After recording four straight losses, New Zealand finally returned to winning ways at the World Cup on Thursday, defeating Sri Lanka by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The victory all but secured their place in the semi-finals, as they now have 10 points and are in pole position to claim the last spot.
Openers Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) gave New Zealand a quick start to their chase of 172, and Daryl Mitchell (43) took them close before they crossed the finish line in 23.2 overs. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are all but out of the World Cup. They need to beat England by an almost impossible margin to leapfrog New Zealand on net run rate. Afghanistan, who also had slim hopes of qualifying for the knockouts, are in a similar position before their clash with South Africa.
New Zealand win has also shut semifinal's door on Pakistan's mouth. Talking about Pakistan's chances, they do have a chance to level New Zealand with 10 points in the World Cup group stage. But Pakistan need to make up a lot of ground in terms of net run rate. Pakistan's final group game is against England in Kolkata on November 11, and they need to win by 287 or 288 runs if they bat first, or chase the target with 284 deliveries to spare if they bowl first, in order to reach a net run rate of 0.75. Pakistan's only real chance to qualify for the semi-finals is to bat first and score 400 runs, then restrict England to 112 runs, which would put their net run rate above New Zealand's. The fourth-placed team in the group will face India in the semi-finals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
In that scenario the chances are high to witness India versus New Zealand's thrilling semifinal on November 11.
Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is wary of India challenge as he admitted facing the home team in semis will be challenging.
"[Playing India] These things don't happen. Especially the back end being so close. Playing semis is special but playing the home team will be challenging. Looking forward to it if we are fortunate enough to have it," Williamson said in the post match presentation.
“Really good performance... early wickets and spin was challenging. The wicket slowed down and the guys played with intent in the second half. We expected the first [pitch vs Pakistan] like that but were not sure. We thought there will be a bit of weather but there was none. We knew Sri Lanka can be strong. Perera was strong at the top but the wickets we picked up went a long way in restricting them. There was not much for the seamers but they kept it strong. Great to get our fifth and sixth spinners in the tournament. There's a few teams that could end up on similar points. Not in our control. We will be having a couple of days off, not sure what's happening,” Williamson concluded.
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