New Zealand pulled out a dominating victory against Sri Lanka in the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup 2022 on Saturday, October 29. They inched closer to booking a semi-final spot with the win at the Sydney Cricket Ground. They now sit comfortably at the top of the Group 1 points table with five points from three games.
Captain Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bat first in the contest. Sri Lanka got off to a sensational start as they successfully negated the threat of the in-form Kiwis' opening batters.
Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka employed spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva for the job. The duo backed him up by dismissing Finn Allen (1) and Devon Conway(1) cheaply.
Williamson (8) also reached the pavilion soon after, leaving his side in a heap of trouble.
Glenn Phillips (104) then played a stunning knock and singlehandedly rescued New Zealand from a precarious situation. The Sri Lankan fielders also assisted him in the cause by dropping a couple of catches.
Daryl Mitchell (22) gave him company with a mini contribution after a top-order collapse. Mitchell Santner (11* off 5 balls) played a cameo in the company of Phillips in the death overs to help the Kiwis reach a decent total of 167/7.
In response, Trent Boult (4/13) and Tim Southee (1/12) wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan top order. The duo reduced them to 8/4 in 3.3 overs and put New Zealand in the driver's seat.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa (34) and Dasun Shanaka (35) put up a fight for a while. However, they could not do much as the rest of the batting order collapsed as a pack of cards. Sri Lanka were eventually bundled out for 102 in 19.2 overs and lost the match by 65 runs.
Fans react after New Zealand's clinical victory over Sri Lanka
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed a one-sided contest between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sydney. They expressed their reactions through hilarious memes on social media.
Here is a collection of the best memes:
The Kiwis will next take on England on Tuesday, November 1 at the Gabba.
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