🏏ICC Women's T20I WC 2024: Group A: M 19- PakW vs NZW, Page 70🏏 - Page 46

The Asian champions can take solace from the fact that New Zealand put up a shoddy performance with the bat in Sharjah against Australia.

Considering the venue has been tough on the batters, Sri Lanka's small hope would rest on their bowlers keeping their opponents quiet.

New Zealand wouldn't worry much about their bowling attack though, after dismantling India for just 102 in the first game and picking eight Australian wickets.

Amelia Kerr and Rosemary Mair have been among the wickets, but New Zealand would want runs as well from the former.

If they brush aside Sri Lanka and then see Australia losing to India, New Zealand's destiny will still be in their own hands, considering they will know exactly what they need in their final fixture to make it through to the last four.

When: Saturday, October 12 at 2 PM local time, 3.30 PM IST

Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

What to expect: It's a day game and it's Sharjah! Given the trend, expect the conditions to be on the slower side with the tweakers making a massive impact.

Seven matches of this T20 World Cup have so far been played here. The pitch has appeared slowish with the spinners getting a lot of help from the track. The same can be expected in this match with the batters struggling to score runs freely.

Nilakshi de Silva SL-W | BAT

The Sri Lanka batter has racked up 59 runs from the last 3 games and would be looking to take on NZ bowlers in the next game.

Anushka Sanjeewani SL-W | WK

The Sri Lanka wicket-keeper batter has amassed 41 runs from last 3 matches and would be looking to do most of the damage to NZ team.

Sophie Devine NZ-W | ALL

The New Zealand skipper will be looking to take an onus on herself to make sure her side wins the forthcoming game having made 64 runs in the last two matches.

Team News

New Zealand: Fran Jonas came in place of Jess Kerr in the previous game. It will be interesting to see if New Zealand persist with the left-arm spinner given she failed to make an impact against Australia. The conditions might demand another game for her though.

Probable XI: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Rosemary Mair, Fran Jonas, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson

Sri Lanka: Already eliminated from the tournament, Sri Lanka really don't have anything to play for. The island nation might hand opportunities to the other members of the squad or just stick with the XI that took the field against India.

Probable XI: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Ama Kanchana, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera

What they said

"We came here to win the World Cup. We didn't come here to participate. We didn't come here to sort of say, yeah, we'll win two matches and go. But we have lost three. So, we have to salvage ourselves in winning that next match. So that would be our prime objective." - Sri Lanka's head coach Rumesh Ratnayake

"If we win our next two games, we give ourselves probably the best chance possible. First, you want to win the game. I think that's the key. You don't want to, I guess, go out there thinking you've got to beat them by X amount of runs and then throw the game. So, I think first you've got to win and take it a game at a time." - New Zealand's Amelia Kerr

New Zealand will be eager to bounce back after a 60-run defeat to Australia Women in their previous match. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are enduring a tough run, having lost all three of their matches in the tournament so far, including a heavy 82-run defeat against India Women.

The Sharjah Cricket Stadium presents a unique challenge with its short boundaries and generally slow pitch.

The lack of pace can make stroke play tough, yet the proximity of the boundaries frequently results in high scores.

This dynamic forces teams to adopt strategic tactics, especially around the toss. Captains winning the toss often opt to bowl first, aiming to capitalize on the early conditions.

The match will be crucial for the White Ferns, who were handed a heavy defeat by Australia in their last match. New Zealand lost the match by 60 runs, which dropped their net run rate (NRR) to -0.050.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will look to end their disappointing World Cup campaign with a win at last. The Asia Cup winners lost all three of their matches so far, which made them the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.

NZ-W vs SL-W Head to Head Record

New Zealand hold a position of dominance in head to head record against Sri Lanka. In the 13 WT20I matches played between the two teams, New Zealand have emerged victorious 12 times, with the Lankans winning just one match.

Thanks for the tag

Good luck to both teams

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

Cheers..