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
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