New Zealand registered a comprehensive 5-wicket win over Sri Lanka to boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-final and if they manage to get through, then it is going to be a recap of the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final India vs New Zealand.
New Zealand, on Thursday, completely outplayed Sri Lanka at M Chinnaswamy Stadium and they won the match in 23.2 overs to improve their Net Run Rate which put Pakistan and Afghanistan in a tricky position in the semis race.
Follow all the action from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 including the World Cup schedule, World Cup 2023 results, and ICC Cricket World Cup points table. Players are vying to top the World Cup 2023 Most Runs and World Cup 2023 Most Wickets charts.
Trent Boult led the bowling unit well as New Zealand bundled out Sri Lanka for just 171 despite the short boundaries. Chasing the moderate target, openers Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) set the platform for them with a quick start. Meanwhile, New Zealand lost some quick wickets but Daryl Mitchell continued to attack from one end with his 43-run knock.
Glenn Phillips hit the winning runs for New Zealand with 26.4 overs to spare.
India are currently sitting pretty atop the World Cup 2023 points table with 16 points having won all of their 8 group stage games so far and they have ensured that will finish the league stage on the top spot only. The Men in Blue will face the Netherlands in their final group game, as they await their semifinal opponents.
South Africa are second in the points table, having lost two games, they were the second team to qualify for the semifinals and the Proteas will face Australia in the top-four clash. However, it has yet not fixed, which team amongst the two is going to finish second and third.
The win on Thursday helped New Zealand remain intact at the fourth spot with 10 points at an NRR of +0.743. They have all but sealed the spot in semis as the qualifications scenarios for fifth and sixth-placed Pakistan and Afghanistan are extremely difficult.
England are next on the list but have no chance of making it into the semifinals, but they can still finish in the top seven to reach the Champions Trophy 2025.
Bangladesh sit in eighth place in the points table, they have four points from 8 games after their win over Sri Lanka in a controversial game. The Bangla Tigers currently occupy the final Champions Trophy berth, since Pakistan will finish in the top seven.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are in ninth place with four points in 9 matches, while the Dutch have fallen to rock bottom in the points table despite having 4 points but the worst NRR among all other teams.
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