T20 World Cup 2022, Match 27: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - Talking points and Who Said What?

New Zealand hammered Sri Lanka at the SCG to solidify their position at the top of the table. The Kiwis are now in the driving seat to qualify for the semi-finals thanks to a superior net run rate, which received a massive boost after the 65-run victory against Sri Lanka. Glenn Phillips starred with a glittering century earlier in the match which was followed by a sensational bowling display by Trent Boult.

Before listening to skippers of both sides, we list some of the talking points from the game

Catches win you matches

Sri Lanka suffered a humiliating defeat against the Kiwis at the SCG. While Kane Williamson's side were a cut above their opponents in all aspects of the game, the islanders were the architects of their own downfall. The Asian Champions were sloppy in the field throughout the New Zealand innings and were guilty of dropping Glenn Phillips on two occasions, both regulation chances. Had they clung to their chances, the outcome might have been a bit different at the end of the game.

Trent Boult's thunderbolts blow away the Lankans

Trent Boult's future with the New Zealand team might be heading into uncertainty after he opted out of his central contract for New Zealand Cricket, but his bowling remains as lethal as ever. Boult blew away the Sri Lankans, returning with career-best figures of 4/13. His memorable outing once again showcased that the veteran Kiwi still has a lot of cricket left in him.

Phenomenal Phillips to the rescue

New Zealand had their backs against the wall after Sri Lanka reduced them to 15/3 inside the powerplay. A score in the region of 140 would've flattered the Kiwis at that moment in time. But the hard-hitting Glenn Phillips had other ideas as the unorthodox batter compiled one of the innings of the tournament so far, registering just the second ton of the ongoing T20 World Cup. His innings took New Zealand to a commanding total, which proved to be too many for their opponents.

Losing captain, Dasun Shanaka said:

First ten overs, we bowled really well. Credit to Glenn Phillips who played an outstanding knock but while fielding we dropped a few chances. Then 160 was maybe too much for us with the quality of Southee and Trent Boult. There is a way to chase big totals, but we lost early wickets and then lost them at regular intervals. We need to come out with positive intent in the next couple of games.

Winning captain, Kane Williamson said:

Interesting match, the wicket was different as the surface had some tennis ball bounce so slower balls, cutters were very effective. (On Glenn Phillips) Incredible, any hundred is amazing but the way he worked hard and put pressure on the opposition after our poor start. We were being aggressive but keeping it simple in the powerplay, the length ball was the most difficult to hit, so we stuck to that and those cutters. The boys executed the plans really well.

Player of the Match, Glenn Phillips said: 

My conversation (with Mitchell) was to carry on as long as possible, play the right possible shots, was a little difficult against the slower balls, but we managed to get to a competitive total. I couldn't put away the slower ones, but managed to execute my skills against the pacers, especially when pace was on. The bowlers did well later on. I did cramp up a bit, lack of salts possibly there, the boys asked me not to take any further risks on limping away). They swung the new ball (Boult and Southee), the slower ones were holding onto the surface, getting early wickets was crucial and we managed to do that early. ​It was an exceptional performance by our bowlers and fielders, we were high on energy right throughout.