History was made in Colombo as New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner notched a groundbreaking milestone in T20 Internationals. In the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 match versus Sri Lanka, he became the first Kiwi and sixth overall from full ICC members to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets.
Facing early setbacks after batting first, New Zealand saw Finn Allen depart for 23 (13 balls, 4 fours) and Tim Seifert for 8, slipping to 34/2. A recovery via Phillips-Ravindra’s 41-run stand took them to 75, but wickets tumbled to 84/6.
Santner rose to the occasion with a captain’s innings of 47 (26 balls: 4×6, 2×4). His vital 84-run alliance with McConchie (31 off 23, 5 boundaries) over 47 balls propelled the innings to 168/7.
He now shares the honor with Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Sikandar Raza, Hardik Pandya, and Shadab Khan. Sri Lanka’s Theekshana and Chameera dominated with 3 wickets each; Wellalage took 1.
This achievement amplifies Santner’s stature, blending explosive batting with proven wicket-taking ability, as New Zealand eyes victory in this pivotal game.