Pakistan’s Sole Hope Hinged on Rain Spoiling NZ vs SL Match
NZ vs SL- New Zealand secured a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the 41st match of the ODI World Cup 2023. This marks their fifth win in the tournament, keeping their hopes alive for reaching the semi-finals.
New Zealand made a solid push to affirm their place in the top four with a crucial victory over Sri Lanka 👊#NZvSL | #CWC23 | 📝: https://t.co/y10v87Cf06 pic.twitter.com/dHoMhVUduO
— ICC (@ICC) November 9, 2023
Winning the toss, New Zealand opted to bowl first at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The Sri Lankan team, batting first, was all out for 171 runs. New Zealand clinched the match by scoring 172 runs for five wickets in 23.1 overs.
New Zealand has maintained its chances of advancing to the semi-finals by overcoming Sri Lanka. All their league round matches have concluded. New Zealand has garnered 10 points from nine matches, securing victory in five and facing defeat in four. The triumph over Sri Lanka also snapped their four-game losing streak.
If the Kiwi team secures a spot in the semi-finals, they will face India in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan team is on the verge of being eliminated from the World Cup. Simultaneously, Pakistan will need a miraculous performance to reach the semi-finals.
New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl first. There was one change each in both the teams. New Zealand gave a chance to Lockie Ferguson in place of Ish Sodhi. Sri Lanka left out Kasun Rajitha and included Chamika Karunaratne in the squad.
Playing-11 of both the teams(NZ vs SL)
New Zealand Playing 11-
Kane Williamson (captain), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Sri Lanka Playing 11-
Kusal Mendis (captain and wicketkeeper), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Sadira Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjay de Silva, Mahish Teekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera and Chamika Karunaratne.
Sri Lanka, First Losing The Toss Then losing The wickets
NZ vs SL- The Sri Lankan team, batting first after losing the toss, experienced a challenging start. The initial wicket fell with the score at three runs, and Nissanka couldn’t even open his account, getting dismissed by Southee.
Following this, Perera accumulated runs swiftly, but wickets continued to tumble at the other end. Captain Mendis was out after scoring six runs, Samarawickrama departed after contributing one run, and Charith Asalanka managed eight runs. In the last over of the powerplay, Kusal Perera also fell with a personal score of 51 runs. Sri Lanka’s score was 74/5 after the powerplay.
Subsequently, the run pace decreased, but wickets continued to fall. Angelo Mathews departed after scoring 16 runs, and Dhananjay de Silva was out after contributing 19 runs. Chamika Karunaratne also left the field after scoring six runs, while Dushmantha Chameera scored one run.
For the last wicket, Mahish Tikshina partnered with Dilshan Madushanka, contributing 43 runs and guiding their team to a competitive score. Trent Boult claimed three wickets for New Zealand, while Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner, and Rachin Ravindra secured two wickets each.
Trent Boult Achieved Two World Records After Splendid Performance Against Sri Lanka
Trent Boult, The New Zealand fast bowler has added another record to his name in the match against Sri Lanka at Bengaluru in the ODI World Cup 2023. He is now in the list of a few world-class bowlers who have already achieved this record. He has listed himself among the few bowlers who have taken 50 or more wickets in the history of One Day International cricket World Cups.
Apart from that, Trent Boult has achieved another great feat of taking 600 international wickets in all formats of cricket, Test matches, One Day Internationals, and T20s.
The record for taking the most wickets in World Cups is held by the Australian bowling legend, Glenn McGrath, who has taken 71 wickets at a splendid average of 18.19. Sri Lankan spinning maestro Muttiah Muralitharan is in the second spot in this list with 68 wickets at an average of 19.63. Another Sri Lankan, pacer Lasith Malinga, is in the third spot with 56 wickets to his name.
Australian pacer and one of the greatest fast bowlers of the Christian era, Mitchell Starc, is in the fourth spot in this list with 59 wickets to his name. The left-arm fast bowler and the Sultan of Swing, Wasim Akram, is in the fifth spot in this list with 55 wickets to his name. Now, Trent Boult is in the sixth spot in this list with 52 wickets.
New Zealand Innings, Chased Down The Target With Ease
NZ vs SL- Following the impressive performance by the bowlers, it was the batsmen’s turn, and the Kiwi players continued to shine. Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) formed a swift opening partnership, amassing 86 runs.
Although both were dismissed in consecutive overs, Daryl Mitchell (43), alongside captain Kane Williamson and later Glenn Phillips, guided the team closer to victory. Despite losing 5 wickets, New Zealand reached the target in just 23.2 overs. This triumph virtually solidified New Zealand’s spot in the semi-finals.
Pakistan and Afghanistan were also in contention, but Afghanistan’s net run rate was already negative, making it impossible for them to surpass New Zealand. As for Pakistan, the situation is nearly impossible as well.
In their last match, Pakistan would need to either defeat England by a margin of 287 runs or chase the target set by England in just 17 balls. Both scenarios are highly unlikely. Therefore, the forces of nature did not favor Pakistan this time.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table After NZ vs SL Match
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India (Q) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | +2.456 |
| South Africa (Q) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +1.376 |
| Australia (Q) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | +0.861 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 10 | +0.743 |
| Pakistan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +0.036 |
| Afghanistan | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -0.338 |
| England (E) | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -0.885 |
| Bangladesh (E) | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1.142 |
| Sri Lanka (E) | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1.419 |
| Netherlands (E) | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -1.635 |
Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain-
Really good performance. Early wickets and spin was a challenge through those middle overs. Pitch really slowed down later. The guys showed some good intent later with the chase so great performance overall. We thought there was going to be some weather later but there wasn’t any. Hard to read such things.
Glad we were able to pick up wickets, people like Perera can take the game away from you. Always great getting our 5th and 6th spinners into the game, a great effort overall. Few teams can end up on the same points, it’s about control. Hopefully we can get a couple of days off, we’ll be hanging around, not really sure what we’ll do. Hopefully if things go our way, would be great to involved in a semi. Will be looking forward to the challenge.
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