Sri Lanka prepare for New Zealand challenge with unchanged T20I squad
Sri Lanka have named a strong 16-member squad led by Charith Asalanka for a six-match white-ball series involving three T20Is followed by three ODIs, against New Zealand.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson admitted that the game against the West Indies was too “close for comfort” for them as they just managed a narrow five-run win in a nail-biting World Cup encounter at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday.
On Sunday, a brilliant knock of 148 from Williamson and a devastating spell of 4 for 30 from Trent Boult were almost rendered useless by Caribbean all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite who scored 101 off just 82 balls.
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Needing six off seven balls with one wicket in hand, Brathwaite was caught a bit short of the boundary rope by Boult as the Kiwis maintained their unbeaten streak in the ongoing mega event.
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“He’s got very good hands,” said Williamson of Boult.
Williamson, who bagged Player of the Match award for his brilliant knock of 148, admitted that it wasn’t their best fielding performance at the Old Trafford cricket stadium.
“We put a few down and it wasn’t our best fielding, but that made way for an outstanding finish and it was a little bit too close for comfort. Those sorts of games are great and we were fortunate to be on the right side of the result. It was a brilliant game but there’s a lot of learning for us to take out of it,” he said.
Chasing 292, Chris Gayle made a handsome 87. Gayle stuck to the wicket from one side but a middle-order collapse undid much of the initial good work. Towards the end, Brathwaite almost took his side home but fell just 5 runs short.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder admired Brathwaite and Gayle. Meanwhile, he admitted that it was a tough game for them. “It was a tough game at the very end, but I’m proud of the guys, especially Carlos, who had a good innings. Chris had a good knock that really set the tone for us. It’s pretty tough but there are still a lot of positives.”
With three points from six games, West Indies are almost out of the race of making it to the semis.
New Zealand, who have almost confirmed a seat in top four, will now face Pakistan on 26 June, followed by games against Australia and England.
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