NZ are all but through to the semis
Mathews has Mitchell holing out in what might have been his last World Cup game, but Phillips and Latham bring it home for NZ at the Chinnaswamy. They win their last group game with plenty to spare, giving their NRR a boost. They've lifted their NRR from 0.398 to 0.743.
Pakistan need to beat England by about 300 runs to usurp NZ's NRR. S Rajesh crunches the numbers and says: "If England get to 150, Pakistan will have to chase the target in 3.4 overs". And Afghanistan need to win by 438 runs (insert astonished face emoji) to go past NZ's NRR. Trent Boult is the Player of the Match. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time, goodbye and take it easy.
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Chapman sacrifices his wicket for Mitchell
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Mitchell gets cracking
Every batter has one particular shot that makes him feel comfortable in the middle. For Kohli, it's the cover drive. For Williamson, it's the late dab or the late cut down to deep third. For Mitchell, it's the loft down the ground. The 'V' is his happy place and he has already pumped two sixes down the ground. First off Chameera, then off Theekshana.
It is often hard to charge at Theekshana's darts, but Mitchell is out of his crease in a flash to launch this 100kph offbreak for six.
Mathews has Williamson chopping on for 14 off 15 balls, but Mitchell is going strong. Can Mitchell finish this off for NZ, with his family up in the stands?
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Rachin breaks Sachin's record
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Sri Lanka go bang bang
Conway had dispatched spinners Theekshana and de Silva to the fence, but is discomfited by Chameera's extra pace and bounce. The SL quick thumped Conway on the glove and kept him to one off six balls. Conway jumps out of the crease seventh ball and tries to manufacture a boundary, but can only drag it to midwicket. Conway falls five short of a half-century. Ravindra falls in the next over, off Theekshana, for 42 to leave NZ at 88 for 2 in the 14th over.
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Can Rachin go big in Bengaluru once again?
He has started well in Bengaluru once again and is now the highest run-getter in this World Cup. He got a chance to open the batting in the warm-up fixture against Pakistan in Hyderabad only because Will Young was given a break. The rest is now history. Conway is also chugging along nicely at the other end. If NZ chase this in 40 overs, Pakistan will have to beat England by 183 runs (assuming they score 300)
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'Rachin! Rachin! Rachin!'
Chants of "Rachin!Rachin!Rachin" ring around the Chinnaswamy as Ravindra eases himself in NZ's chase of 172. Theekshana went around the wicket and slid one through outside off with the new ball. It was a perfectly acceptable delivery - it might have swung in the air on another day - but Ravindra made it look like a bad one today by using his wrists to drive it away in the gap between point and cover. Putting good balls away is one of Ravindra's strengths.
At the other end, Conway, Ravindra's Wellington mate, survives a caught-behind appeal off Madushanka. In his next over, the left-arm seamer catches Conway's outside edge, but it flies between the keeper and slip.
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Ravindra wraps SL up for 171
Wellington's Bengaluru boy dismisses Madushanka with a Santner-like delivery. Drift: check. Turn: check. Bounce: check. But Madushanka and Theekshana given themselves something to defend. They struck up a 43-run partnership - the highest in the innings and the highest tenth-wicket stand for SL in all World Cups. Theekshana stays unbeaten on 38 - his joint-highest score in international cricket.
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Theekshana frustrates NZ
It has been a weird World Cup for SL. Theekshana has scored more runs than Mathews in this tournament. He is their top-scorer today and has dragged SL past 150. He was the only batter to score a boundary off Mitch Santner today. When Ferguson targetted him with short balls, Theekshana competently defended or swayed his upper body out of the way. No.11 Madushanka is now keeping Theekshana good company.
Both Theekshana and Madushanka have reached their career-best scores in ODI cricket.
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Santner's shift
Santner comes away with 10-2-22-2. It's the second-most economical ten-over spell in this World Cup. It's a spell that could put NZ in the semis. Australia's Adam Zampa claimed 3 for 21 against England in Ahmedabad.
All told, Santner has 16 wickets in nine games in this World Cup at an average of 24.68 and economy rate of 4.89. Only Jansen, Zampa and Madushanka have more wickets than Santner in this tournament.
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In focus: Angelo Mathews
Here's Andrew Fidel Fernando from the Chinnaswamy: It's been a strange World Cup for Mathews, one of Sri Lanka's best ever. He came in late, only as Dasun Shanaka's replacement. And though he'd repeatedly expressed a desire to be in the ODI team for this World Cup, he didn't make much impact with the bat, though he did contribute with the ball. This campaign will be remembered for his becoming the first player in history to be timed out in an international though. And for the controversy surrounding it.
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Let's talk about the beauty of Santner's bowling
In the age of mystery spinners and fast wristspinners, Santner continues to show the way for fingerspinners. When the left-arm spinner went wide of the crease and found enough turn to scratch Mathews' outside edge, Latham missed another catch.
Santner was involved in a cat-and-mouse game with Mathews. After pushing a few balls quicker through the air, Santner slowed it up and bowled a loopier ball to Mathews. It drifted in at off stump, which meant Mathews had to play at this once again. The turn and bounce was even sharper this time. Mathews' bottom hand flew off the bat while the edge flew to Mitchell at wide slip for a chest-high catch. Mathews fell for 16 in what could be his final World Cup game.
Santner also bested de Silva with that delightful cocktail of drift, turn and bounce, leaving SL at 105 for 7 in 19 overs.
