‘Hai re kitna dard bhai’ – Fans react as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets to almost book their place in semi-final of ODI World Cup 2023

The New Zealand cricket team won their last and final game of the league stage of the ODI World Cup 2023 against Sri Lanka on November 9 at M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bangalore. Notably, the Black Caps have almost confirmed their spot in the semi-finals by registering a five-wicket win over the Kusal Mendis-led Sri Lankan side.

Speaking about the game here, it was New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson who won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat first. Notably, after being sent to bat first, they had an awful start, which helped the Kiwis reduce them early. Star opening batsman Kusal Perera made 51 runs from 28 balls, hitting nine boundaries and two sixes, while Theekshana got 38 runs in the end, which helped them post 171 runs before getting all out.

However, during the chase, New Zealand opening pair Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra gave them a good start. Following that, middle-order batsman Daryll Mitchell also got some crucial runs, while all-rounder Glenn Phillips made sure his side crossed the finishing line to get the win over Sri Lanka.

We thought there was going to be some weather later but there wasn’t any: Kane Williamson

Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson expressed his happiness after the magnificent win. The top-order batsman has talked about the skill sets and the approach they used to get the victory. Moreover, the stylish right-handed batsman is hopeful that they will surely get the semi-final spot after a great win over Sri Lanka.

“Really good performance. Early wickets and spin was a challenge through those middle overs. The pitch slowed down later. The guys showed some good intent later with the chase so great performance overall. We thought there was going to be some weather later but there wasn’t any. Hard to read such things. Glad we were able to pick up wickets, people like Perera can take the game away from you. Always great getting our 5th and 6th spinners into the game, a great effort overall,” Kane Williamson said after the win.

Check out how fans have reacted to this win: