New Delhi: Trent Boult's remarkable bowling performance guided New Zealand to a dominant five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Thursday, edging them closer to a spot in the World Cup semi-finals. The Kiwis, who currently hold the fourth position with 10 points, have established a comfortable lead over Pakistan and Afghanistan, with a significantly superior net run-rate compared to their rivals.

In pursuit of a moderate target of 172, New Zealand's opening pairing of Devon Conway (45) and Rachin Ravindra (42) set the stage for victory, reaching their goal with a remarkable 160 balls to spare in Bengaluru.

Ravindra's exceptional form continued, as he surpassed South Africa's Quinton de Kock to become the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 565 runs, including three centuries. Alongside his batting prowess, Ravindra also claimed two wickets in the game.

Daryl Mitchell's aggressive innings of 43 ensured a smooth victory for New Zealand, falling just 10 runs short of the target after the departures of Conway and Ravindra. Opting to field first, Boult delivered a sensational performance, earning figures of 3-37 as New Zealand restricted Sri Lanka to 171 in 46.4 overs.

Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera displayed resistance with a quickfire 51, but the rest of the batting lineup faltered. Sri Lanka found themselves struggling at 128-9 before a resilient 10th-wicket partnership between Maheesh Theekshana (38 not out) and Dilshan Madushanka (19) added some respectability to the total.

Boult showcased his talent by dismissing key Sri Lankan batsmen, including skipper Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Charith Asalanka. Mendis' dismissal marked Boult's 50th World Cup wicket, placing him in elite company alongside cricketing legends such as Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mitchell Starc, Lasith Malinga, and Wasim Akram.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner also contributed with two crucial wickets, dismissing Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva. Mathews, still recovering from his unfortunate "timed out" dismissal in the previous match against Bangladesh, looked dejected after being caught at slip off Santner's spin.

With this win, New Zealand bounced back from four consecutive losses, positioning themselves for a potential semi-final clash against undefeated India in their final league match. Sri Lanka concluded their campaign with a disappointing seventh loss in nine matches.

The Kiwis now have a firm grip on their spot in the World Cup semi-finals, while Pakistan and Afghanistan must secure highly unlikely victory margins in the remaining matches against England and South Africa respectively to have any chance of progressing to the final four.