New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka result: Glenn Phillips stars in T20 World Cup masterclass

Glenn Phillips starred for New Zealand in their group match against Sri Lanka, saving a potentially precarious position to lead the side to a 65-run win.

Dropped on 12, the New Zealanders were comprehensive in their dominance of the injury-hit Sri Lankans, who started boldly and gave their supporters reason to dream.

MORE: Who's leading every statistical category at the T20 World Cup | T20 World Cup full results and schedule

Whilst the New Zealanders will be applauded for their ability to apply crippling pressure when in the ascendency - something Sri Lanka let slip - the usually tactile fielding will surely come under review during the week with no less than four, admittedly tough, run-out chances failing to hit.

On the opposite side, Sri Lanka's fielding let them down badly with devastating consequences. Phillips being dropped on 12 was a turning point for the match, with him going on to match 104 off 64.

To give further context: Phillips hit 10 fours and 4 sixes. All other New Zealand batters hit 2 fours and 1 six combined.

Here's how Sporting News  saw match 27 of the World Cup, live from the SCG.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka T20 World Cup updates and highlights from the SCG: As it happened

NEW ZEALAND WIN BY 65 RUNS

20th over: Sodhi to deliver the last over. Second ball it's a stumping: cue Dave Dobbyn. Game over and well done to New Zealand by bowling out their opposition for the second straight match. N

19th over: Southee is back and, if you're walking past the SCG and are wondering who just won: it's Sri Lanka bringing up their century via a Tim Southee wide. This crowd is amazing. 9/101

18th over: Five runs off the over. It looks like Sri Lanka just may see this one out.

17th over: Another missed run out opportunity. A forced shot to extra cover and you get the sense New Zealand will be doing some fielding practice in the next few days. WICKET! Boult gets Shanaka with a skied shot to the deep square leg boundary. 4/13 off four. that's now Trent Boult's best T20I return. 93/9

16th over: 9 runs again from the over. However, the required run rate is now north of 19. 8/91

15th over: 9 runs and Sri Lanka need 86 from 30. Don't tell the fans, though: they're still going as hard as the first over. 8/82

14th over: Aside from Glenn Phillips' incredible Peter Garret impersonation - that's a Midnight Oil reference for our global audience - with his double hamstring cramp, this has become a match of when, not if. 8/73

13th over: Santner is turning the pressure up here. The spinners are really working in...WICKET! Edged to slip. 8/65

12th over: The wickets keep on tumbling here at the SCG. WICKET! Hasaranga de Silva is on his way, lobbing a slower ball to Williamson at extra cover. If it was hard before, it's now...harder. 13+ runs needed per over. 7/64

11th over: Santner burns through an over quickly at the cost of four runs. 6/63

10th over: Rajapaksa halts play before the over can begin as a small-ish army of Australia's finest flying insects swarm around him. It is a beautiful, warm evening in Sydney, though: let's not get caught up too much on the wildlife. The match really feels in the balance with Ferguson taking the ball. WICKET! Rajapaksa looked like he got all of a Ferguson delivery and sent it back down the ground, but it fell well short. The replays show it hit him high on the bat. 6/58

9th over: Santner has the ball again. Shanaka receives a gift of a full toss and takes full advantage with a rocket through extra cover. Momentum is everything and it doesn't feel as one-sided as it did several overs ago. 5/52

8th over: Rajapaksa drops the hammer for six with a short ball sent on its merry way to midwicket. Sodhi will want that ball back. A few balls he leans back and cuts it through the fielder for four. If you're going by stadium noise, the Sri Lankans are very much still in this. 13 from the over. 5/43

7th over: Santner enters the attack to mix it up. WICKET! That was quick. Chamika is gone, picking out the lone man in the deep. This could really unravel here. Then the first ball to Shanaka goes for four. Cricket is a funny game. 5/30

6th over: Boult continues. Four runs. 4/24

5th over: A touch of pace now with the introduction of Lockie Ferguson. Bhanuka is really taking it to him here, using the pace of the ball with one of the flattest sixes you'll ever see. This more like it! 12 runs from the over. 4/20

4th over: WICKET! A slower ball to Asalanka from Boult with the third delivery and Finn Allen has taken a solid catch at backward point. That knuckleball delivery is devastating. 2 runs from the over. 4/8

3rd over: After the first ball of the over, that's now 13 in a row - dating back to the Australia match - where he has not conceded a run. A close run-out chance for Neesham to almost dismiss Bhanuka without facing a ball but he survives.

2nd over: Boult begins and Mendis shows exactly what his hands can do, unleashing them on a ball slightly wide. Four runs. Dot ball. WICKET! Well, forget what we just said, Mendis continued to push further wide of his body and has nicked one.

This is starting to look like New Zealand's innings. WICKET! New Zealand were 3/15 - Sri Lanka are now 3/5. Boult has Dhananjaya edge onto his off stump and this is looking troubling.

1st over: Southee takes the ball, delivers four dot balls and WICKET! It's a wicket maiden to start for the Kiwis. 1/0

END OF NEW ZEALAND INNINGS

168 is the target for Sri Lanka with Glenn Phillips the star. He came in with only 15 runs on the board and absolutely steadied the innings.

Glenn Phillips brings up a phenomenal hundred, his second in T20Is 😍#T20WorldCup | #NZvSL | 📝: https://t.co/7YevVnQdfG pic.twitter.com/4WydiUhzyw

— ICC (@ICC) October 29, 2022

20th over: Santner simply gets under a ball a cuts it for six, saving Phillips - who's crouched at the end like he's about to take 100m gold - from running. A single and a wide later and WICKET! Phillips mistimes a ball finally and that's his brilliant innings come to an end.

