'Do-or-die' stage of World Cup begins: New Zealand-Sri Lanka clash today, if Kiwis win, semi-finals

'Do-or-die' stage of World Cup begins: New Zealand-Sri Lanka clash today, if Kiwis win, semi-finals almost certain

Do or die stage matches are starting from today in the ODI World Cup 2023. The match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be played from 2:00 pm in Bengaluru. The toss will take place at 1:30 pm at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

New Zealand is at fourth place in the points table with 8 points after 4 wins and 4 losses in 8 matches. 3 teams have reached the semi-finals, if they win today, New Zealand's hopes of reaching the semi-finals will increase. Whereas Sri Lanka is at number 9 with 4 points from 2 wins in 8 matches. The team would like to qualify for the Champions Trophy by winning today's match.

New Zealand lost 4 consecutive matches

In the ODI World Cup, New Zealand had defeated defending champion England by 9 wickets in the very first match. After this the team also defeated Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Netherlands. The Kiwi team was on the top of the points table after 4 consecutive wins but from here they had to face 4 consecutive defeats. They were defeated by India, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan.

The New Zealand team, which is at fourth position in the points table, can qualify for the semi-finals by winning today's match. Because the team has 8 points and their run rate is better than Pakistan and Afghanistan who are in the race for the knockout. If the team wins today, it will increase its chances of qualification by 10 points. In case of losing, the team would like that Pakistan and Afghan teams should also lose their respective matches so that they can qualify on the basis of better run rate.

Rachin Ravindra is the top performer of the team

Kiwi captain Kane Williamson has made a comeback in the last match against Pakistan after recovering from injury. He made an important contribution in taking the team beyond 400 runs by playing an inning of 95 runs. Today's match is also in Bengaluru, considering the spinners were badly beaten in the last match, Kyle Jameson can be included in the playing-11 in place of Ish Sodhi.

23-year-old young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra is the team's top run scorer in the tournament. He has 523 runs in his name. Whereas left arm spinner Mitchell Santner is the top wicket taker of the team, he has 14 wickets in his name.

Sri Lanka could win only 2 matches

The Sri Lankan team, which has been struggling with the problem of injured players since before the tournament, has been able to win only 2 out of 8 matches. They defeated England and Netherlands. The team is out of the knockout stage of the tournament but by winning today's match, their hopes of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy will remain alive.

Sri Lanka is currently at number 9 due to 4 points and poor run rate. If they win today, the team can reach 7th position with 6 points, if Sri Lanka finishes in the top-8 position by the end of the league stage, then the team will qualify for the 2025 tournament. If the match is lost, the team will also be in danger of being out of the Champions Trophy.

Top run scorer of Samarawickrama team

Sri Lanka has tried the maximum number of 18 players in the tournament as 3 of their players were ruled out due to injury. These include captain Dasun Shanaka, in his absence wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis is commanding the team.

Middle order batsman Sadira Samarawickrama from Sri Lanka has scored the highest 372 runs, while Dilshan Madushanka, who took 21 wickets, is the top wicket taker of the team and the tournament. However, apart from him, no other bowler of the team could take even 10 wickets.

There is a tough competition in the World Cup

There were 11 matches between the two teams in the ODI World Cup, out of which Sri Lanka won 6 and New Zealand won 5. Sri Lanka had defeated New Zealand in 4 consecutive matches from 2003 to 2011 but the Kiwi team won in the last 2 matches.

There were 101 matches between the two in ODI, out of which Sri Lanka won 41 and New Zealand won 51. One match was tied, while 8 matches also remained inconclusive. Based on recent form, New Zealand has the upper hand but in Asian conditions the Sri Lankan team can also be defeated.

pitch report

The pitch in Bengaluru has always been helpful for the batsmen, in the last match here New Zealand had scored 401 runs. In response to which Pakistan also scored 200 runs in 25.3 overs. Even today, a lot of runs are seen being scored in the match. Of the 29 ODIs played here so far, 14 matches have been won by the chasing teams. Out of 12, the teams batting first also won, one match was tied, while 2 matches also remained inconclusive.

weather condition

There is a possibility of rain up to 41% in Bengaluru today. The temperature will be between 19 to 27 degrees Celsius. Rain may arrive from 2 pm to around 5 pm. If the match is not played then both the teams will get 1 point each.

Possible playing-11 of both the teams

Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (captain and wicketkeeper), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Sadira Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjay de Silva, Mahish Teekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera and Kasun Rajitha.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman/Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jameson/Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee and Trent Boult.