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.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, England are well on their way to a massive score in this World Cup clash against New Zealand. Post 25 overs, England are 161/1 with Johnny Bairstow and Joe Root in the middle.
England reached 100 runs within the 15 overs with both the openers carrying forward from where they had left against India. While Bairstow is unbeaten on 76, Jason Roy departed after scoring 60 runs.
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Having been invited to field first, New Zealand did not seem to have enough answers for the enthralling display of cricketing shots all around the park and have struggled to achieve a breakthrough.
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Notably, a spot in the World cup semi-final is at stake in this match. It is for that coveted spot that both the teams are eyeing this match as a virtual quarter-final.
A defeat may still leave either team to qualify but both the teams would want to be the masters of their own destiny in this World Cup rather than depend on the result of the Pakistan-Bangladesh match.
The way England are batting, they do not seem to be in a mood to let this match slip away as they are dominating the Kiwi bowlers and scoring with a lot of intent and freedom.
In the next half, New Zealand shall look to make a comeback; otherwise, they could well be chasing something around the 350 mark which could be a daunting task given the scoreboard pressure and the importance of this match.
Can the Kiwi bowlers rise up to the occasion and restrict England batting to a total which can be chased down or will the Englishmen take a step further in the World Cup?
The answer will unfold in the evening ahead.
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