{"id":4184,"date":"2023-11-08T17:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T17:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totalcric.com\/?p=4184"},"modified":"2023-11-08T17:24:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T17:24:23","slug":"rain-threatens-new-zealand-vs-sri-lanka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totalcric.com\/rain-threatens-new-zealand-vs-sri-lanka\/","title":{"rendered":"Rain threatens New Zealand vs Sri Lanka ICC World Cup match in Bengaluru"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The weather might disrupt the match that New Zealand must win against Sri Lanka as they look to cement a semifinal spot.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who:<\/strong> New Zealand vs Sri Lanka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:<\/strong>\u00a0Thursday, November 9, 2023, 2pm (08:30 GMT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where:<\/strong> M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson says his team will \u201cfocus on cricket\u201d when they face a potentially make-or-break ICC Cricket World Cup clash with Sri Lanka, shrugging off fears that rain may return to wash away their semifinal chances at Bengaluru\u2019s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williamson\u2019s team lost a rain-hit match<\/a> at the same venue last weekend against Pakistan despite posting a mammoth 401.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The defeat was a fourth successive loss for the Kiwis, who had won their opening four games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Zealand, runners-up in the last two editions of the World Cup, are fourth in the table and need a win on Thursday to push their bid to secure a semifinal spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A washout could open the door for either Pakistan or Afghanistan to leapfrog them and grab the last remaining place in the final four<\/a>. Both teams have the same number of points as New Zealand  but are behind on net run rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of things that we can\u2019t control, and the weather is one of those,\u201d Williamson told reporters on the eve of the game against 1996 champions Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, our focus will be on the cricket that we want to play and trying to put all our focus and energy into that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> Who can qualify for the last Cricket World Cup semifinal spot and how?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will be fighting to maintain their current position at the very least to be among the top eight teams that will qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka were embroiled in a controversy in their last match against Bangladesh on Monday when Angelo Mathews<\/a> became the first cricketer to be dismissed \u201ctimed out\u201d in an international match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1996 champions lost the match by three wickets and are eighth on the points table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4th umpire is wrong here! Video evidence shows I still had 5 more seconds even after the helmet gave away! Can the 4th umpire rectify this please? I mean safety is paramount as I just couldn\u2019t face the bowler without a helmet<\/p>— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews) November 6, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>