The 41st Match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 will be played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The Match is in Bangalore on 9th November 2023. The Match is perhaps the most important one in terms of semi-final spots being finalized. Following is the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Preview of Match 41 of the World Cup 2023.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Today Match Preview
Sri Lanka is out of the contention for semi-final and all they care about right now is their qualification for Champions Trophy 2025. But, Sri Lanka has the fans of Pakistan and Afghanistan praying for them because if the Kiwis win, then the chances of Pakistan and Afghanistan get thinner and thinner.
New Zealand started their World Cup 2023 journey quite dominantly, but afterwards they have lost 4 consecutive matches. New Zealand, if win will have the best chance to qualify for the semis. If they lose, they will have to pray that Afghanistan and Pakistan also lose their final matches.
Meanwhile, all these scenarios and situations can be ruined by one thing. Rain is expected in this contest. During the afternoon phase, the chances of rain go as high as 70 percent so there is a big possibility of a washout. If the games is washed out, New Zealand will get 1 point and be at 9 points. Then they would pray that Pakistan and Afghanistan lose their respective matches so that the qualification gets easier for the Kiwis.
Taking rain out of the equation, based on depth and talent in the squad, the Kiwis will be favorites to win this game.
Sri Lanka Playing 11 vs New Zealand
Sri Lanka will most probably play the same lineup.
Expected: 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis (C, wk) 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Kasun Rajitha, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Dilshan Madushanka
New Zealand Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka
New Zealand will have the services of Lockie Ferguson once again. He is likely to come into the side. Ish Sodhi will make way for him.
Expected: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham (C), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, and Tim Southee.
Head to Head Record
The head to head record between these two sides in the World Cup is interesting. Sri Lanka have the narrow lead. They have beaten the Kiwis 6 times in World Cup while New Zealand have won 5. Overall, these two sides have faced-off in 151 ODIs, with New Zealand winning 51 and Sri Lanka winning 41. One game ended as tie while 8 games ended without result.
Players to Watch-out For:
Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell are in unstoppable form. Both average 60+ in their last few ODI games with the bat. Mitchell has 375 runs in last 8 ODIs while Ravindra has 533 runs in last 10 ODI matches. Both of them have been the top performers of the Kiwis in this World Cup and both will have to play a key role tomorrow in this important fixture.
Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner have had a good World Cup 2023. Boult has 12 wickets in last 10 ODIs while Santner has 14 in his last 8 ODI matches. Although Bangalore isn’t suitable for the bowlers but still these 2 bowlers have a chance to do well.
Sadeera Samarawickrama is in good rhythm for the Lankan Lions. He has batted well in the event and on batting friendly conditions he will be someone to watch out for. Charith Asalanka has also scored a hundred in the last game of Sri Lanka, which was against Bangladesh.
Dilshan Madushanka has 21 wickets in last 8 ODIs. He is among the top wicket takers of the event. Madushanka has been deadly accurate and consistent and it will be important to see how well he does in Bengaluru.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Toss Prediction
Sri Lanka is likely to win the toss and they will opt to bat first.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Win Prediction
New Zealand is favorite to win this game with a chance of 70 percent.
