‘Pakistan walon, Karachi ki bus pakad lo’ – Fans react as New Zealand’s convincing 5-wicket victory against Sri Lanka bolster their semifinal chances

New Zealand finally secured a convincing after a string of defeats as they defeated Sri Lanka by 5 wickets in the 41st match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, November 9. With this win, they have almost sealed their semi-final spot as they have a better run rate than Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Talking about the match, New Zealand’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid them well as their pacers, led by Trent Boult and Tim Southee, alongside Lockie Ferguson, wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan top order. Despite Kusal Perera’s efforts to provide a quick start for Sri Lanka, their early success was marred by the loss of four wickets in the first 10 overs, including Perera himself.

However, a ray of hope emerged for the Sri Lankan side as Mahesh Theekshana stepped up to stabilise the innings. He valiantly led the way in thwarting the New Zealand bowlers’ efforts. The Sri Lankan tailenders, though not prolific in scoring, managed to stretch the innings beyond the 40th over. Eventually, they were bowled out for a total of 171 runs.

Notably, the partnership between Theekshana and Madushanka for the last wicket was a standout performance, adding 43 runs in 87 balls, which proved to be the highest partnership for Sri Lanka in the match. Trent Boult emerged as the star with the ball for the Kiwis, claiming 3 wickets while conceding only 37 runs in his 10-over spell. Complementing him, Lockie Ferguson, Rachin Ravindra, and Mitchell Santner each contributed with 2 wickets, showcasing not only their wicket-taking prowess but also their economical bowling.

New Zealand chased the target with  overs to spare

Chasing the target, New Zealand’s opening duo, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra provided a blazing start to their team with an impressive 86-run partnership for the first wicket. It seemed like these openers might be sufficient to chase down the target as they appeared quite comfortable on the pitch. However, neither of them managed to stay till the end.

Conway was the first to head back to the pavilion, dismissed for 45 runs in the 13th over, while Ravindra followed in the very next over after contributing 42 runs to the scoreboard. The skipper, Kane Williamson, had a brief stint as he was bowled out for a mere 14 runs by Angelo Mathews. Nonetheless, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips took charge to ensure there were no further setbacks in the innings, but they still lost a wicket as Mitchell couldn’t hold himself to smash the ball, however, they ended up winning the match by 5 wickets.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/MartinGate1400/status/1722617121107304873

https://twitter.com/shankysynonym/status/1722589838740791408