Postpublished at 12:35 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2023
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
The 10 deliveries Madushanka has bowled, he's only erred in two of them but they have both been hit for four.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by five wickets
Black Caps chase down 172 off 23.2 overs and are now very likely to make the semi-finals
Sri Lanka bowled out for 171 - Perera hits 51 off 28 and final pair add 43 but the rest struggle
Sri Lanka already eliminated from semi-final contention
Jonty Colman and Ffion Wynne
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
The 10 deliveries Madushanka has bowled, he's only erred in two of them but they have both been hit for four.
Target 172
Salt, meet wound.
Conway drills the next ball past the bowler for a sumptuous boundary.
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket writer
That's the delivery Madushanka is looking for, but Mendis shouldn't allow the bowler to talk him into that.
A silly review.
No bat and Sri Lanka waste one early.
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
This feels like a gamble. Madushanka was the only one who appealed for that.
Dilshan Madushanka is ecstatic, thinking he has Devon Conway caught behind.
The umpire is having none of it but the bowler manages to talk Kusal Mendis into a review.
Yeah, New Zealand really cleverly deceived us with Rachin Ravindra. During that series against England in September, he batted at seven and bowled a few overs of left-arm spin and didn't look like too much to worry about.
Next thing you know he's smashed the world's bowling attacks all around the park and looks unstoppable.
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
Rachin Ravindra, when he first came into this team, was mainly picked as a No.7 or No.8 and picked as a finger spinner.
Target 172
Sri Lanka turn to spin early with Maheesh Theekshana, fresh from his 38 from 91 balls with the bat.
A misfield at point gifts Rachin Ravindra two runs, before he beautifully drives a fuller delivery past extra cover for four.
He has been so impressive to watch during this tournament.
Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport chief cricket writer
I think if we were making a multi-format world team to take on Mars and only 15 players could be picked, Devon Conway would definitely be in there.
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
Madushanka has been spot on for the first four balls, that was a fraction short and it was pulled beautifully for four.
Target 172
A boundary for Devon Conway, pulled firmly for four, spoils what was a tidy start from Madushanka.
Going back to his World Cup numbers, he has 21 wickets in nine matches at an average of 22.23. All that while playing in a team that has won just two games is very, very impressive.
James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder on BBC Test Match Special
Due to the score Sri Lanka were kept to, if New Zealand were to win it in 30 or 35 overs, you suspect they will probably avoid any dew, making it even harder for Pakistan or Afghanistan to catch them.
Bang on the money from Madushanka first up, as Devon Conway defends solidly on off stump.
Rachin Ravindra is New Zealand's man in form, with 523 runs to his name in eight innings, while Sri Lanka seamer Dilshan Madushanka is the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 21 - a quite incredible effort given his team's struggles.
New Zealand could do with Devon Conway scoring some runs if they are to challenge in the semis, though.
This will be New Zealand's fifth run chase in this year's World Cup. They have had convincing wins over England and Bangladesh, a very tight defeat to Australia and a heavy loss to South Africa. However, with the target only being 172, it is by far the lowest total they have been set at this World Cup.
Target 283 v England - 9 wicket victory
Target 246 v Bangladesh - 8 wicket victory
Target 389 v Australia - 5 run defeat
Target 358 v South Africa - 190 run defeat
So a win sees New Zealand keep their semi-final hopes intact, and they are favourites at the halfway mark.
But to stay ahead on net run-rate and avoid any last-gasp scares from Pakistan and Afghanistan, I suspect we'll see Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra coming out and playing positively.
Three semi-final spots have already been secured by India, South Africa and Australia and to check how the rest stand at the moment, check the table here.
The last two wickets then added a further 58 runs with some stubbornness but unfortunately for Sri Lanka, they couldn't recover from the early slump.
Maheesh Theekshana finished 38 not out while Dilshan Madushanka was last out for a gritty 19 from 48 balls.
After Perera's departure, Sri Lanka opted for resistance rather than flamboyance.
Angelo Mathews made it to the crease on time today, but was undone by a bit of Mitchell Santner magic for 16 before Dhananjaya de Silva fell for almost the exact same dismissal.
Santner finished with 2-22 from his 10 overs, taking his World Cup tally to 16 in nine matches.
He couldn't find support from anyone else, though, as somehow the run-rate kept increasing but the wickets kept tumbling.
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka all departed for single-figure scores as Sri Lanka collapsed to 70-5 after just 9.3 overs.
The wickets were shared around in the end, but Trent Boult starred with 3-37 including his 50th World Cup wicket.