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New Zealand 172 for 5 (Conway 45, Mathews 2-29) beat Sri Lanka 171 (Perera 51, Boult 3-37) by five wickets
Bengaluru: New Zealand all but sealed a World Cup semi-final spot with an easy five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Sri Lanka, who were already eliminated, were bowled out for 171, with Black Caps seamer Trent Boult taking 3-36.
In a chaotic start, they slumped to 70-5 in 9.3 overs, with opener Kusal Perera smashing 51 from 28 balls.
New Zealand reached their target in 23.2 overs to give their net run-rate a significant boost and make it unlikely they can be overtaken in fourth.
Pakistan and Afghanistan can still match the Black Caps on 10 points but would need highly improbable margins of victory over England and South Africa respectively to overhaul New Zealand's superior net run rate.
Sri Lanka could not make the most of a decent pitch after being put into bat, with Perera the only member of the top five to reach double figures.
Only stubborn resistance from final pair Maheesh Theekshana, who made 38 not out from 91, and Dilshan Madushanka, who added 19 from 48, helped them avoid a total capitulation.
The Kiwis started brightly in reply through Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra's classy opening stand of 86, then losing five wickets for 76 as they looked to seal victory as quickly as possible, before Glenn Phillips wrapped up the win.
