In what will be one of the more important games of the last week of the league
stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Group A, Sri Lanka will play New
Zealand. The game will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Things are interestingly poised in the points table despite both having qualified
for the quarter-finals. If the New Zealand side can beat Sri Lanka in
this game, they will either finish first or second in their group, which will
mean that they will face the likes of Bangladesh or West Indies in the second
round clash.
Click for Live Score Card of New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka
On the other hand, if Sri Lanka can beat New Zealand in the game, they will end
second or third based on the result of the other game in the group, between Australia
and Pakistan. This means that Sri Lanka, whether they win this game or no, cannot
finish at the top of the Group A which will be a blow to their confidence.
However, the game should be interesting and could be evenly poised. The reason
for this is that the match is not being played in Sri Lanka, where they
have played all their games, but in a neutral venue at Mumbai. Now, logically,
the Mumbai track should assist the Lankans more than the Kiwis, but it is not
known for sure how will it behave in the night.
For one, there is a lot of heat and heavy humidity that will push the sides to
the limit. Secondly, there is a small matter of the game being a day night encounter.
What this will do is to allow the ball to swing and seam around like no other
and that will mean that the team batting second could be looking at issues. The
other other problem for the team bowling second is that given the temperatures,
dew could be of a concern and that is the reason why it will be difficult to decide
what the captain would do - bat or bowl.
Sri Lanka will hope that they bowl a little better than they have in the tournament
- given that the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and the other spinners
have not had the best of chances to practice.
On the other hand, New Zealand will also want to have their pace bowlers do their
best to get the better of the opponents. How well they bat, however, will be the
key.
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