"Their Champions Trophy is gone" - Aakash Chopra on Sri Lanka's crushing 2023 World Cup loss to New Zealand

Aakash Chopra has pointed out that Sri Lanka have virtually been knocked out of the 2025 Champions Trophy qualification race after their annihilation by New Zealand on Thursday.

The Lankan Lions were bundled out for 171 after being asked to bat first in Bengaluru in their final 2023 World Cup league game. The Kiwis overhauled the below-par target with five wickets and 26.4 overs to spare to virtually guarantee themselves a semi-final berth.

Reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the result implies that Sri Lanka won't qualify for the next edition of the Champions Trophy. He said (3:55):

"Sri Lanka's situation has been extremely ordinary. I feel they will bid goodbye to the Champions Trophy in the end because they are at No. 9. So their Champions Trophy is gone. They are not going to move up, all their matches are finished."

The former India opener praised the New Zealand bowlers for helping their side gain the upper hand from the outset. He elaborated (3:10):

"New Zealand won the toss and decided to bowl, and they came out firing on all cylinders. It seemed like they would get them all out for 25, wickets were falling one after the other. If Kusal Perera's catch had been taken, the job would have been done and dusted."

Kusal Perera, who was dropped by Tom Latham behind the wickets, smashed a 28-ball 51. However, the Black Caps kept striking at the other end, with the swashbuckling opener's dismissal in the 10th over leaving the 1996 World Cup champions at a precarious 70/5.

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"The scoreboard was looking funny" - Aakash Chopra on Sri Lanka's top-order collapse

Trent Boult (3/37) was New Zealand's most successful bowler. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Sri Lanka's top order was blown away. He explained (3:30):

"The scoreboard was looking funny. Pathum Nissanka scored two, Kusal Mendis scored six, Sadeera Samarawickrama scored one, Charith Asalanka scored eight, and Angelo Mathews scored 16. Maheesh Theekshana and Dilshan Madushanka scored a few runs in the end and took them to 171 but nothing was going to happen."

Chopra praised New Zealand's aggressive approach in the run chase, which virtually sealed their berth in the semi-final. He stated (4:10):

"New Zealand came to play with the intention of finishing it early. They knew that the bigger the margin of their win, the more difficult it would be for the others to knock them out. They lost four matches in a row, they weren't a team like that. So it was a slight setback but they are back on track."

Although Sri Lanka are placed ninth in the standings with no game in hand, they can still finish in the top eight and qualify for the Champions Trophy. They would need at least two among the Netherlands, Bangladesh and England to lose their respective final games comprehensively enough for their net run rate to fall below the Lankan Lions.