The third one-day international game between Sri Lanka and New Zealand was played in Hamilton. Due to Sri Lanka’s defeat, the island nation could not advance the rankings to eighth place in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
Dasun Shanaka, the skipper of Sri Lanka, won the toss for the pivotal match and made the correct decision by opting to bat first in the match. However, the Sri Lankan batters continued to struggle against the speed and bounce of the New Zealand spinners, which resulted in another failure on their part.
As Sri Lanka laboured to reach the 150-run barrier, the bowling performances of Matt Henry (3/14), Henry Shipley (3/32) and Daryl Mitchell (3/32) were all outstanding.
The only Sri Lankan batters to put up any fight were Pathum Nissanka (57 runs off 64 balls), Dasun Shanaka (31 runs off 36 balls), and Chamika Karunaratne (24 runs off 42 balls). The away team was bowled out for 157 in 41.3 overs. Bowlers for the defending team have a herculean challenge to get their side across the finish line.
The pursuit of the target by New Zealand started with a shaky beginning, as they lost three wickets within the first seven overs of their reply. Chad Bowes, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Latham were the batters for them, and all four came up short of reaching the double-digit level.
However, Will Young and Henry Nicholls performed key knocks that helped the home team cross the finish line first. New Zealand won by six wickets thanks to a partnership between Young and Nicholls that was worth 100 runs and resulted in Young scoring 86 runs and Nicholls collecting 44 runs.
After winning the one-day international encounter in Hamilton, New Zealand ensured they would win the overall series by a 2-0.
As a result of the loss, Sri Lanka could not move ahead of the West Indies (88 points) and claim the final place in the direct qualification bracket. The CWCSL season is over for Sri Lanka, and they finished with 81 points. In June, Sri Lanka will make the trip to Zimbabwe to participate in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, where they will try to earn a spot in the 2023 iteration of the tournament, which will take place later this year.
The CWCSL season comes to a close, with New Zealand finishing in first place after accumulating 175 points.
South Africa (78 points) and Ireland will pass West Indies and take eighth place instead of West Indies. (68 points). Starting today, South Africa will begin a one-day international (ODI) series against the Netherlands, while Ireland will begin a one-day international (ODI) series against Bangladesh in May.
