NZ vs SL | Twitter lauds clinical Kiwis for sweeping apart Lions by five wickets to effectively seal semis spot

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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New Zealand hardly broke a sweat in Bangalore on Thursday en route to an NRR-boosting victory against Sri Lanka, leaving Pakistan an improbable mountain to climb in the race for a semi-final spot. The Kiwis bowled out the Lankans for a paltry 171 before hurrying home with 160 balls to spare.

With rain expected later in the day, New Zealand opted to bat first on a typical Bangalore surface. The Kiwis reaped rewards for their decision instantly as Pathum Nissanka was sent packing in the second over but fellow opener Kusal Perera remained undeterred as he sprayed the opposition attack all around the ground. However, by the time he rushed to his half-century off just 22 deliveries on the back of nine boundaries and two maximums, Trent Boult had worked his magic to scalp three quick wickets in a typical new ball burst that had been missing for him in the ongoing World Cup so far. Perera eventually succumbed as well, to Lockie Ferguson in the final over of the powerplay, leaving the Lions reeling at 70/5 at the end of the phase. Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva offered some brief resistance thereon with a partnership of 34 before edging one to Daryl Mitchell at first slip in successive Mitchell Santner overs. When Rachin Ravindra got rid of Dushmantha Chameera in the 33rd over to make it 128/9, a quick end to the innings looked inevitable for Sri Lanka. However, Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madhushanka dug in deep to add 43 for the final wicket, the former remaining unbeaten on 38 in 91 deliveries while the latter contributed 19 runs in 48 balls.

Chasing a relatively meager 172 on a traditionally batting-friendly surface, the Black Caps got off to a flying start with the bat, racing away to 73 for no loss at the end of 10 overs. Chameera eventually broke the first-wicket stand of 86 in the 13th over by scalping Devon Conway for 45 while Ravindra fell victim to Theekshana an over later. Sri Lanka eventually added three more to their tally, including Daryl Mitchell after a rapid 31-ball 43, but the wickets turned out to be mere consolation. The Kiwis got across the line in just 23.2 overs with five wickets in hand, leaving Pakistan to beat England by 274 runs to qualify for the semis while also eliminating Sri Lanka from Champions Trophy qualification bar an even bigger thrashing for Bangladesh at the hands of Australia. 

Good bye

With love

Yes, please

Destroyed

Vamos

Always hope

Tough campaign

Sealed

Revenge

Will of nature

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