NZ vs SL Match Preview
There is a cut-throat competition going on in the Group A of the T20 world cup being played in Australia. With the last stages of the league coming closer there are still no favorites in the group. New Zealand defeated Australia in their last encounter in the competition. They were forced to share a point with Afghanistan due to bad weather spoiling the match. Sri Lanka on the other hand has posted one victory and one loss from their couple of games in the competition so far.
New Zealand caused an upset of sorts in the first game of the world cup by defeating the defending champions and host Australia. Devon Conway anchored the New Zealand innings by scoring 92 runs. This was followed by some lusty hitting by Neesham. In the end, all this led to the New Zealand cricket team putting together a total in the excess of 200 runs on the board. They just lost 3 wickets in the process. After this wonderful performance with the bat, Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee picked up 3 wickets each to win the match for New Zealand by a huge margin of 89 runs.
In their second match of the competition, New Zealand was forced to share a point with Afghanistan. The entire match was washed away with rain and there was no action on the day at Melbourne. Sri Lanka on the other hand was at the receiving end of the long handle used by Marcus Stoinis in their second match of the competition at Perth against Australia. Batting initially, the Sri Lankan side was able to score 157 runs. The Sri Lankan bowlers were unable to control the back-breaking attack from Stoinis as he smashed 59 runs from 18 balls.
Stoinis was joined by Maxwell in the mayhem and then to make matters worse for Sri Lanka, their lead bowler Binura Fernando had to walk off the field with some discomfort. This happened in the first over of the innings itself. Due to this huge loss, Sri Lanka now has a couple of points from their two games. They are placed at the number two position in the points table at the moment. They have to face competition from Afghanistan, Australia, and England in their group and there is every chance that their position in the points table will dip to number 4 after this game.
Weather Report
The weather for this game is likely to be sunny and there are no expectations of any showers during the match. The temperatures during the game will range between 13 and 25 degrees and the wind will blow across with a speed of close to 20 km/hr westwards.
Pitch Report
You can expect a high-scoring game on this track. If you consider the last 3 games played at the SCG you will find that the lowest total scored in the first innings was 179 runs. But the pitch will offer plenty of pace and bounce to the bowlers. The SCG venue has a capacity of 48000 spectators. This venue is a historical place and has witnessed 110 test matches, 161 ODI games, and 15 T20I matches so far.
Notable stats
New Zealand leads the head-to-head between these two countries in their last five encounters.
New Zealand has won 4 out of their last 5 matches against Sri Lanka. They have a clear edge going into this match. However, Sri Lanka won the last game played between these two countries in 2019.
Devon Conway has had a terrific batting average in the last 9 games for New Zealand.
Devon Conway has scored 431 runs in his last 9 games at an average of 71.83 and a strike rate of 131.80. He is the batsman to watch out for.
Team News
The Sri Lanka cricket team has had to endure several injuries in the competition, especially to the top fast bowlers. The latest addition to the list of casualties is Binura Fernando. New Zealand will have its entire side available for selection though.
NZ vs SL Probable 11
NZ Playing 11
- Devon Conway (Wk)
- Finn Allen
- Kane Williamson (C)
- Glenn Phillips
- Mark Chapman
- James Neesham
- Mitchell Santner
- Tim Southee
- Ish Sodhi
- Lockie Ferguson
- Trent Boult
SL Playing 11
- Pathum Nissanka
- Kusal Mendis (Wk)
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Charith Asalanka
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa
- Dasun Shanaka (C)
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Chamika Karunaratne
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Jeffrey Vandersay
- Lahiru Kumara
Dream11 Prediction
New Zealand has managed to win 13 out of their last 16 matches during an exceptional year they are having thus far. They have also managed to defend a total successfully 9 times out of 13 victories during this period. Although New Zealand doesn’t have a good record at the SCG they managed to beat Australia by a margin of 89 runs at this very venue while starting their campaign in the world cup. New Zealand also has a terrific record against Sri Lanka winning the last 4 games out of 5. Four out of the five kiwi batters playing near the top of the order have a strike rate that is better than the entire Sri Lankan side. So, New Zealand has an edge in this match over their opposition. We will bet with New Zealand to win this match.
Top Picks
Devon Conway: In his last five T20I matches Devon Conway has managed 289 runs. This kiwi opening batter is well worth backing to become the leading run scorer in this game.
Tim Southee: Tim Southee is an experienced fast-medium bowler for New Zealand. He picked up 3 wickets for 6 runs in the last kiwi encounter against Australia. He might once again emerge as their leading wicket-taker.
Pathum Nissanka: Nissanka has been among the runs in the recent past for Sri Lanka, especially at the top of the order. He might come good again in this game and become the leading run-getter for Sri Lanka.
Wanindu Hasaranga: Hasaranga had a bad outing against Australia. But keep in mind that he is a world-class bowler. You can bet on him to emerge as the leading wicket-taker against New Zealand.
NZ vs SL Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: D. Conway (C)
Batters: K. Williamson, D. de Silva, G. Phillips, P. Nissnaka
All-rounders: M. Santner, W. Hasaranga (VC)
Bowlers: T. Southee, T. Boult, L. Ferguson, M. Theekshana
