New Zealand crashes out of WT20

Erratic cricket from New Zealand batsmen and historic cricket from Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath were responsible for a Sri Lankan win in the super-10 league encounter between them. Herath has scripted some outstanding figures in World Twenty20 cricket as he bowled 18 dot balls among the 21 deliveries he sent down scalping five New Zealand batsmen alone. Chittagong witnessed this unforeseen match as Rangana Herath’s extraordinary spin bowling virtually won the match and a semi final berth for the Sri Lankan team as the left-arm spinner gave away only three runs. Mendis was replaced by Herath in the side for this match. Malinga hauled his team up to the semis as he captained the side. Malinga claimed that Rangana had fully utilized the chance he had been seeking to proved his true worth.

Kiwi skipper Brendon McCullum regretted the way eight wickets of New Zealnd fell in the space of 10 runs costing them a very valuable match. Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 59 runs in the low-scoring World Twenty20 Super-10 group 1 match in Chittagong to cruise into the semi-finals. New Zealand were left crest fallen on their lowest Twenty20 total of 60 in 15.3 overs under the lights at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium in Bangladesh. Sri Lanka had scored only 119 in 19.2 overs batting first.

Sri Lanka will now feature in the first semi-final on Thursday, March 03, 2014 against the winners of the final group two league match between Pakistan and defending champions West Indies to be played in Dhaka today, on April 01, 2014. India will take on South Africa in the other semi-final match of the tournament to be played in Dhaka on Friday, April 04, 2014. The winners from the respective semis will fight it out in the final to be played on Sunday, April 06, 2014 in Mirpur.