New Zealand Beat Sri Lanka By 5 Wickets In World Cup

Trent Boult led an inspired bowling display to help New Zealand down Sri Lanka by five wickets on Thursday and move to the brink of the World Cup semi-finals.

New Zealand Beat Sri Lanka By 5 Wickets In World Cup (Image Source: Google)

- Struggles -

Opener Kusal Perera smashed 51 but the rest of the batting fell apart.

Sri Lanka slipped to 128-9 before number nine Maheesh Theekshana (38 not out) and Dilshan Madushanka (19) put on a 43-run 10th-wicket to add some respect to the total.

Sri Lanka lost half their side for 70 inside 10 overs after Lockie Ferguson sent back the left-handed Perera, who hit nine fours and two sixes in his 28-ball knock.

Perera was dropped on nought by wicketkeeper Tom Latham off Tim Southee who struck with a wicket on the next ball to send back Pathum Nissanka, caught behind for two.

Boult then took the wickets of skipper Kusal Mendis (six), Sadeera Samarawickrama (one) and Charith Asalanka (eight), who was given not out but the Kiwis successfully reviewed the decision in their favour.

The Mendis strike was Boult's 50th World Cup wicket Cup to enter elite company including Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mitchell Starc, Lasith Malinga and Wasim Akram.

Leg-spinner Mitchell Santner struck twice with his left-arm spin to claim the key wickets of Angelo Mathews (16) and Dhananjaya de Silva (19).

Mathews looked dejected after being caught at slip off Santner's left-arm spin in his first innings after his "timed out" dismissal -- the first in international cricket history -- in the team's previous loss to Bangladesh.

"In the first 10 overs we lost too many wickets and that meant we struggled in the middle overs," said Mendis.

"If we'd had a good score in the top order we'd have got over 300 and that would be a good score on this pitch."

Sri Lanka suffered their seventh loss in nine league matches.