New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, World Cup 2023: Kiwis all but through to semis with clinical victory

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New Zealand have almost secured their passage to the World Cup 2023 semifinals with a victory over Sri Lanka on Thursday (November 8).

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru witnessed the Kiwis coming back to winning terms as they saw off a depleted Sri Lanka side and won the match easily by 5 wickets, with more than 26 overs to spare.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka: As it Happened

Sri Lankan team could not put up a substantial total on the board and were bowled out for a mere 171 runs. The Black Caps displayed their best bowling skills at the crucial moments, managing to send the entire Sri Lankan team back to the pavilion in just 46.4 overs.

Kusal Perera was the shining star for Sri Lanka, smashing a brisk 51 off just 28 balls. However, the New Zealand bowling attack, led by Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, proved to be too tough for the Sri Lankan batsmen. Boult finished with figures of 3/37 in his quota of 10 overs, while Santner picked up 2 wickets, giving away just 22 runs in his 10 overs.

Despite the top and middle order's failure to post a challenging total, the last wicket pair of Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka showed resilience. Theekshana remained unbeaten at 39, while Madushanka added 19 runs to the total. Their partnership of 43 runs took the team past the 170-run mark, adding some respectability to the Sri Lankan total.

The run chase proved to be a cakewalk for the Black Caps. Devon Conway (45 off 42) and Rachin Ravindra (42 off 34) gave them a solid start and then Daryl Mitchell also piled up a quickfire 43 runs. Angelo Mathews did get two wickets but it never looked in danger for the Kiwis as they steamrolled the Lankans and chased the score down with 26.3 overs to spare.

With the victory, New Zealand have ended their 4-match losing run and have now cemented their place in the semi-finals. Pakistan and Afghanistan will have to do something out of the World to topple the Kiwis and enter the semis.