New Zealand 167 for 7 (Phillips 104, Rajitha 2-23) beat Sri Lanka 102 (Shanaka 35, Boult 4-13) by 65 runs
Sri Lanka had New Zealand 15 for 3 in the powerplay. But then they dropped Glenn Phillips, and it was all new Zealand from there. Phillips bashed 104 off 64 deliveries to almost single-handedly carry New Zealand to 167 for 7 (the next-highest score in the team was 22), before Trent Boult and Tim Southee put on a powerplay showcase, taking four wickets between them while the fielding restrictions were still on in Sri Lanka’s chase.
Where New Zealand kept enough resources in store for a late-overs explosion, hitting 113 off the last 10, Sri Lanka squandered their batters before any sort of base could be established. They had crashed to 58 for 6 after 10 overs, and had no hope at all from there, eventually being bowled out for 102 as Boult finished with career-best figures of 4 for 13 and Southee claimed 1 for 12.
This result took New Zealand to the top of the Group 1 table, with five points and an outstanding net run rate of 3.85. It sent Sri Lanka down to near the bottom of the table, with two points after three matches, and a poor NRR of -0.89. This means New Zealand are in an excellent place to not only qualify for the semi finals but also finish top of their group. Sri Lanka, however, will find a semi-finals spot incredibly difficult to seize from here.
More to follow …
Source: ESPN Crickinfo