Cricket-New Zealand crush Sri Lanka, put one foot in World Cup semis

Cricket - ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - New Zealand v Sri Lanka - M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India - November 9, 2023 New Zealand players line up during the national anthems before the match REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

BENGALURU (Reuters) -New Zealand returned to winning ways at the World Cup following a four-match slump as they defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday and all but secured their place in the semi-finals.

Opening batsmen Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) got fourth-placed New Zealand's chase of 172 off to a fast start and Daryl Mitchell (43) took them close before they crossed the finish line in 23.2 overs.