The New Zealand cricket team will take on Sri Lanka in an all-important clash of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Thursday, November 9 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A win in this match will boost their chances of securing a spot in the semi-finals of the tournament. Three teams, India, South Africa and Australia have already qualified, while one spot is up for grabs.
New Zealand is placed fourth on the table currently with four wins from eight matches. They have a decent NRR of 0.398. On the other hand, Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the tournament. They lost to Bangladesh in their last match, and are seventh on the table. They have four points from eight matches. Sri Lanka has an opportunity to hamper New Zealand’s qualification chances in the upcoming game.
In this article, we take a look at the key player battles for the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for SL vs NZ
Kusal Mendis vs Ish Sodhi
Kusal Mendis and Ish Sodhi have played two ODI matches against each other in the past. The New Zealand spinner has dismissed Mendis on both occasions. He has conceded seven runs against the left-hander off 19 deliveries, without going for a single boundary. The battle between the two will be the one to watch out for in the upcoming game. Mendis has scored 288 runs so far in the tournament, including a century and a fifty.
Rachin Ravindran vs Kasun Rajitha
Rachin Ravindran has been in great form in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He is New Zealand’s leading run-scorer and the third overall in the list. He has slammed 523 runs including three centuries and two fifties. The in-form batter will be up against Kasun Rajitha. The pacer has taken eight wickets so far. The duo has played only one ODI match against each other in the past. Rajitha dismissed him in the match conceding two runs from four deliveries.
Charith Asalanka vs Mitchell Santner
Charith Asalanka slammed a century against Bangladesh in their last match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He smashed 108 runs off 105 deliveries with six boundaries and five sixes. He will be keen to replicate the same against New Zealand. However, he has to tackle their leading wicket-taker, Mitchell Santner. The spinner has taken 14 wickets in eight matches so far.
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