New Zealand has almost guaranteed their place in the World Cup semi-finals, alongside India, South Africa, and Australia, following a convincing five-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
According to ESPN, The result took them to ten points, this means that Pakistan has to defeat England by 287 runs, and Afghanistan needs an even more incredible 438-run victory over South Africa to surpass New Zealand's NRR.
Photo: X/ESPNcricinfo
New Zealand's victory was a result of strong performances both with the bat and the ball. Despite concerns about rain in Bengaluru, winning the toss and choosing to bowl first appeared to be the wisest decision. This strategy aimed to secure a victory that would boost the Net Run Rate (NRR) and also guard against rain interruptions and interventions using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
The plan worked out well. Despite some late wickets, New Zealand comfortably chased down Sri Lanka's total of 171. Contributions from Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Daryl Mitchell, each scoring in the forties, played a significant role in the successful pursuit.
Sri Lanka's eighth wicket fell in the 24th over, but it took until the 47th over for New Zealand to dismiss them. Ravindra managed to find Madushanka's edge, and Latham completed a sharp catch.
New Zealand took some time to secure this win, having won their first four matches and then losing the next four. However, this victory has almost guaranteed their spot in the ODI World Cup semi-final for the fifth consecutive time.
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