Adelaide: New Zealand outclassed Ireland in their last Super 12 encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Adelaide on Friday.
After being asked to bat, New Zealand scored 185 for six against Ireland.
Skipper Kane Williamson scored 61 off 35 balls. Left-arm pacer Joshua Little (3/22) scalped a hat-trick for Ireland.
Chasing the total, Ireland finished at 150 nine in 20 overs and lost the match by 35 runs. Lockie Ferguson (3/22) picked up three wickets for New Zealand.
The Kiwis started their campaign on a bright note with a massive 89-run win against defending champions and tournament hosts Australia, and followed it up with yet another big win against Sri Lanka by six wickets, with a washed-out game against Afghanistan in between.
New Zealand lost by 20 runs but their big victories in the previous two matches helped them in staying at the top of the table, with a massive NRR of +2.233 to their name.