New Zealand
Sri Lanka
We are down to the last weak of league fixtures in the World Cup and all the teams will give themselves a last push to make sure that they qualify for the semi-final stage. In match number 41, New Zealand and Sri Lanka will meet at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
New Zealand is currently at the 4th spot in the point table with 4 wins and a net run rate of +0.398. A win against Sri Lanka will increase the chances for Kiwis for a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Sri Lanka has lost hopes of qualifying for the semi-final stage as they are currently at the 8th spot in the point table with a net run rate of -1.160. The top bookmakers in India have World Cup odds with them.
Rachin Ravindran has been in exceptional form and is the third-highest-scorer in the World Cup as of now.
The betting tip is...
Rachin Ravindran to score 50+
58 %
42 %
New ZealandSri LankaKiwis are coming to play their next fixture after an unexpected loss against Pakistan in the previous game. The Gods of Rain played their part and according to the DLS method, New Zealand lost the fixture.
However, the good news is that skipper Kane Williamson is back in the team after recovering from his injury and announced his arrival by scoring 95 off 79 balls. Rachin Ravindran displayed his brilliance again and scored 108 off 94. Mark Chapman (39 off 27) and Glenn Phillips (41 off 25) continued the momentum in the middle order.
On the balling front, Tim Southee picked up a single wicket but the rest of the bowling unit failed to get any breakthroughs before the game was stopped due to rain interference.
Rachin Ravindra and skipper Kane Williamson will be expected to play the match-winning role for the team.
Predicted Lineup: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi/ Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Sri Lanka made headlines because of all the wrong reasons. Angelo Mathews became the first ever player to be timed out in cricket against Bangladesh in the previous fixture and Sri Lanka ended up losing the fixture.
Batting first, Pathum Nissanka (41 off 36) gave a positive start to the team but the rest of the top order failed to make an impact. Sadeera Samarawickrama (41 off 42) and Charith Asalanka (108 off 105) gave the scoring momentum to the team and helped the team to reach a nominal score.
On the bowling front, Dilshan Madhushanka picked up 3 wickets in 10 overs at an economy of 6.90. Maheesh Theekshana and Angelo Mathews contributed with 2 wickets each at an economy of 4.89 and 4.88 respectively.
Dilshan Madushanka will be the key player as he is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament right now.
Predicted Lineup: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka
The Lankan squad has nothing loose and they will be expected to give more than 100% on Thursday to finish the tournament on a positive note.
However, with the return of Kane Williamson, the Kiwis’ batting lineup has become much more stronger. We predict a win for New Zealand on Thursday against Sri Lanka.
