Twitter Reactions: Jacob Duffy’s four-wicket haul helps Kiwis go 2-0 up vs Sri Lanka

At Mount Maunganui on December 30, Mitchell Santner’s and Jacob Duffy New Zealand team defeated Sri Lanka by 45 runs in the second Twenty20 International, securing the victory and taking a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. With their bowlers putting in a thorough effort to defend a score of 186/5, the Kiwis were far more dominant this time around after a thrilling victory in the first game.

Following their second victory in this series, Sri Lanka chose to bowl first, but their move backfired as their bowling attack failed to hold New Zealand’s hitters in check. Mitchell Hay (41* from 19), Mark Chapman (42 from 29), and Tim Robinson (41 from 34) were the top hitters for the home team. In their allocated 20 overs, the hosts reached 186/5 thanks to Hay’s knock in the lower order. The standout bowlers for Sri Lanka were Wanindu Hasaranga (2/28) and Nuwan Thushara (1/25).

The tourists got off to a strong start in reply when Kusal Perera (48 from 35) and Pathum Nissanka (37 from 28) combined for a strong 39-run partnership for the second wicket. But because of the Kiwi bowlers’ outstanding work, Sri Lanka’s chase fell apart as soon as the middle order broke down.

With stats of 4/15, Jacob Duffy was the highlight of the match.

He also had a pivotal spell in the middle overs, dismissing four of Sri Lanka’s top and middle-order batsmen. Important contributions to containing the visits were also made by Michael Bracewell (1/30) and Mitchell Santner (2/22).

Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for just 14 runs as a result of their collapse. Because Charith Asalanka (20) and Kusal Mendis (10) could not contribute with the bat, the tail swiftly dropped, and the team was eventually bundled out for 141 runs. For his exploits with the bat earlier, Hay was named Player of the Match.

Here’s how ‘X’ users reacted to New Zealand’s win over Sri Lanka in second T20I: