The Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 is approaching the final on November 19. Each morning we’ll round up the latest action and news from the event and bring you insights from our on-the-ground reporters.
Main article: Boult almost takes New Zealand to semi-finals; SL’s Champions Trophy hopes fade
New Zealand 172 for 5 (Conway 45, Mitchell 43, Mathews 2-29) won Sri Lanka 171 (Perera 51, Boult 3-37, Ravindra 2-21) by six wickets
New Zealand all but booked their place in the World Cup semi-final against India with a dominant five-wicket win, with 160 balls to spare, against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. The result took them to ten points and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.743, leaving Pakistan needing to beat England by 287 runs, while Afghanistan need an even more fantastic 438-run win over South Africa, if they are to overcome to New York. Zealand NRR.
If Pakistan were to chase, they would have no chance of qualifying.
As for Sri Lanka, the margin of defeat against New Zealand left them languishing in ninth place, out of qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They now need either England or Bangladesh to suffer defeats (while the Netherlands also need to lose to India) in the extent to which their respective NRRs fall below those of Sri Lanka.
Match analysis: How Santner slows down the pace to drop hitters
This dance was not that kind of dance, the kind that instantly becomes social media fodder. This was different, a ball less about its own magnificence than about what it revealed about the bowler’s art as a whole. This was the kind of ball that made you wish you had paid more attention to every previous ball this bowler had bowled and decide to pay more attention to every subsequent ball.
Must watch: Sri Lanka’s batting has been a big disappointment
Afghanistan vs South Africa, Ahmedabad (2:00 pm IST; 8:30 am GMT; 7:30 pm AEDT)
Afghanistan came very close to achieving their biggest victory in ODIs. Against Australia. For a chance to reach the World Cup semi-finals. We almost arrive. Before a meteorite the size of Glenn Maxwell crushed them.
They are now in Ahmedabad to play their last league match and will bow out of the World Cup at the world’s largest cricket stadium. Having beaten Scotland just once in 2015 and 2019, Afghanistan this time beat three former champions (England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) as well as the Netherlands, but the 438-run victory they need against South Africa to see off New Zealand’s Fourth place in net run rate is impossible. However, an exit with ten points, as many as the team that places fourth, will be a great victory in itself. Seriously though, England would be very happy to abandon this miserable campaign right now.
Feature: Clinical, risk-assessed, productive: Afghanistan’s batting evolution reaches new highs
Do you still remember that shot? The shot before the shots that you will never forget. The shot before Glenn Maxwell took shots that even Glenn Maxwell might think were too many.