the mixed team skeleton.

Weston won his second gold medal of the Games alongside Stoecker, after picking up his first in the men’s singles skeleton on 13 February.

Stoecker said: “This welcome has been completely overwhelming. I don’t think it’s quite hit me yet how much the nation had got behind us. And that’s just incredible, especially for our sport, which is quite niche, so we don’t always get that much attention.”

Who is Matt Weston?

Curling ‘cheating’ controversy explaine

He told Sky News: “It feels amazing around my neck. It’s just a crazy thing to think that I’m a gold medallist now, it’s been a long journey.

“Being there, you don’t realise how big it’s actually become in the UK.”

“It’s an amazing feeling to see how people are supporting us, it being a winter games just means even more for us, for all the support.”

When asked how he was going to unwind, Grant Hardie, curling silver medallist, said: “You put so much into so many hours of training, and it’s just going to be nice to have a complete switch off”.

He added that he would “not think about curling for a few months at least, and [would] try to get on the golf course.”

Halfpipe skiing bronze medallist, Zoe Atkin, described the experience as “surreal,” saying her medal was “really heavy, but it feels really good”.

Atkin, whose sister also won bronze in the 2018 Winter Olympics, joked that “when I get home, we’re going to weigh them”.

She said seeing her sister win in 2018 was a “huge inspiration” and “to be able to back her up eight years later with my own bronze is just so special”.

සිම්බාබ්වේ කණ්ඩායම පැරදවූ බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව් කණ්ඩායමට ලකුණු 107ක විශිෂ්ට ජයක්..

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