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.
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori feels three consecutive losses for New Zealand ahead of the World Cup semi-finals will not affect Kane Williamson’s unit much.
New Zealand, who started off their tournament campaign as invincibles by winning five of their first six matches (one match being washed out due to rain), failed miserably in their last three games; losing all of them. This led them to end the group stage at 11 points. It was their higher net run-rate that virtually took them to the semi-finals.
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“From a New Zealand perspective, it is not ideal to have lost three (matches) in a row, even if they are still pretty much assured of a semi-final place,” Vettori wrote in his column for the ICC.
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“Despite the three straight losses, I don’t think it will affect the team too much, particularly knowing some of the guys well,” said the all-rounder adding, “They have six or seven individuals who can win a game for them, and that is a pretty exciting way to think about it.”
Speaking about New Zealand’s 119-run loss to England in Durham, Vettori said that the hosts came out with an incredible performance for the second time in a row to book their berth in the final 4.
“For the second game running, England have produced an incredible performance under pressure so hats off to them,” said Vettori.
The former left-arm spinner also mentioned the absence of fast bowler Lockie Ferguson in New Zealand’s last match against England. “New Zealand missed Lockie Ferguson in Durham, particularly because of the way he fits into the structure of the game. Kane likes to use him as a first-change bowler in short 2-3 over spells. With him out, that meant they had to shuffle things around a little.”
“If he is back for the semi-final, that will give New Zealand a lot more certainty around how they go about their 50 overs,” said Vettori.
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