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Sri Lanka is set to clash against New Zealand in their final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 group phase on November 9. The match will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Sri Lanka’s exit from the tournament was confirmed on Monday after a defeat to Bangladesh by three wickets. It was their sixth defeat in eight matches. The Kusal Mendis-led side’s only victories came against Netherlands and England.
The Islanders batted first against Bangladesh, scoring 279 runs in 49.3 overs before getting bowled out. Charith Asalanka’s 108 off 105 balls was crucial to Sri Lanka getting a par total on this terrific batting deck.
Bangladesh’s run chase was steered by 169-run partnership between Najmul Hossain Shanto (90 off 101 balls) and captain Shakib Al Hasan (82 off 65 balls). Sri Lanka got back into the match with some quick wickets, but it was all too late as the Tigers registered a three-wicket win. It was Bangladesh’s second win of the tournament.
New Zealand, on the other hand, were in the top two spots after winning their first four matches. But they now find themselves in a tricky situation, having lost four matches in a row to India, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan.
The Kiwi batters, led by Rachin Ravindra (108 off 94 balls) and skipper Kane Williamson (95 off 79 balls), drove the side to 401/6 in 50 overs. Fakhar Zaman’s sensational 126 off 81 balls, which included eight fours and 11 sixes, took Pakistan to 200/1 in 25.3 overs before rain interrupted and play never resumed. The 1992 champions were declared winners by 21 runs (by D/L method).
Probable playing XIs
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka
Weather conditions and pitch report
The wicket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium offers great assistance to the batting unit and a flat deck is expected for this clash. The ground dimensions are not very big as well, which will be a cause of trouble for the bowlers. The average first innings score is 237 and in the previous match, over 650 runs were scored at eight runs an over.
The weather conditions will challenge the players in the early afternoon, but it will settle as the day progresses. The temperatures in Bengaluru are expected to range between 19 degrees to 27 degrees, with a rain prediction on the cards as well.
NZ vs SL fantasy XI
Wicket-keepers: Devon Conway, Sadeera Samarawickrama
Batters: Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka
All-rounders: Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha
Devon Conway and Sadeera Samarawickrama have accumulated a lot of runs and are the best options among keeper-batters. Conway has scored 314 runs in eight matches, while Samarawickrama is Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer with 372 runs in eight fixtures.
Kane Williamson was back in the previous match and he struck a terrific 95 off 79 balls. The Kiwi skipper, alongside Daryl Mitchell (375 runs in eight matches) are top options among batters. Charith Asalanka scored his first World Cup hundred in the last match and Pathum Nissanka has scored 330 runs in eight matches so far.
Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra are the obvious picks among all-rounders, who are both leading the wicket-taking and run-scoring charts for the Black Caps, respectively. Santner has picked up 14 wickets and scored 94 runs, while Rachin Ravindra has 523 runs and picked three wickets.
Dilshan Madushanka is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and is a good pick alongside Kasun Rajitha in the bowling attack. Among the Kiwi bowlers, Trent Boult has 10 wickets to his credit in eight matches.
Captain: Rachin Ravindra
Rachin Ravindra is having a terrific debut World Cup campaign, scoring 523 runs in eight matches at an average of 74.71. He scored three centuries – against England, Australia and Pakistan. His strike-rate too has been impressive, at 107.39.
Vice-captain: Dilshan Madushanka
Although Sri Lanka have had a poor campaign, Dilshan Madushanka had a terrific outing so far with 21 wickets in eight matches, which includes a five-fer against India. He is a top pick for captaincy or vice-captaincy in this fixture.
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