NZ vs SL- Sri Lanka Playing XI vs New Zealand (Predicted), ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 27

NZ vs SL- Sri Lanka Playing XI vs New Zealand (Predicted), ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 27. New Zealand-NZ will play against Sri Lanka in the 27th Match of Group 1 (N) in Sydney on October 29, 2022, in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. New Zealand-NZ’s last match against Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.

Sri Lanka lost to Australia by 7 wickets in their last match. New Zealand-NZ had beaten Australia by 89 runs in the first Super 12 match while Sri Lanka beat Ireland in their first Super 12 match by 9 wickets.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis smoked an unbeaten 18-ball 59 as he powered Australia to a comfortable 7-wicket win over Sri Lanka in ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Group 1 match. Chasing a par 158, Australia crossed the finish line with 21 balls to spare.

Australia needed 69 off 46 balls when Marcus Stoinis walked in, and there was potential for this to be a low-scoring thriller. But then the all-rounder muscled six sixes and four fours in an 18-ball innings, in which he basically bullied every ball he faced. He hit Australia’s fastest T20I half-century, off 17 deliveries, and ended up making 59 not out, at a strike rate of 328.

Australia 158 for 3 (Stoinis 59*, Finch 31*) beat Sri Lanka 157 for 6 (Nissanka 40, Asalanka 38*, Starc 1-23) by seven wickets

In the Super 12 match against Sri Lanka, Paul Stirling scored 34 and Harry Tector scored 45, but apart from them, none contributed more than 15. Meanwhile, Ireland allrounder George Dockrell took part in the T20 World Cup Super 12 match against Sri Lanka on Sunday despite testing positive for Covid-19.

Sri Lankan opener MOM Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten 68 while the spin duo of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga claimed two wickets apiece.

Brief Scores:- Ireland 128/8 (Tector 45, Stirling 34, Theekshana 2/19, Hasaranga 2/25) lost to Sri Lanka 133/1 (Mendis 68*) by 9 wickets 

Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood remains optimistic his unfancied team can make a push at a semi-final berth despite a seven-wicket defeat to Australia at Optus Stadium, but their cursed injury run continued with quick Binura Fernando suffering a hamstring injury.

Sri Lanka have been forced into another change to their squad at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with news that left-arm Sri Lankan-SL pacer Binura Fernando has a hamstring injury and will miss the remainder of the tournament.

Binura Fernando hurt his left hamstring during his first and only over of Sri Lanka’s seven-wicket loss to Australia in Perth on Tuesday and team officials have moved quickly to rule the 27-year-old out for the rest of the T20 World Cup and name a replacement. Fellow seamer Asitha Fernando is drafted into Sri Lanka’s 15-player squad for the remainder of the tournament

NZ vs SL- Sri Lanka Playing XI vs New Zealand (Predicted), ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Match 27

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis scored 54 in the first warm-up match against Zimbabwe on October 11. His 54 off 29 balls including 6 fours and 3 sixes batting as an opener saw Sri Lanka win by 33 runs. He scored 155 in 6 matches in Asia Cup 2022 averaging 25.83 which included 2 fifties-60 against Bangladesh in the group stage and 57 against India in Super 4.

The Sri Lanka-SL opener is the highest run-getter so far in T20 World Cup 2022 with 176 runs in 5 T20Is averaging 44. He had scored 79 against Netherlands and 68* against Ireland.

Pathum Nissanka

Sri Lanka’s right-hand opening batter Pathum Nissanka scored 21 off 15 balls in the warm-up game against Zimbabwe. His knock included 4 boundaries. He had scored 173 runs in 6 T20Is averaging 34.6 in Asia Cup 2022 which included 52 against India and 55* against Pakistan in the Super 4 stages.

Sri Lanka opener has managed 137 runs in T20 World Cup 2022 in 4 T20Is averaging 34.25. He scored 74 against UAE.

Dhananjaya de Silva

Dhananjaya de Silva, a Sri Lanka all-rounder replaced Charith Asalanka in the latter stages of Asia Cup 2022 after Charith Asalanka had scored only 9 runs in 4 T20Is. The all-rounder scored 17 off 16 balls in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe besides picking a wicket.

