New Zealand to face Sri Lanka in 46 match of T20 World Cup Super 08 stage with unpredictable span condition at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo today (Wednesday).
At this point in the T20 World Cup, perhaps very few hands would go up. Maybe none. The two co-hosts, India and Sri Lanka, are both feeling the heat, their campaigns already wobbling in the Super Eights. The defeats were heavy, yes, but it was the manner of them that stung more. On surfaces they have grown up on, the batting looked limited, short on imagination and, at times, bereft of solutions.
For Sri Lanka, the unease goes a little further back. The loss to Zimbabwe in the final league fixture might have come with a few changes and at a venue that hasn’t always been kind to them in T20Is, but it still jarred. On most days, you expect Sri Lanka to beat Zimbabwe. Instead, as a consequence of that loss, they head into a must-win clash against New Zealand, knowing another slip could end their tournament.
For New Zealand, the uncertainty is of a different kind. By the time they take the field, they would have watched every other team play a match in the Super Eights. Stocks have dipped for the likes of India and Sri Lanka in the meantime, and risen for the likes of South Africa and West Indies, but for New Zealand, the shares haven’t even been listed yet. They made the journey across the Palk Strait and are still waiting to discover how their game stacks up on slower pitches and larger outfields.
Captain Mitchell Santner admitted it “feels like we haven’t played for a few days”, a nod to the washout and the extended break that followed. Training sessions – two of them, one in the afternoon and another in the evening – can only simulate so much.The stakes are higher for Sri Lanka, but there isn’t plenty of wiggle room for New Zealand either.
Mitchell Santner said in his press conference that it’s a “fresh pitch” for this match, but that’s unlikely to change how the teams approach this. Spin is going to play a major role again, scoring through the middle overs is going to be key again, and the big ground dimensions aren’t going anywhere. The forecast is for a cloudy day but no rains are expected.
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