Having lost four games on the trot, New Zealand suddenly had their backs to the wall in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. But the spirited Kiwis showed their mettle yet again at the big stage. The Kane Williamson-led team went into its last league game against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru with the aim of winning big, and did exactly that to surge ahead in the semi-finals race. (As It Happened | Photos | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
Powered by a disciplined bowling performance led by pace spearhead Trent Boult, the Kiwis beat Sri Lanka by five wickets, and with more than 26 overs to spare. Boult and Co skittled the Lankans for a paltry 171 in the first innings, and then the NZ batters came out all guns blazing to ensure an early victory that boosted their net run rate. This means Pakistan now need to win by a miraculously massive margin against England to make the semis cut.
As for New Zealand, a semi-final encounter against the unbeaten India most likely beckons. With that, here's a look at all the key stats and figures from the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match:
- Sri Lanka were dismissed all out for 171 in this game to provide the 344th occasion of a team dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup. It also provides the 31st occasion of Sri Lanka dismissed all out in an innings in the ODI World Cup.
- Sri Lanka, with 31 occasions of being dismissed all out in an innings, own the record for most instances of a team dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup. Sri Lanka are the only to team to be dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup on 30-plus occasions.
- Sri Lanka were dismissed all out for 171 in this game to provide the 152nd occasion of a team dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup when it has batted first. It also provides the 16th occasion of Sri Lanka dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup when they have batted first.
- Sri Lanka, with 16 occasion of dismissed all out in an innings when they have batted first, own the record for most occasions of a team dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup when it has batted first. Sri Lanka are the only team to be dismissed all out in an innings in the World Cup on 15-plus occasions when they have batted first.
- Daryl Mitchell of New Zealand pouched three catches in Sri Lanka’s innings to provide the 49th occasion of a fielder other than the wicketkeeper taking three or more catches in an innings in the World Cup. It also provides the fourth occasion of a New Zealand fielder other then the wicketkeeper taking three or more catches in an innings in the World Cup.
- Tom Latham of New Zealand effected three dismissals in Sri Lanka’s innings, which represented the sixth occasion of his effecting three or more dismissals in an innings in the World Cup. He became the fourth wicketkeeper in the history of the World Cup to effect three or more dismissals on six-plus occasions. The others are Kumar Sangakkara (8), MS Dhoni (6) and Adam Gilchrist (6)
- Tom Latham of New Zealand effected three dismissals in Sri Lanka’s innings to provide the 140th occasion of a wicketkeeper effecting three or more dismissals in an innings in the World Cup. It also provides the twelfth occasion of a New Zealand wicketkeeper effecting three or more dismissals in an innings in the World Cup
- Tom Latham’s three dismissals in Sri Lanka’s innings fetched him an aggregate of 30 dismissals in the World Cup. He became the ninth wicketkeeper, and the secpnd from New Zealand after Brendon McCullum, to effect 30-plus dismissals in an innings in the World Cup.
| No | Player | Team | Span | Matches | Dismissals | Catches | Stumpings |
| 1 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 2003-2015 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 13 |
| 2 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia | 1999-2007 | 31 | 52 | 45 | 7 |
| 3 | MS Dhoni | India | 2007-2019 | 29 | 42 | 34 | 8 |
| 4 | Jos Buttler | England | 2015-2023 | 25 | 33 | 29 | 4 |
| 5 | Mushfiqur Rahim | Bangladesh | 2007-2023 | 37 | 33 | 25 | 8 |
| 6 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 2015-2023 | 25 | 32 | 30 | 2 |
| 7 | Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 2003-2011 | 25 | 32 | 30 | 2 |
| 8 | Mark Boucher | South Africa | 1999-2007 | 25 | 31 | 31 | 0 |
| 9 | Tom Latham | New Zealand | 2019-2023 | 19 | 30 | 30 | 0 |
- New Zealand became the second team in the history of the World Cup to have two wicketkeepers who have effected 30-plus dismissals – Brendon McCullum (32) and Tom Latham (30). South Africa are the other team to have two wicketkeepers effecting 30-plus dismissals – Quinton de Kock (32) and Mark Boucher (31).
- Rachin Ravindra’s 42 in this game fetched him an aggregate of 565 runs in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He became the ninth batter to total 550-plus runs in the ODI World Cup.
| No | Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Edition |
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 11 | 673 | 152 | 61.18 | 2003 |
| 2 | Matthew Hayden | Australia | 11 | 659 | 158 | 73.22 | 2007 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | India | 9 | 648 | 140 | 81 | 2019 |
| 4 | David Warner | Australia | 10 | 647 | 166 | 71.88 | 2019 |
| 5 | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 8 | 606 | 124* | 86.57 | 2019 |
| 5 | Kane Williamson | New Zealand | 10 | 578 | 148 | 82.57 | 2019 |
| 7 | Rachin Ravindra | New Zealand | 9 | 565 | 123* | 70.62 | 2023 |
| 8 | Joe Root | England | 11 | 556 | 107 | 61.77 | 2019 |
| 9 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 8 | 550 | 174 | 68.75 | 2023 |
- New Zealand posted their 59th win in the World Cup, while Sri Lanka suffered their 46th loss in the World Cup. Sri Lanka suffered their seventh loss in the ongoing edition. They have lost five or more games in an edition in the following editions – 2023 (7), 1987 (6), 1983 (5) and 1991 (5). Thus, the seven losses suffered in 2023 represent Sri Lanka’s most losses in a single edition of the World Cup. Other teams to lose seven or more games in a World Cup edition are – Afghanistan (nine games in the 2019 edition) and Zimbabwe (seven games in 1991 edition).
Stats courtesy: HR Gopala Krishna – Veteran cricket statistician
