Here comes the Group A match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, in a must-win clash for Sri Lanka to stay afloat, while a win for New Zealand will inch their chances closer to the semi-final spot.
Overview:
New Zealand: While New Zealand had a torrid time after losing a tri-series final to visitors Pakistan just before the World T20, they managed to surprise the hosts Australia in World T20 Super-12 opener played at SCG. New Zealand, unexpectedly, won their first international match against Australia in Australia since 2011, when they last won a Test match against Australia at Hobart.
Opening batsman Finn Allen came all guns blazing with 42 runs off just 16 deliveries against Australia, reminiscing the former Sri Lanka great Sanath Jayasuriya’s exploits in his heydays as an aggressor. Allen would like to remind Jayasuriya’s aggression with his own bat against the very team Jayasuriya played for; Sri Lanka. Devon Conway has a good batting average and highly impactful player, so he will like to carry on following his 92* against Australia in Super-12 opener.
While Tim Southee and Trent Boult probably partnering for the last time in New Zealand colours, they would like to continue their good form after Southee claimed 3/6 in 2.1 overs and Boult claimed 2/24 in 4 overs against Australia.
Sri Lanka: Having shocking loss to Namibia in World T20 qualifier opener, Sri Lanka recovered well to win against UAE and Netherlands, before winning their first Super-12 match against Ireland, only to lose against hosts Australia on an uncomfortable and bouncy Perth wicket. Wanindu Hasaranga’s form with bat as well as with ball is a big concern as he was bludgeoned by Marcus Stoinis in last match, getting hammered for a total of 53 runs in 3 overs.
Opener Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka’s contribution will be the key to win the match against New Zealand, considering they play spin very well. Chamika Karunaratne’s bowling will be crucial if SL want to win against New Zealand.
Probable Playing-XI
New Zealand: -
Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Sri Lanka: -
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
Pitch & Weather Report: -
The pitch looks good for batsmen as well as for bowlers. While a washout chance at Sydney is quite less as compared to Melbourne or Hobart, where incessant rains are affecting results badly, the ground is likely to stage a complete 20-over per innings game. Team winning the toss should prefer to bat as chasing on this ground seemed difficult for teams like Australia, Bangladesh and Netherlands in this World T20.
Venue: - Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Date & Time: - Oct 28th 2022, 1:30 PM IST and local time 19:00 AEDT
Live Streaming: - Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Dream-XI: -
