Ferguson, who did not play in the series opener, produced one of his finest spells as he claimed his hattrick across two overs, helping New Zealand defend their lowest ever total in T20 internationals and level the series. The Kiwi speedster first sent back Kusal Perera off the final ball of the sixth over and then went on to dismiss Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka off back-to-back deliveries in the eighth over to complete his hat-trick. With this rare feat, Ferguson became the fifth New Zealand player to pick up a men's T20I hat-trick after Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Michael Bracewell and Matt Henry. While Oram and Southee were the second and third bowlers to pick up men's T20I hat-tricks, Bracewell took his in 2022 and Henry in 2023 against Pakistan. Southee also took another hat-trick in 2022 against India. Here is look at New Zealaners with T20I hattricks: New Zealand players who took hattrick in T20Is

• Jacob Oram vs Sri Lanka in 2009
• Tim Southee vs Pakistan in 2010
• Michael Bracewell vs Ireland in 2022
• Tim Southee vs India in 2022
• Matt Henry vs Pakistan in 2023
• Lockie Ferguson vs Sri Lanka in 2024

Ferguson is also the eighth bowler to claim a hattrick in 2024 with Sri Lanka's Nuwan Thushara claiming the first treble of this year back in March before Australia's Pat Cummins achieved the rarest of feats, claiming two successive hattricks in the T20 World Cup 2024. T20I hattricks in 2024

• Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka) vs Bangladesh
• Aqib Ilyas (Oman) vs Cambodia
• Pat Cummins (Australia) vs Bangladesh
• Pat Cummins (Australia) vs Afghanistan
• Chris Jordan (England) vs USA
• Waseem Yaqoob (Lesotho) vs Mali
• Obed Harvey (Ghana) vs Mali
• Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) vs Sri Lanka

Coming back to the SL vs NZ 2nd T20I, Sri Lanka were led by Wanindu Hasaranga's brilliant spell as New Zealand struggled to put together partnerships and could only pile on 108 runs. Hasaranga picked up four wickets while Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara took three and two apiece to play a major part in New Zealand's struggling innings. What seemed like a regulation run-chase soon turned interesting as Ferguson rushed through the Sri Lankan middle-order to reduce them to 34/4. With the skipper Asalanka dismissed for a duck, the pressure was on Sri Lanka despite the low target. Glenn Phillips defending eight of the final over, claimed three wickets, including the well-set Pathum Nissanka for 52, and conceded just 2 runs to pull off one of the best defence in T20Is.