What will the 2023 World Cup semi-finals likely be after New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets?

Hitting three birds with one stone, New Zealand's clinical five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup in Bengaluru almost sealed their spot in the semi-finals and also pushed Pakistan and Afghanistan to the brink of elimination.

The Kiwis restricted the Lankans to just 171/10 in the first innings. The pitch was bouncy and slightly slow. Kusal Mendis and company came to bat with a plan to blast New Zealand out of the game. Trying that, most of the top-order played some rash shots to leave the side reeling at 113/8 before the halfway mark.

Spinner Maheesh Theekshana dug in unbelievably and built a splendid rear-guard attack alongside Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka. The last three batters added 58 runs to put a veil of respectability on the score.

However, it was nowhere near enough to stop New Zealand. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra provided a brisk 87-run opening stand.

Both got out in quick succession but Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell put the pressure back with a bit of counter-attack. Angelo Mathews then gave a light scare by getting two more scalps and affecting one run-out but Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham saw the chase through in just the 24th over.

New Zealand thus became only the fourth team in the World Cup to reach 10 points. Their net run rate (NRR), which was already rock-solid at +0.398, got boosted to 0.743.

Now for Pakistan to qualify, they'll have to beat England by 275 runs to go past New Zealand's NRR and qualify for semi-finals. Afghanistan, whose NRR is -0.338, would need a much, much bigger win. Both of these scenarios are virtually impossible.

As India, South Africa, and Australia had already qualified as the top three teams in the World Cup league stage, this leaves us with a simple scenario for the semi-finals.

Likely 2023 World Cup semi-finals

Semi-final 1: India vs New Zealand: November 15, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from 2:00 pm IST

Semi-final 2: Australia vs South Africa: November 16, Eden Gardens, Kolkata from 2:00 pm IST