Match 27 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 saw New Zealand face Sri Lanka at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. A solid all-round performance saw the Kiwis beat the Lankan side by 65 runs in this Group 1 fixture.
Batting first, New Zealand posted 167 on the board, thanks to a scintillating ton from Glenn Phillips. In reply, the Lankan batters never got going as they were bundled out for 102 and lost the game by 65 runs. It marked New Zealand's second win of the tournament and they remain unbeaten after three matches.
The Kiwis also retained their position at the top of the Group 1 table. They have won two out of three games, with one being washed out due to rain. Kane Williamson's side have taken their points tally to five and sit comfortably clear of the other teams.
England, Ireland, and Australia follow New Zealand in the points table with three points each. Each side has won one game, lost one and had one abandoned due to rain.
All three sides could still finish with the same points each, in which case it will all boil down to net run rate. Consequently, the race for the semi-final berths in Group 1 of the T20 World Cup 2022 is certainly interesting.
Sri Lanka were outplayed by the Kiwis in their third game. As a result, they suffered their second loss of the tournament and couldn’t add to their tally of two points. They are struggling in the bottom half of the points table at the moment and are placed at the fifth position.
Afghanistan also have two points to their name and sit below the Lankan side. They are yet to win a single game in the T20 World Cup 2022 so far and will be hoping to turn the tables around quickly.
T20 World Cup 2022: Glenn Phillips’ century lights up SCG
After electing to bat first, New Zealand didn’t have the best of starts, losing three wickets in the first four overs.
Glenn Phillips then walked out and played a sensational knock. He was well-supported by Daryl Mitchell (22) from the other end. Phillips played some outstanding strokes and brought up his ton before departing on 104 off just 64 balls. His knock powered the Kiwis to 167/7 at the end of their 20 overs.
Kasun Rajitha bowled well for Sri Lanka and finished with figures of 2/23.
Chasing a tricky total, the Lankan side got off to the worst possible start as they were reeling at 8/4 in 3.3 overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (34) and skipper Dasun Shanaka (35) tried hard but it wasn’t enough as they were bowled out for 102 in 19.2 overs to lose the game by 65 runs. Rajapaksa and Shanaka were the only Lankan batters who managed to get to double digits as the Kiwis bowled brilliantly.
Trent Boult wreaked havoc in the Lankan camp. The left-arm pacer finished with figures of 4/13 in his four overs. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi also chipped in with a couple of scalps as their team grabbed their second win of the T20 World Cup 2022.
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