The New Zealand cricket team handily won the match against Sri Lanka. Kiwis won the match by 65 runs and the team did not give an inch to the Sri Lankan batsmen as defending 168 runs requires a collective team effort. Sri Lanka have now lost two games in a row and are now about to be eliminated
New Zealand had won the toss and chose to bat first. The Black Caps had a terrible power play where they lost 3 wickets and scored just 25 runs. Glenn Philips and Daryl Mitchell entered an 84-race partnership. Hitters were converting singles into twos and messing with fielders. Glenn Phillips wrecked his first T20I Century when he scored 104 runs on 64 balls and hit 10 fours and 4 sixes.
New Zealand bowlers decimate Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka got off to a terrible start as they lost 4 wickets in power-play overs and scored just 24 runs. Hitters just couldn’t seem to handle the speed and swing. Trent Boult created havoc alongside Tim Southee as the duo hit the nail on the head with their line and length. Trent Boult took 4 scalps for 13 runs in his 4-over spell.
Sri Lanka was always behind the eighth ball in the run chase. Captain Dasun Shanakas’ decision to bat at the number 7 position was quite questionable as he is someone who can provide stability to the team in the midst of a meltdown.
Shanka and Rajapaksa gave the Sri Lankan fans some hope as the duo took part in a 34-race partnership. Rajapaksa looked sinister but too many shots resulted in him leaving. The left-handed batsman scored 34 runs on 27 balls where he smashed 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Shanka was fighting a lonely battle when the batsman scored 35 runs on 32 balls. He was facing hard times to clear the fence. New Zealand finished the match in 19.2 overs and won the match by 65 runs, which is a huge number in T20I Cricket.
New Zealand are now top of the table with this resounding win with 5 points from 3 games at +3.85 NRR. The Black Caps are one step closer to qualifying for the Semifinals. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is teetering on fifth position with 2 points from 3 matches as their NRR is -0.89. The Island Nation will have to hope to win the next 2 matches by a huge margin and at the same time, they do not hold their destiny in their hands.
ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table
| Group 1 | P | W | L | D | NRR | points | |
| 1 | New Zealand | 3 | two | 0 | 1 | 3.85 | 5 |
| two | England | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.29 | 3 |
| 3 | Ireland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1.17 | 3 |
| 4 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1.55 | 3 |
| 5 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | two | 0 | -0.89 | two |
| 6 | Afghanistan | two | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0.62 | 1 |
| Group 2 | P | W | L | D | NRR | points | |
| 1 | India | two | two | 0 | 0 | 1,425 | 4 |
| two | South Africa | two | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.2 | 3 |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | two | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.05 | 3 |
| 4 | bangladesh | two | 1 | 1 | 0 | -2,375 | two |
| 5 | Pakistan | two | 0 | two | 0 | 0.05 | 0 |
| 6 | Netherlands | two | 0 | two | 0 | -1,625 | 0 |
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