Champions Trophy: Group A: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Preview
It’s the first super Sunday in this year’s ICC Champions Trophy, and a crucial Group A encounter between probably the two underrated teams in the tournament, Sri Lanka and New Zealand is awaiting us at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff today. Sri Lanka might be feeling a bit low going into the match, as they lost both their warm-up games against India and West Indies. On the other hand, the confidence of the New Zealand side will be sky high following their series win against England in the recently concluded 3-match ODI series. Kiwis have been in England for over a month now, which might further add to their advantage.
Talking of Sri Lanka, they have been a team which has qualified for the finals of almost every major ICC tournament in the recent past, but could not manage to cross the final hurdle to be crowned the champions. Their openers, Kusal Perera and T Dilshan, form an explosive combination and are well capable of providing them with a good start. The middle order is packed with some world class batters of the likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Kumara Sangakkara and Dinesh Chandimal. It will be the responsibility of these three to sail their team through the middle towards the slog overs. The lower middle order also comprises of skipper Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera, who are nothing short of match winners on their day, especially with their hard-hitting abilities.
Sri Lankan bowling, however, looks like their Achilles’ heel in the tournament. A bowling line-up comprising mostly of slow medium pacers, barring Lasith Malinga, might prove a little ineffective in the batting-friendly conditions at Cardiff. Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara will be expected to take the new ball. As Sri Lanka have always done, Malinga will do the maximum bowling at the death overs. Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera are the other two medium pacers in the side. They both can be pretty effective with their clever changes of pace. Spin department is likely to be headed by Rangana Herath, who has performed well in the subcontinent, but some doubts regarding his effectiveness here in England still prevail.
Conditions:
The pitch here is flat and good for batting, as was seen in the last game between India and South Africa. Bowlers might face a tough task controlling the flow of runs here. Forecast suggest it is likely to be sunny all day here at Cardiff.
Key Players:
Mahela Jayawardene - The former Sri Lankan captain is their most experienced batsman along with Kumara Sangakkara. He, with his majestic flair and flourish, might be in for some big runs on pitches where the ball comes onto the bat very well.
Lasith Malinga - This Sri Lankan ‘slinger’ is arguably the best death overs bowler in the world today. He is the only bowler who can click 140kmph more often than any other bowler in their side and his ability to bowl six different deliveries in an over might prove to be huge problem for the opposition batsmen. He is surely the captain’s delight.
Head to head:
The teams have met three times in the ICC Champions Trophy and Sri Lanka is holding a 2-1 advantage over the Kiwis in that segment of the game.
Sri Lanka’s strategy:
Provided the conditions are overcast, Sri Lanka should look to bat first on a flat track upon winning the toss. A significant score on the board might put some pressure on a dangerous New Zealand side.
Possible XI:
Angelo Mathews (Capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera (wk), Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara and Shaminda Eranga/Sachithra Senanayake