NZ vs SL Match Preview
New Zealand started its World Cup campaign on a strong note, winning 4 consecutive matches. It was touted as one of the first teams who would go through to the playoffs. Yet here we are just a couple of weeks later, where after 4 back-to-back losses, the Black Caps find themselves on shaky ground.
The team now faces a must-win situation against Sri Lanka and even then, its fate will be decided by the outcome of other matches.
Despite the recent losses, there are some positives that the team will carry into this contest. Rachin Ravindra is in sublime form this season and is the 3rd highest run-getter for this tournament. He scored his 3rd century of this World Cup on Saturday.
The team will once again depend on him to deliver the goods. Kane Williamson, who is making a comeback from an injury is as good as ever as he scored 95 runs at a brisk rate. Daryl Mitchell will be another important player for New Zealand in the middle order, thanks to his clean striking abilities. The form of Devon Conway, Will Young, and Glenn Phillips is a bit patchy.
New Zealand’s bowling in the last match was pretty ordinary and there is plenty of scope for improvement. The seamers, particularly Trent Boult and Tim Southee will need to be more disciplined as the team sorely misses Matt Henry’s services. Mitchell Santner is the leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets.
After its recent loss against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka has officially been eliminated from the race to the semifinals. However, they will still look to end their campaign on a high and spoil New Zealand’s party.
Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama continue to be in fine form but the team will need at least one of them to play a big inning and stay till the end. Skipper Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka are two strong performers in the middle overs.
Asalanka scored a century in the last match and looks in particularly good touch. However, the other batsmen, including Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera are yet to get going. Coming to the bowling, except for Dilshan Madushanka, none of the bowlers have had a major impact on the proceedings.
Madushanka is the leading wicket-taker for the tournament with 21 wickets. However, Kasun Rajitha and Angelo Mathews haven’t been very consistent. Similarly, Maheesh Theekshana has picked up only 5 wickets in 7 matches. Sri Lanka will need to improve in a lot of areas if it wants to win this match.
Weather Report
The latest match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium ended early due to rain and saw New Zealand end up on the losing side. The forecast for Thursday isn’t that great either as there is a 70% chance of rain in the afternoon. As a result, we may have yet another rain-affected match on our hands.
Pitch Report
Since there are high chances that the DLS will come into play, batting second will be a good option after winning the toss. The pitch is excellent to bat on and we can expect a high-scoring encounter. The quicker bowlers will get some assistance early on, while the ball will spin a bit during the second innings.
The team batting first will look to get at least 350 runs on the board.
Notable stats
Mendis vs New Zealand: Sitting Duck?
Kusal Mendis has a very poor record against New Zealand. He has 4 consecutive ducks against them in the last 4 ODIs.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side.
NZ vs SL Probable 11
NZ Playing 11
- Devon Conway
- Mark Chapman
- Ish Sodhi
- Kane Williamson (C)
- Rachin Ravindra
- Tom Latham (Wk)
- Glenn Phillips
- Mitchell Santner
- Daryl Mitchell
- Trent Boult
- Tim Southee
SL Playing 11
- Pathum Nissanka
- Kusal Perera
- Kusal Mendis (C)
- Charith Asalanka
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Angelo Mathews
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Kasun Rajitha
- Dilshan Madushanka
- Sadeera Samarawickrama
- Dushmantha Chameera
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing New Zealand to win this match. While they haven’t won their recent matches, many of their players are in good form and the prospect of a must-win encounter will bring out the best from them. Also, New Zealand enjoys a good record against Sri Lanka, winning each of its last 7 matches played against them.
Top Picks
Rachin Ravindra: Rachin Ravindra has 5 scores of 50 or more in this tournament and is the leading run-scorer for New Zealand.
Kane Williamson: Williamson has scored half-centuries in both his innings in this World Cup and is in fine form.
Dilshan Madushanka: Dilshan Madushanka is the leading wicket-taker of this World Cup, picking up 21 wickets in 8 innings. He has an average of 22.23.
NZ vs SL Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: D Conway, S Samarwickrama
Batters: K Williamson (VC), D Mitchell, P Nissanka, C Asalanka, G Phillips
All-rounders: R Ravindra (C), M Santner
Bowlers: D Madushanka, T Boult
