 New Zealand will play Canada in the 30th game of the Cricket World Cup.
the game will be played on Mach 13 and interestingly, it will be played at the
Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which will also host the final of the tournament.
The game will be a day game and that will mean that the early morning moisture
and dew will push the team winning the toss to field first. They will like to
chase for sure but what could get interesting later will be the manner in which
the pitch behaves. Usually, the Wankhede wicket had shown the tendency to allow
the slow bowlers to rule the roost and that will be the one factor to look out
for when the two sides meet.
Click for Live Score Card of New Zealand Vs Canada
More than a dress rehearsal for the teams, it is a dress rehearsal for the stadium
itself, before it hosts two important games in the tournament, having New Zealand
take on Sri Lanka and having the final of the World Cup here.
Speaking of the two teams, it will be interesting to see how they go about their
business. New Zealand have performed surprisingly well in the competition so far.
they beat Kenya and Zimbabwe by ten wickets each while crushing Pakistan thanks
to a Ross Taylor special. They did lose to Australia but the three wins have now
meant that if they beat the lowly Canadian side, they will have eight points from
their five games.
If one were to look at the points table, it also means that the Kiwis would then
have a good chance of finishing at the third position in the group, though for
that, some of the results will need to go their way. For example, if New Zealand
lose to the Sri Lankans, the Lankans will have nine points. Similarly, if Australia
win all their remaining game except losing to Pakistan, the Aussies will also
end with nine points while Pakistan, will end at the top of the group with ten
points!
What the New Zealand side will need is for the team to come good as a playing
eleven - both the batsmen and the bowlers will need to perform well, just as they
had in the Pakistan game, to allow them confidence.
New Zealand will be without Daniel Vettori, who was injured in the previous game
and that will mean that the side will have an extra pace bowler sending down the
deliveries. Jesse Ryder could also replace Jamie How.
|
