The New Zealand cricket team now has 8 points from 7 matches played and is ranked fourth in the points standings.
New Zealand consolidated their fourth-place position with a strong five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in ODI 41 of the ongoing 2023 World Cup on Thursday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Chasing 172, New Zealand scored 172/5 in 23.2 overs thanks to the aggressive batting of Devon Conway (45), Daryl Mitchell (43) and Rachin Ravindra (42). Meanwhile, SRi Lanka’s Angelo Mathews claimed two wickets.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson initially won the toss and elected to bowl first. Since then, New Zealand has dominated the Sri Lankan top five with pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee, with occasional assistance from Lockie Ferguson.
New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka Highlights, Cricket World Cup 2023: (PTI)
While Kusal Perera hammered the ball around and got Sri Lanka off to a fast start, they also lost four wickets in the first ten overs, including Perera. All of this has resulted in Sri Lanka being reduced to three wickets in their first 20 overs.However, Mahesh Theekshana led the way in containing the New Zealand bowlers and the Sri Lankan tail, ensuring that they survived until the 40th over despite not scoring many runs. They were eventually shut down after 171 runs. The penultimate wicket stand between Theekshana and Madushanka achieved the highest score for Sri Lanka, 43 runs in 87 balls.
