[Watch] Adam Milne breaks Pathum Nissanka's bat with a thunderbolt in Sri Lanka-New Zealand 2nd T20I

New Zealand (NZ) pacer Adam Milne produced a unique moment in the second T20I at Dunedin when he broke the bat handle of Sri Lankan (SL) opener Pathum Nissanka with a pacy delivery. The ball skidded from a good length, catching the splice of the bat and breaking the handle.

After losing a thriller in the super over in the first T20I, New Zealand won the toss and fielded first in the must-win encounter of the 3-match series. They bowled Sri Lanka out for a mere 141 in 19 overs. Adam Milne was the wrecker-in-chief as he became the third Kiwi to pick up a five-wicket haul in T20Is.

Here is a video of the delivery that broke Nissanka's bat handle in the very first over of the game.

New Zealand won the Test series 2-0 as they officially eliminated Sri Lanka from qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) finals in June. They also won the ODI series with a similar scoreline and played spoilsport to the visitors' chances of direct qualification for the 50-over World Cup in October.

“It’s a big blow for him, and it’s a big blow for us" - New Zealand Coach Gary Stead on the injury to Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson is carried off the field after injuring his right knee in the opening game of the IPL.

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has spoken about the injury to white-ball skipper Kane Williamson. Williamson was injured in the opening match of IPL 2023 when he attempted a catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Speaking ahead of the T20 series against Sri Lanka, Stead gave an update on the injured skipper.

"Our first thoughts are obviously with him, we're not sure at this stage of the severity of the injury. He's being assessed in the next 24-48 hours, so we will know more after that. All we know at this stage is it's his right knee," he said.

He added:

“It’s not nice to see anyone, let alone your captain of your white ball team, being injured. It’s a big blow for him, and it’s a big blow for us.”

Meanwhile, Daryl Mitchell sounded optimistic about Williamson's return from injury.

“I'm sure he'll be back sooner rather than later and just as a mate, I know we'll get around him over the next little bit,” he said.

After the conclusion of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, the Kiwis travel to Pakistan to play a five-match T20 and ODI series starting on April 14.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's white-ball skipper Dasun Shanaka has been named Kane Williamson's replacement for the Gujarat Titans.

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