Injury Setbacks and Replacements

Gaze, who played as a specialist batter in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka, suffered a left hip flexor sprain while fielding in the third ODI. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that her rehabilitation timeline is still being assessed. Meanwhile, Jensen and James, who had already been ruled out of the ODI series due to injuries, have not regained full fitness in time for the T20Is.

To compensate for these losses, New Zealand has brought in Polly Inglis, a wicketkeeper-batter, left-arm seamer Bree Illing, and allrounder Flora Devonshire. Inglis and Illing made their international debuts during the ODI series and left a solid impression. Inglis took five catches across three games and contributed with unbeaten scores of 34 and 9 in her two opportunities with the bat. Illing, on the other hand, made an impact with the ball, picking up four wickets, including dismissing Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu twice.

Devonshire, who is yet to make her international debut, has been a standout performer at the domestic level. The allrounder is known for her versatility with both bat and ball, making her a valuable addition to the squad.

Coach’s Perspective

New Zealand’s head coach Ben Sawyer acknowledged the disappointment of losing three key players but expressed confidence in the replacements. “We’re all feeling for Izzy, Hayley, and Bella. It’s never easy to lose players to injuries, but I know they have the resilience to recover and return stronger,” Sawyer said.

He further praised the new additions, stating, “Bree and Polly had a fantastic start to their international careers in the ODIs. They showed great intent and execution, and I’m confident they are ready for this next challenge. Flora has been impressive in domestic cricket.

T20I Series Schedule

The three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka will kick off on March 14 in Christchurch, followed by the second match on March 16 at the same venue. The teams will then travel to Dunedin for the final game on March 18. New Zealand will be looking to build on their 2-0 ODI series victory and test their squad depth ahead of future tournaments.

Also Read : Santner Reflects on New Zealand’s Champions Trophy Final Loss and Henry’s Absence

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, had a forgettable tournament this year. With just 2 wins for 8 matches, they are sitting at the bottom of the points table along with the Netherlands. They have one thing to play for, pride.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka head-to-head records

New Zealand and Sri Lanka have played 101 ODIs so far. The Black Caps have won 51 times and Sri Lanka 41 times. There were 8 matches that did not produce any results while 1 match ended in a tie. The last ODI between these two was in March 2023, when New Zealand won by 6 wickets.

There have been 11 World Cup matches between these two. Sri Lanka have a slightly better record with 6 wins while New Zealand have won 5 times. In 2019, during their last WC encounter, the Kiwis won by 10 wickets.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka fantasy team

Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (C), Tom Latham (WK), Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (VC), Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka pitch report

The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is good for scoring runs because of its small boundaries. Captains who win the toss often decide to bowl first.

The same thing happened in the last match played here. Pakistan won the toss and asked New Zealand to bat first. After the Kiwis put up a massive 401/6, Fakhar Zaman blasted off (126 off 81 balls), assisted by Babar Azam (66 off 63 balls) to help Pakistan score 200 in 25.3 overs. The match was then halted due to rain; Pakistan won by 21 runs (DLS method).

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka weather

The biggest concern in today’s match is Bengaluru’s weather. Storms are likely to take place for the next several hours while there is about a 96% chance of rain in the next few hours, as per Weather.com. After 4 PM or so, the chances of rain will go down. With 90% humidity, the temperature will be between 20-26 degrees.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka prediction

As per Google’s win probability, there is a 77% chance that New Zealand will beat Sri Lanka in this match.

Also Read: England vs Netherlands Highlights, World Cup 2023: ENG boosted by 160-run win over NED in race for Champions Trophy spot

As per CricTracker, whoever bats first will win the match. MyKhel, too, tilts in favour of New Zealand even though the Lions could “cause significant damage”. We believe that the match will be called off without a single ball played. This is going to be New Zealand’s last match in this tournament.