Trent Boult carried out a great bowling effort to lead New Zealand to a decisive five-wicket win against Sri Lanka on Thursday, putting the Kiwis in the World Cup semifinals. The Kiwis are now in fourth place with 10 points, with a clear advantage over Afghanistan and Pakistan, owing to a much greater net run rate than their opponents.
Pakistan and Afghanistan must achieve unlikely victory margins in their remaining matches facing England and South Africa, respectively, to have any hope of making the last four.
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The Rundown: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
Trent Boult pulled off an outstanding bowling effort to lead New Zealand to a crucial five-wicket victory against Sri Lanka, placing them in the World Cup semi-finals.
In Bengaluru, New Zealand easily completed the mark with 160 balls to spare in pursuit of a manageable 172 for victory, spurred by the opening partnership of Ravindra (42 off 34) and Conway (45 off 42).
The Kiwis are now fourth in the standings with 10 points. They have a commanding lead over Pakistan and Afghanistan, with a substantially higher net run rate than their opponents.
Ravindra, who also took two wickets, maintained his excellent performance throughout the competition, breaking South Africa’s Quinton de Kock at the top of the batting table with 565 runs, including three centuries.
Boult Leads New Zealand Bowling Attack with Three-Wicket Haul
Before Dushmantha Chameera struck Conway and Ravindra, both left-handed openers displayed solid boundary hitting. Despite the losses, Daryl Mitchell’s vibrant 43-run innings guaranteed victory.
The win was very smooth, with only 10 runs falling short of the mark.
Choosing to bat first, Boult produced outstanding figures of 3-37 as New Zealand reduced Sri Lanka to 171 in 46.4 overs.
Opener Kusal Perera gave some trouble with a blistering 51, but the rest of the team struggled. The batting order collapsed. Sri Lanka was 128-9 before a tenacious 10th-wicket stand involving Maheesh Theekshana (38 not out) and Dilshan Madushanka (19) brought the total up to par.
Sri Lanka Ends Campaign with Seventh Defeat
Sri Lanka’s demise began when Lockie Ferguson dismissed left-handed Perera after he had hit nine fours and two sixes in his 28-ball performance. Despite Perera being dismissed on zero by wicketkeeper Tom Latham off Tim Southee, the Kiwis responded immediately, with Boult dismissing captain Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Mitchell Santner, a left-arm spinner, delivered two key wickets. Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva have been dismissed.
After falling at slip off Santner’s spin, Mathews, who was still suffering from his remarkable “timed out” dismissal in the last setback to Bangladesh, looked empty. Sri Lanka finished their campaign with their seventh defeat out of nine games.
Player of the Game: Trent Boult
Trent Boult of New Zealand became the first Kiwi bowler to record 50 wickets in the One-Day International World Cup after an effective performance over Sri Lanka. Boult’s 50th wicket makes him only the sixth bowler in the One-Day International World Cup to accomplish it.
Glenn McGrath, a former Australian bowler, is the ODI World Cup’s highest wicket-taker, with 71 scalps. Furthermore, he became the third Black Caps bowler with over 600 international wickets.
Boult was excited by the prospect of meeting India in the semifinals in front of 1.5 billion people, particularly on the latter’s home turf. This prospective encounter sets the ground for a rematch of the two teams’ 2019 semi-final showdown in Manchester, which the Kiwis won by an 18-run margin.
He admits it will be a difficult task; however, it is indeed the biggest and most interesting task that any cricketer can imagine.
Boult was the standout bowler and named the ‘Player of the Match’, finishing with a 3-37 in 10 overs.
New Zealand v Sri Lanka Score
| New Zealand | Sri Lanka |
| 172/5(23.2 overs) | 171(46.4 overs) |
| New Zealand dominates Sri Lanka by five wickets with 160 balls to spare | |
The host team, India, has secured the first position in the rankings and will take on the fourth-placed team in the opening World Cup semi-final next Wednesday, with South Africa and Australia meeting in the next round on Thursday before the championship on November 19.
The Black Caps won their last league match after four straight defeats. Losses have set them up for a potential semi-final confrontation with unbeaten India.
While Sri Lanka’s seventh defeat in nine games drops them to ninth place, they will now require support from other teams to finish in the final eight on net run-rate and participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
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