The pause in Santner's action also makes it difficult for batters to put him way. When he was in school, Santner had a stress fracture of the back. When he came back, he was bowling with a stiff non-bowling arm. The coaches asked him to get the right arm up, but Santner kept doing what instinctively felt comfortable to him. Even R Ashwin spoke about Santner's pause and slightly delayed release on his Youtube channel.
"Santner doesn't have too many rotations on the ball, but with his delayed release, he is able to see the movements that batters make and then make the adjustments accordingly," Ashwin said. "Sometimes he holds his front arm before releasing. So the batters are in a dilemma whether to press forward or go back. With his change of pace, he is playing the mind game beautifully.
"He bowled one over to Rohit Sharma; I don't remember if it was in the powerplay, or after the powerplay. He dictated terms to Rohit. It was shocking to see a spinner dictate terms to Rohit even if it was for an over, given the form Rohit is in. He bowled a yorker at the last moment when he tried to slog-sweep him. Instead of rotations, he is doing it with control. He knows exactly what lengths to hit and his control over those lengths is outstanding. Seeing from a distance, you can see how smart he's operating."
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Mendis' up-and-down World Cup
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Perera dismissal leaves SL five down
After pushing Perera back with a pair of short balls, Ferguson goes much fuller and draws a mis-hit from the batter. Williamson and Santner circle under it near the cover region, but they eventually avoid a collision, with Santner taking the catch. SL are 70 for 5 inside the first powerplay. Perera is gone for 51 off 28 balls.
Time out for Mathews and de Silva to resurrect SL's innings.
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Kusal Perera counterattacks
Kusal Perera has zoomed to a half-century off just 22 balls - the fastest in this World Cup and the joint second-fastest by a Sri Lankan in all World Cups.
NZ cut have cut his innings short on 0 had Latham not shelled a straightforward catch, off the bowling of Southee, behind the stumps. Perera then lined up Southee and repeatedly pumped him over the top in the powerplay. Then, when Boult banged in short, Perera top-edged it over the keeper's head. Boult's response was a full-toss, which was belted down the ground for four more.
NZ, though, continue to strike around the counterattacking Perera. Boult pins Asalanka lbw for 8 after a successful review. Before this game, in eight innings in this World Cup, Boult had managed three wickets in the first powerplay. He has doubled his powerplay tally today. NZ are an even more potent side when Boult strikes with the new ball.
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Boult's milestone
50 Number of wickets for Trent Boult in World Cups
Boult becomes the first New Zealander and - sixth overall - to the landmark. He gets there by drawing a leading edge from Mendis, which is held by Ravindra who slides on his knees at deep third.
With the white ball not swinging now, Boult digs it short and has Samarawickrama hopping and fending to the leg side. Boult's next ball to Samarawickrama is on a Test-match length and angled across off, catching the batter on the crease. Boult cranks it up to 141kph and finds the outside edge. World Cup wicket no. 51 for Boult. SL are 32 for 3 in the fifth over.
TCM: Tea for two with Tim & Trent: Me and my big brother Al Muthu caught up with Tim Southee and Trent Boult last month in Chennai and we had them walk through memeory lane and it was an absolute laugh riot.
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Dropped and out
Tim Southee might not even got a game had Matt Henry been fit. He leaked 77 runs against South Africa in Pune. He was then thrown into the Chinnaswamy, which can spook bowlers. He kept the stumps in play and kept Fakhar Zaman in check in the early exchanges, under lights, against Pakistan.
There's a bit more movement on offer, under overcast skies, on this afternoon. He pitches one up and snags Kusal Perera's outside edge, but wicketkeeper Latham drops a straightforward catch. Next ball, he puts it on a Test-match line and length once again and has Nissanka nicking behind. Another straightforward chance; Latham pouches this. Excellent first over from Southee.
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NZ win the toss and opt to bowl
Williamson says the weather has influenced his decision. He isn't too perturbed by NZ's four successive defeats. Business as usual for NZ. As expected, tearaway Ferguson replaces legspinner Sodhi. The team management might have had a temptation to bring Jamieson in for Southee, but they've resisted that, backing the more experienced Southee to come good in a crunch game.
SL make one change as well, with allrounder Chamika Karunaratne coming in for Kasun Rajitha. They've opted for a hit-the-deck option over a swing bowler. Mendis says he would've preferred to bowl first as well at the Chinnaswamy.
SL: 1 Pathum Nissanka,2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (capt, wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Chamika Karunaratne, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka
NZ: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Kane Williamson(capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Lockie Ferguson
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Maharoof, Harmison look ahead to NZ vs SL
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Rachin Ravindra: Wellington's Bengaluru boy
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Pakistan and qudrat ka nizam
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Welcome!
Three teams. One semi-final spot up for grabs. NZ have the best net run-rate among the teams, and if they win against SL, they will all but make the semis. As for SL, they are out of contention for the semis, but Champions Trophy qualification is at stake. Oh and there's rain in the air in Bengaluru. It had drizzled in some parts of the city this morning, and the rain could return later in the day. Wet weather had also interrupted NZ's last game at the Chinnaswamy against Pakistan and their training sessions in the lead-up to this game against SL.
This is NZ's last game in the group stage, but this is the first time in this tournament that they have a fit - or fit-ish, as Williamson put it at his pre-match press conference - squad at their disposal. Lockie Ferguson is set to slot right back into the XI. Will Kyle Jamieson also return against an opposition that is vulnerable to the short ball?
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