ISLAMABAD: New Zealand crushed Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the third and final one-day international on Friday to claim the series 2-0 and end the Lankan side’s chances of directly qualifying for World Cup 2023 in India.
Chasing 158 in Hamilton, New Zealanders overcame a shaky start that saw them lose 2 wickets in the second over and got home with 103 deliveries to spare thanks to a not-out inning of 86 by batter Will Young and an unbeaten 44 by Henry Nicholls.
Sri Lanka decided to bat first after winning the toss, but only opening batter Pathum Nissanka (57), captain Dasun Shanaka (31), and Chamika Karunaratne (24) made notable innings as Henry Shipley, Matt Henry, and Daryl Mitchell claimed three wickets each.
Ireland, South Africa hopes
India and 6 other teams have booked their spots in this year’s World Cup, with the West Indies occupying the final automatic qualification spot in the Super League standings.
Ireland and South Africa are also in contention.
Sri Lanka will now try to earn their spot via a team-team qualifying event in Zimbabwe in June and July.
