Sri Lanka World Cup qualification: Sri Lanka faces an uphill battle to secure direct qualification for the World Cup Super League as they need a win against New Zealand in the third ODI to keep their slim chances alive. The rained-out second ODI had little impact on the grander scheme of things, as Sri Lanka shared points and were docked a Super League point for a slow over-rate in the first ODI.
The equation for Sri Lanka remains the same; they need to win the game on Friday and force South Africa and Ireland to win their remaining games this World Cup cycle. If both slip up, Sri Lanka might just sneak into the final automatic qualification spots. However, Sri Lanka must first beat New Zealand in Hamilton, a ground where the hosts have won 10 of their last 12 completed ODIs dating back to 2014.
Although the present Sri Lankan outfit does not boast the same pedigree as the vintage Sri Lankan line-up that included modern-day greats such as Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, and Mahela Jayawardene, it is by no means a poor one. Sri Lanka has beaten both Australia and South Africa, albeit at home, in recent times. Facing off against a New Zealand team shorn of several of its first-choice players should make for competitive cricket, home or away. However, the outcome of the first ODI was tremendously one-sided, and Sri Lanka’s recent performances have not been good enough.
Sri Lanka is currently in a precarious position in terms of Sri Lanka World Cup qualification, with their hopes hanging by a thread. Sri Lanka needs to win their last match against the in-form hosts and hope for favorable results from other matches to have a chance at Sri Lanka World Cup qualification. Sri Lanka World Cup qualification chances were dealt a blow when they lost their previous match against a weaker opponent.
Sri Lanka will need to put in a strong performance against the hosts who have been in excellent form lately. Sri Lanka has a history of performing well in major tournaments, but they will need to be at their absolute best to keep Sri Lanka World Cup qualification hopes alive.
New Zealand will once again be fielding a bunch of players pushing hard for World Cup spots, while Sri Lanka has brought in Chad Bowes, who made his long-awaited international debut in the first ODI. Bowes, a top-order batsman, has plenty of white-ball cricket ahead of the tournament, and a good performance on Friday would certainly help his chances of settling in the selectors’ thoughts.
On the other hand, Dhananjaya de Silva has flattered to deceive throughout his career. In Tests, he has scored 3006 runs at an average of 38.53, hinting at unfulfilled potential. In T20Is, he has proven to be a handy allrounder with his speedy offbreaks.
However, his inclusion tends to be based on his bowling rather than batting, and his worst format is arguably ODIs, where he strikes at just 78 and averages 26.28. Nevertheless, his omission from the first one-dayer caused a minor social media furore, illustrating how highly he is regarded despite his shortcomings. If Sri Lanka is to build a successful head of steam leading to the World Cup, Dhananjaya – among others – will need to start living up to the hype.
New Zealand is expected to make two changes, with Henry Nicholls and Mark Chapman coming in for IPL-bound Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips. Sri Lanka could seek to strengthen their batting by bringing in Dhananjaya at the expense of the expensive Dilshan Madushanka, as all-rounders Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne held their own with the ball in the first ODI.
New Zealand has won their last seven completed ODIs at Seddon Park, and Sri Lanka last won an ODI in New Zealand in 2015. Mathews is the only player from that game in the current squad. Barring any last-minute fixture changes, this is set to be the final bilateral ODI for Sri Lanka ahead of October’s World Cup.
In conclusion, Sri Lanka faces a tough challenge to secure direct qualification for the World Cup Super League. To keep their slim chances alive, they need to win the game on Friday against a New Zealand team shorn of several of its first-choice players. While Sri Lanka has beaten both Australia and South Africa in recent times, their.
Im very exited to see this. Really waiting for this game…👏❤️