It all gets interesting and exciting at the deep end of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with this all-important clash taking place in Bengaluru between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The Lankans are on their way out, but the Black Caps are still in it. Their campaign derailed after four out of four wins at the start of the tournament, but they need this win to push themselves into semis. While NZ play Sri Lanka on Thursday, they are also in a bigger battle with Pakistan and Afghanistan as these three teams fight for the last spot in the World Cup semi-finals as all of them are on 8 points and have one more game left.
Lankans have turmoil going on in their cricket after a disappointing show in the World Cup. The Sri Lankan government has sacked the Sri Lanka Cricket board because of the poor World Cup show. They pushed the red button immediately after the islanders crashed out.
On the field, Sri Lankans were at the receiving end of one of the most controversial dismissals of the tournament with Angelo Mathews getting timed out in the match vs Shakib Al Hasan’s Bangladesh. This was the first-ever dismissal of this kind in the history of cricket and that too occurred in a World Cup. Sri Lanka now have got real issues, on the park and the sidelines given their disappointing performances of late. Getting bowled out for a score of just over 50 twice in a month and then being in the headlines for losses, controversies – than victories – has not helped their cricket one bit.
Can Sri Lanka pick themselves up against Black Caps and put on a good show? That will be some way to bow out of the tournament. Let’s see what they have in store for us.
It will be interesting to see what both these teams opt to do after winning the toss. I feel the sides who win the toss and bat first and put up a formidable total which is close to, say 350+, can get challenging for the chasing team. Mentally, you have got to get going and keep the run-rate up all the time. I agree that it is no more a big thing in the modern era, but sometimes while playing in India, the pitches can turn out to be two-paced, a little uneven and chasing can become difficult.
I know that Bengaluru is a very good surface there. On the flip side, New Zealand got 400 there and still lost the game. So, the toss becomes very crucial in this game. New Zealand would be very frustrated with that result against Pakistan. They almost crossed the line with over 400 runs on the board. An honest assessment, however, will tell that their bowling got found out a bit as Fakhar Zaman came out all guns blazing.
Yes, Sri Lanka would want to go out on a high. But it is New Zealand who have a lot to play for. They have the spot in the semifinals at stake. What I do like in New Zealand is how they are putting runs on board regularly. Kane Williamson coming back into the lineup is huge news. It gives the Black Caps an able leader and batter both. It also relieves Tom Latham of the extra responsibility and lets him bat without the added pressure. He already has wicketkeeping and batting jobs to take care of.
Lankans are out of the World Cup, but they will play without any pressure of qualifications now. There is no lack of motivation for them despite not being in the race for the semis. There is a lot happening in their cricket, on and off the field, and being one-time world champions and threetime finalists, they would like to make a statement with a win.
The other thing that can motivate them is stopping New Zealand from qualifying for the semis.
Not to forget, Afghanistan too remain in the contest despite what happened on Tuesday night with ‘Mad-Max’ Glenn Maxwell taking Australia to a win from jaws of defeat at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. Afghanistan have been incredible in this World Cup and may still get in, even if the chances are slim now with that NRR in negative.
This is why New Zealand must be at their best when they meet Sri Lanka at Bengaluru. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this three-way race now for the semis.
