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 has admitted that his side was outplayed by England in a must-win game for the hosts in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
The Three Lions defeated the Kiwis by 119 runs to book a berth for themselves in the semi-finals. This was New Zealand’s third loss on the trot after suffering previous blows from Australia and Pakistan.
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Batting first, England posted a total of 305 runs on the board and in reply Williamson’s unit was bundled up for 186.
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“There are important learnings to take note of on some difficult surfaces. We need to try and better for having had those experiences,” Williamson said at the post-match press conference, adding, “It would be nice to be more successful in those scenarios.”
Meanwhile, the 28-year-old captain acknowledged the performance of the in-form English team and accepted that the hosts were far better than the Kiwis.
“I don’t want to take anything away from England, they outplayed us regardless of conditions and deserved their win,” admitted skipper Williamson.
“We have to try and take smarter options. We need to take partnerships longer and deeper,” he added.
New Zealand have virtually made their way to the semi-finals as it will take an extraordinary Pakistan win over Bangladesh at Lord’s to overturn the run rate deficit and knock the Black Caps out of the semis.
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