Dhananjaya de Silva had scored 37 runs in 2 innings averaging 18.5 in Asia Cup 2022. He also picked 1 wicket in the continental tournament. The Sri Lanka-SL allrounder has scored 102 runs so far in T20 World Cup 2022 in 5 T20Is averaging 20.4 besides picking 2 wickets averaging 18.

Charith Asalanka

Charith Asalanka had a miserable Asia Cup 2022 campaign as he scored only 9 runs in 4 T20Is averaging a pathetic 2.25 at a miserable strike rate of 42.86. However, he is showing good progress in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 where he averages 50 after 4 T20Is. After a duck against UAE, the SL middle order batter scored 31 against Netherlands, 31* against Ireland, and 38* against Australia.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Bhanuka Rajapaksa also scored 17 off 16 balls in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe. He was Sri Lanka’s highest run-getter in Asia Cup 2022 scoring 191 runs in 6 T20Is averaging 47.75 at a strike rate of 149.22 including 71* off 45 against Pakistan in the final.

However, the middle-order SL batter has scored only 51 runs in 4 innings in T20 World Cup 2022 averaging a dismal 12.75.

Dasun Shanaka

Dasun Shanaka started as an all-rounder for the Sri Lankan-SL team but has played purely as a batter in the last six months, especially in T20Is. His presence at the crease has inspired the team to some incredible victories recently.

He scored an unbeaten 16 off 13 balls in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe. He scored 111 runs in 6 T20Is averaging 22.20 in Asia Cup 2022. He also picked 2/26 in the Super 4 clash against India besides scoring 33*. He has managed 40 runs in T20 World Cup 2022 averaging a mere 10 in 4 innings besides picking 1/7 against UAE.

Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga was the leading wicket-taker in T20Is in 2021 and continued his sensational form in IPL 2022 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, scalping a total of 26 wickets, just one short of the Purple Cap winner Yuzvendra Chahal. He scored 66 in 6 T20Is averaging 22 and was the 2nd highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup 2022 with 9 scalps in 6 T20Is averaging 18.89.

Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka-SL scored a 14-ball unbeaten 37 in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe. He was wicketless with the ball though. The rise of Wanindu Hasaranga has coincided with Sri Lanka’s breaking out of its transition phase. The all-rounder has quickly become arguably their most important player in limited-overs cricket and more so in the shortest format.

The wily leg-spinner has had opposition batters dancing to his tunes since making his T20I debut in 2019. He has picked the most-9 scalps in 5 T20Is averaging a mere 15.67 in T20 World Cup 2022 including 3/8 against UAE.

 Chamika Karunaratne

Chamika Karunaratne picked 7 scalps in 6 T20Is in Asia Cup 2022 averaging 20.71 besides scoring 66 runs averaging 33. The right-arm pacer picked 2/26 in 3 overs in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe. He picked the scalps of opener Regis Chakbva and Sikander Raza. He has picked 3 scalps in 5 T20Is in T20 World Cup 2022 averaging 37.

Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana, the 22-year-old SL spinner’s action, and bowling style are a bit similar to Indian bowling ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, and he often uses the carrom ball to deceive the batters, a trademark delivery of Ravichandran Ashwin. He picked 6 scalps in as many T20Is averaging 27 at an economy of 6.75 in Asia Cup 2022.

His partnership with Wanindu Hasaranga will be crucial for Sri Lanka in the middle overs. He picked 2/39 in 4 overs in the 2022 T20I World Cup warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe. He has picked 8 wickets in only 5 T20Is in T20 World Cup 2022 averaging a mere 14 at an economy of 6.17.

Lahiru Kumara

Sri Lanka-SL pacer Lahiru Kumara had played only 3 T20Is in T20 World Cup 2022 and has picked 2 scalps averaging 31.

Pramod Madushan

Pramod Madhushan, another SL-Sri Lankan pacer who debuted in Asia Cup 2022 and picked 6 scalps in 2 T20Is including a best of 4/34 had averaged 9.17 in the continental tournament. He has picked 3 scalps in T20 World Cup 2022 in 2 T20Is averaging a mere 17. He played against Namibia and UAE in the Qualifying round but after injuries to Binura Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, and Dilshan Madushanka,  he may be given another chance.