On Thursday, November 9, New Zealand will square off against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for their final league match of the ICC World Cup 2023. The game is scheduled for a 2 PM start, Indian Standard Time. New Zealand’s team had an impressive start to the tournament with four straight wins, but their luck took a turn with four consecutive losses.
Should New Zealand secure a win in their upcoming match, they would boost their points to 10, enhancing their chances for a semi-final spot, though they would still depend on other match outcomes to guarantee their advancement.
For Sri Lanka, despite their exit from semi-final contention following a defeat to Bangladesh, they aim to finish their World Cup run on a positive note, keeping an eye on qualifying for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Pitch Report for the Bengaluru Stadium
The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is famous for high scores, thanks to its smaller boundaries. Here, no score is too high to chase down. In the latest game at this ground, New Zealand hit an imposing 401/6 while batting first.
Out of 41 ODIs hosted here, 15 have been won by the team batting first, while teams batting second have claimed victory 22 times, indicating a preference for chasing. The average score for the first innings here is 237.
Pace vs Spin at Chinnaswamy
During this World Cup, fast bowlers have generally dominated at this venue, taking the lion’s share of wickets. Nevertheless, in a recent game between Australia and Pakistan, spinner Adam Zampa took 4/53, showing that spinners can also find success here as the match goes on.
Weather Report
Expect the weather in Bengaluru to be around 27 degrees Celsius with 78% humidity during the match.
Teams for the Upcoming Match
New Zealand Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Will Young, James Neesham.
Sri Lanka Squad: Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Dunith Wellalage.
ODI Head-to-Head and Match Prediction
In their ODI history, New Zealand and Sri Lanka have faced off 101 times, with New Zealand winning 51 of those encounters and Sri Lanka 41. Seven of the last matches have been dominated by New Zealand, boasting their highest score of 371/7 in these games against Sri Lanka’s lowest of 76 all out.
Given their past performances, New Zealand is tipped as the favorites to take this match and push for a spot in the semi-finals.
