Twitter Reactions: New Zealand almost seal semi final berth with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka

New Zealand have almost sealed their spot in the semi-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 as they beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in Match 41 on Friday, November 09 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. After being put in to bat first, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 171 in 46.4 overs. In reply, New Zealand chased down the target in 23.2 overs and won the match by five wickets.

The Kiwis got their chase off to a terrific start as openers Devon Conway (45 off 42) and Rachin Ravindra (42 off 34) added 86 runs for the first wicket off 74 balls. Following their dismissals, Daryl Mitchell took the onus of chasing upon himself and scored 43 off 31 to take his side closer to the target. After his dismissal, Glenn Phillips (17 off 10) and Tom Latham (2 off 2) finished the game for his side as New Zealand won by five wickets. Angelo Mathews was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka (2/29, 4 overs).

Earlier in the day, after being put in to bat first Sri Lanka lost their opener Pathum Nissanka (2 off 8) in the second over itself as Tim Southee made him edge one straight to Tom Latham. Captain Kusal Mendis walked in number three but also departed cheaply as he got dismissed for just 6 off 7 against Trent Boult. The left-arm seamer further picked up the wicket of Sadeera Samarawickrama (1 off 2) in the same over to leave Sri Lanka on 32/3 after 4.4 overs.

Trent Boult picked 3-fer for New Zealand

At the other end, Kusal Perera made full use of the early reprieve by Latham and went on to score a brilliant 51 (28) with the help of nine fours and two sixes. However, following his dismissal, Sri Lanka suffered a dramatic collapse and were reduced to 128/9 after 32.1 overs. Maheesh Theekshana (38* off 91) and Dilshan Madushanka (19 off 48) added 43 runs for the tenth wicket to help their side cross the 150-run mark.

Trent Boult was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand as he scalped 3/37 in ten overs while Lockie Ferguson (2/35) and Mitchell Santner (2/22) also picked up two wickets each.

Also Check: ODI World Cup 2023 Points Table

Meanwhile, X was abuzz with reactions on New Zealand's win. Here are some of the posts: