🏏ICC Men's T20I WC 2022: Super 12 - Group 1 - NZ vs SL - 29/10/22🏏

🏏Welcome to ICC Men's T20I World Cup 2022🏏

Super 12 - Group 1

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka on 29/10/2022 at 1:30 PM IST at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Fatigued Sri Lanka look to dig deep against well-drilled New Zealand

A fit-again Daryl Mitchell is likely to return, in place of Mark Chapman, for New Zealand

Fatigue-wise, New Zealand have had a kind start to the tournament. They thrashed Australia in Sydney, then took the short flight to Melbourne, where their match against Afghanistan was rained out without a ball being bowled. They'd have preferred to play that match, of course, but they've not had to contend with crazy schedules or serious changes in time zone.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have been whipped around, and they arrive in Sydney in some disarray. They'd started their campaign in Geelong, in the qualifiers, and have since lost no fewer than three fast bowlers to injury. Then three days after the qualifiers ended, they were playing a match in Hobart. Two days after that they played Australia in Perth. Now they've been shot back across the breadth of the continent to Sydney. Within the side, there seems to be a little consternation about their schedule, by the way. Their next match, on Tuesday, is in Brisbane. Then they come back to Sydney.

Sri Lanka tend to find grievance in high-profile assignments, however, but perhaps more importantly, they have a history of weaponizing that grievance, to blast their way to good results. Test tours of South Africa in 2019, England in 2014, the T20 World Cup in 2014, and of course the big one - the 1996 World Cup - are some examples. But here they are up against a side that seems much-better drilled, and way more settled than they are.

Out of 13 completed matches this year, New Zealand have lost only three. They have a nuclear top order, good firepower through the middle, and a top-class seam attack for Australian conditions. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are getting by on top-order runs without the middle order really contributing, and their attack looks more vulnerable following Tuesday's loss to Australia.

Sri Lanka have to dig deep and find a new gear to overcome their cricketing, and fatigue-related circumstances. New Zealand merely have to build on what they've already been doing.

Pitch Report & Weather Forecast:

The pitch at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney is a balanced pitch which has been good for both of the departments so far, however, batting first should be the call as per the matches held so far compared to batting second and an average score on this pitch is likely to be 160+. 13 matches have been played here and the side batting first won 7 times.

The NZ vs SL ICC T20 World Cup 2022 game starts at 1.30 pm IST on October 29th, Saturday. There are only 1-3% chances of rain as the weather will be generally clear and sunny. The temperature is expected to be around 24 degrees Celcius in the day time and 12 degrees Celcius at night according to weather.com. Winds will flow from West South West at 15 to 30 km/h. Humidity will be 41-55%.

Team watch:

New Zealand:

Injured/Unavailable: Daryl Mitchell has been declared fit in the wake of breaking a finger in the nets earlier this month. Whether he can be squeezed into an XI that performed so well in the Super 12 opener is another matter.

Tactics/Matchups: Finn Allan's strike rate of 172.78 is the highest among players who have scored more than 2,000 runs in T20Is. As is Devon Conway's average of 45.38.

Probable XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (capt), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Sri Lanka:

Injured/Unavailable: Binura Fernando, himself an injury replacement, became the sixth Lankan player to be invalided out of the tournament after hurting a hamstring against Australia in Perth on Tuesday. Asitha Fernando has taken his place in the squad, but Kasun Rajitha looks likely to come in for Binura Fernando in Saturday's XI.

Tactics/Matchups: Sri Lanka have won eight of their last 10 T20Is, often with the help of serious contributions from one or both of their opening batters. But, against fast bowlers from top eight ranked teams, Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have strike rates of just 112.85 and 109.43.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha

Head to head: New Zealand have won 10 of the 19 T20Is between the sides, with one washed out. But, in the history of this tournament, Sri Lanka have prevailed in four of their five games against the Kiwis.

Did you know?

- Tim Southee has dismissed Kusal Mendis twice in the 21 balls he has bowled to him in T20Is.

- Dasun Shanaka came into the tournament as Sri Lanka's leading T20I batter in 2022 with 419 runs at a strike rate of 143 with rose above 190 in the death overs. But he has scored only 40 runs in four innings at the T20 World Cup.

What they said:

"If you're going to last a long time in the game you have to change with the times, and I think the game is ever changing. Batters are discovering new shots, hitting different areas, and bowlers are trying to stay ahead as well. You learn in depth the different conditions, having played in various parts around the world. The experience that you have banked over the years helps. You have to change with the game because it does move at such a quick rate. And if you don't move with it you get left behind." - Tim Southee on the importance of staying open to new ideas.

"We have to go back and sit down and figure out why this has happened and what's the best solution. We haven't had time to find long-term solutions, but we are trying to field the best 11 possible by replacing the injured players right now." - Naveed Nawaz, Sri Lanka's assistant coach, on the team's rotten luck with maintaining fitness.

Thank you, Raji, for the thread and for tagging me. 🤗

I am going out, I will be here as soon as I'll be back home. 😊

I am happy that there will be no rain and full 20 over match today.

It's a pleasant spring day in Sydney.

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

I am happy that there will be no rain and full 20 over match today.

It's a pleasant spring day in Sydney.

Happy to read this else this World Cup have been a really disappointing due to less number of matches and in that also rain played spoilsport.

As for Sri Lanka and New Zealand, the focus will of course be on the game at hand, though both teams will be coming at this game from slightly different perspectives. For New Zealand, things have been going as well as they could have possibly hoped for (barring of course their washout against Afghanistan). They comprehensively beat Australia in their opening game, procuring a healthy NRR boost in the process, and are generally looking like a well-oiled unit in all departments.