19th over: Theekshana continues and the Glenn Phillips show gets its well-deserved name in lights: that's his century. A game-turning century and, though he looks in pain, that was a muscled innings: all power and savagery. Sri Lanka have fallen short of their timings and will bring an additional fielder inside the circle. 5/154

18th over: WICKET! Neesham misses the middle of the bat trying to hit over the infield and prods a shot to Shanaka. Rajitha has his second. Gee whiz: Sri Lanka have six minutes remaining to finish the innings without being punished. This will be tight. Phillips flicks a no-ball into the stands on the bounce and he's into the 90s. He retains the strike at the end of the over. Wait! No, Rajitha just bowled his second no-ball of the over. This does nothing positive for timer. Phillips misses the slower ball and is fuming - but he's still alive. 5/140

17th over: Phillips is showing off his stumps, just daring Theekshana to attack him. He then simply steps back in and is swatting - it's not always elegant but he doesn't have to be right now - sixes. Two of them off the over. 4/129

16th over: Phillips has 24 off his last 10. It's a very different game to when he came in at 15. Now, to the 16th over. Three singles and a borderline-disrespectful 89-metre six back down the ground from Phillips off Lahiru. Two more singles and it's 4/113.

15th over: Extra cover, meet flying ball. Phillips makes the introduction and follows it up with a punch to long on. WICKET! Mitchell fails to pick the wrong'un and that's the end of a magnificent partnership. Neesham is making his way in and New Zealand bring up their 100. 

14th over: Chamika has now bowled seven straight slower balls. Now be brings up the field so it'll be more of the same. CHANCE! A tough chance but Dasun Shanaka drops a shot on the run and that's Phillips' 50. He looks set now. The running between wickets here is exemplary. 18 from the over, the biggest of the innings. 3/94

13th over: Wanindu is back into the attack with his..slinger? According to Mark Howard it's "the collapser". Whatever it is, it gives up six runs for the over spread around the ground. 3/76

12th over: For all the early antics, New Zealand have still only lost three wickets. With a few in hand and their world class attack, there's something salveable here. The partnership is currently 51 (46). Not rapid by any means but has certainly added some stability to New Zealand's innings. A few more errors in the field and seven runs. 3/70.

11th over: Dhananjaya is fuelled and resumes. New Zealand look swift between the wickets, though. 1, 2, 2, 1 off the first four and Sri Lanka are spread out: it's clear who's the attacker here. Nine from it. 3/63

10th over: Phillips hands are warming up, he's really throwing them through the ball at the moment. He glides a ball to deep point and then a blistering six. He got a ball short off a length and just turned on it, lofting it off his pads. That's 50 for New Zealand. Eight runs off the over and it's drinks. 3/54

9th over: Just the three runs. 3/45

8th over: It feels like Sri Lanka is just losing their way a bit here. Lahiru Kumara is into the attack and immediately concedes a four. Too short to Phillips, who gloves the ball to the boundary. Yeesh, then he oversteps for a free hit to New Zealand. 12 runs from the over with the strike rotating. 3/42

7th over: De Silva continues and it looks like Phillips and Mitchell will continue to rotate the strike as they get their bearings. CHANCE! Oh no, Nissanka has dropped a lofted drive straight at him from Phillips. It was too low to get caught in the lights: he's just doffed it. Costly? Surely. 3/30

6th over: Mitchell and Phillips need to turn it on here. Phillips responds with a bullet behind point, taking advantage of such a hint of width. One more run and that's six from the over. 3/25

5th over: Theekshana is tidy and the chatter level is turning up. Sri Lanka on top. 3/19

4th over: Rajitha resumes. It's been a diabolical start for New Zealand but Williamson looks electric, picking the length early and throwing his hips, bat and enough power to frighten a small army through the ball. What a shot for four. 3/15

Oh. WICKET! Williamson is caught driving. a length ball nicks away from the seam and he has to go. SCENES. Capital letters intended.

3rd over: WICKET! Dhananjaya enters the fray and disposes of Conway with just his second ball. It looks like Conway tried to loft him over extra cover and just...missed. Phillips is in and punches the second ball to him through the covers. 2/11

2nd over: Kasun Rajitha takes the ball and, much like Theekshana, looks to use the big boundary to his advantage. a tight first over, limiting New Zealand to three runs. 1/6

1st over: Theekshana leads us off, trying the use big boundary to his advantage. WICKET! A slight inswinger with the fourth ball of the over and it was too much for Allen. he gave himself too much space and New Zealand are a wicket down. Williamson is in and immediately off the mark. 1/3

30 minutes until first ball: One change for both teams: Daryl Mitchell replaces Mark Chapman, while Kasun Rajitha comes in place of the injured Binura Fernando.

45 minutes until first ball: New Zealand have won the toss and will bat first.

One hour until first ball: Good evening and, dare we even say it, an enthusiastic tip of the cap to the weather gods: it looks like we'll have cricket tonight. Stick around as we get the confirmed sides, ponder what lies ahead in the coming fortnight and prepare for what's going to be a cracking game of cricket.

A stat to get you started (via Cricinfo): New Zealand have won 10 and lost seven T20Is against Sri Lanka. In T20 World Cups, however, the tally is 4-1 in Sri Lanka's favour, though they haven't met at this tournament since 2014.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka T20 full scorecard

New Zealand innings

Sri Lanka bowling

Sri Lanka batting

New Zealand bowling