New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Highlights, World Cup 2023: Trent Boult's 3-wicket haul key as NZ defeat SL by 5 wickets

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: The fourth, fifth and sixth balls of the fourth over by Southee produces 14 runs. First, Perera clears mid-on, then he heaves the fifth ball over long-on. Then a rather streaky one as he edges and beats slip off the last ball. Perera has rocketed to 20 off 10.

NZ vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 30/1 in 4 overs

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Full and angled across by Boult fifth ball of the third, Mendis plays it very soft hands and gets it to beat slip and third man. A run off the last ball and Mendis reaches five off three. Perera at the other end on six off seven.

NZ vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 15/1 in 3 overs

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: How about that, Latham had dropped a regulation catch off just the previous ball and that gave Perera a reprieve. Southee produces another edge and this time, Latham holds on. Nissanka c Latham b Southee 2 (8)

NZ vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 3/1 in 1.5 overs

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera open the batting for Sri Lanka, Trent Boult with the first over and a single came off the last ball to prevent it from being a maiden. Tim Southee to bowl with the other new ball.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: “I was looking to bowl. But unfortunately we are batting first. Very important game today. If we do the basics well, we should do well. NZ is a calm team. We played here against and played well. One change for us. Rajitha is not playing but Chamika is playing.”

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: “Little bit of weather around. Little bit of unknowns. By and large we have won a few and lost a few. Been there and there abouts. Some close ones which could have gone either ways. Here we are here today, would want to address the issue in front of us. Lockie comes in for Ish Sodhi. Adjust to what is in front of us. Make use of the ball first up.”

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham(w), Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Kane Williamson has won the toss and New Zealand are bowling first. Kusal Mendis admits that Sri Lanka would've liked to bowl as well.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Trent Boult hasn't been at his best but it is Matt Henry who has spearheaded the NZ pace attack in his stead. But a torn right hamstring's tournament was done when he suffered a torn right hamstring in the game against Pune.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: New Zealand have been handed a major blow with Matt Henry being ruled out of the rest of the tournament. But they have Lockie Ferguson and Kyle Jamieson now and they could both play today, considering that Sri Lankan batters are as sure against short bowling as a house of cards against a storm.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: At the moment it is nice and dry and in fact there was some sun light that shone down on the stadium recently. Heavy cloud cover remains though.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Whatever little the world knew of Rachin Ravindra before this World Cup was that he was an all-rounder who was in the team during subcontinent tours, with his spin bowling seen as a useful tool along with his batting. And then, Kane Williamson got injured and Ravindra got promoted to No.3. Lo and behold, he not only proved a capable replacement for Williamson but also showed that, just as Williamson came after Martin Crowe, it could be Ravindra next for New Zealand. The man himself has nothing but praise for the youngster. "We knew the talent was there, but to come out be one of the players of the tournament so far - not only with the bat, but he's also making really valuable contributions with the ball. Yeah, very, very special player, and great that he's on our side," said Williamson about Ravindra.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Two of the three games at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in this World Cup have seen the side batting first score above 350. Only England have failed to do so and that was in a match against... Sri Lanka! Food for thought for New Zealand.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Rachin Ravindra has scored a whopping 523 runs so far in this World Cup. He is hence tied with Sachin Tendulkar's tally in the tournament overall before the latter had turned 25 and that was also the most runs scored by any player in the World Cup below that age. Ravindra could hence that particular record of Tendulkar's today. The rest, like most runs, most centuries, the five wicket hauls, are for another day. A day that seems set to come considering how he has taken this World Cup by storm and become a fan favourite everywhere he goes.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: New Zealand and Sri Lanka have faced each 11 times in the World Cup. Sri Lanka lead the head to head 6-5. In the 2019 World Cup though, New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: This used to be a tightly contested fixture until halfway through the previous decade. Sri Lanka have not been able to beat New Zealand in an ODI since December 2015. There have been 101 matches played between the two teams and New Zealand have won 51 of them while Sri Lanka won 41. Eight matches have gone without a result and one ended in a tie in November 1996.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: There could be a few BlackCaps fans wondering how is it that this game is not a dead rubber with them sitting comfortably in the semi-finals. They started off with four consecutive wins and then got taken apart by India, which they have in common with all teams in this tournament thus far. After that game though, they went on to lose to Australia, South Africa and Pakistan. While they were beaten fair and square by South Africa, the lost to Australia and Pakistan after scoring 383/9 and 401/6 respectively. Cricket can be a cruel game.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Angelo Mathews became the first player in the history of international cricket - men's or women's - to be given out due to the timed out rule in Sri Lanka's previous match against Bangladesh. Regardless of which side of the debate you lay on, Sri Lanka were pretty clear, as you would expect, that they had been wronged and that fired them up. They were combative in the Bangladesh chase, they made sure that the batters weren't given any kind of undue advantage and argued with the umpires every time they felt that was happening. They were in the faces of the Bangladeshi batters and Mathews got sweet sweet revenge by dismissing their captain Shakib Al Hasan, whose appeal had led to him making unwanted history. The spirited performance that Sri Lanka put in led to…. them losing by three wickets. It did look on a number of occasions during the Bangladesh chase that Sri Lanka were more concerned with playing victim than actually winning the match and the comments made by Mathews after the game has helped everyone nicely gloss over the fact that they had fallen to a third consecutive loss and are potentially out of contention to qualify even for the 2025 Champions Trophy, let alone the top four.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka's campaign has been thrown haywire by the fact that they lost to Bangladesh by three wickets in a game that was laden with controversy. That was their third consecutive defeat and the fact that it came after a 302-run hammering at the hands of India meant that their net run rate has also plummeted. England jumping up to seventh spot has temporarily pushed them out of the qualification spots for the Champions Trophy as well.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: New Zealand are on surprisingly shaky grounds after starting off with four consecutive wins. They are fourth due to their net run rate, level on points with the two teams below them in Pakistan and Afghanistan. While a victory against Sri Lanka would put them two points clear of Pakistan, it will also give the latter an exact idea as to what they need to do when they face England on Saturday. Afghanistan, while being on eight points as well, are too far behind on net run rate to be considered a serious threat for New Zealand.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Dunith Wellalage

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, James Neesham, Will Young

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: So, what do you think it will all going to look like at the end of the day today.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Live Score, NZ vs SL World Cup 2023: It is a lovely, cloudy morning in Bengaluru which might gladden the hearts of those in the city who like the pitter patter of rain drops on their window panes. But if you are passionate about the cricket, every patter on your window pane will only be a source of pain (you knew that was coming). Both teams will be hurt by a washout but arguably, New Zealand far more in the race to the top four than Sri Lanka in the race for the top eight. New Zealand need two points from this match or else Afghanistan or Pakistan could overtake them. Sri Lanka will move into the qualification spots for the Champions Trophy but will then need England, Bangladesh and Netherlands to all lose their matches. Well, let's see who comes out on top - New Zealand, Sri Lanka or the clouds.