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NZ vs SL, ICC World Cup 2023: New Zealand will be up against Sri Lanka in a virtual quarterfinal

New Zealand desperately needs to win their match on Thursday in order to stay ahead in the final four race.

New Delhi: The runner-ups of the last two editions of the World Cup, New Zealand, will be going up against already eliminated Sri Lanka in match number 41, of the ICC World Cup 2023 at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.

The match can also be called a virtual quarterfinal, as a loss on Thursday might result in them getting eliminated from the World Cup.

The black caps are currently number 4 in the points table and have equal 8 points in 8 matches as Pakistan and Afghanistan, and they only edge them out on the basis of net run rate.

If they manage to win against Sri Lanka, they will end up with 10 points and would enjoy a comparatively easier permutation and combination, in order to qualify for the final four.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s loss against Bangladesh has put them in the ninth position and if they need to finish in the top 8 if they want to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

Journey so far

The journey of the New Zealand team can be termed as an extreme roller coaster ride.

They started their campaign by winning four matches in a row against England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan by 9 wickets, 99 runs, 8 wickets and 149 runs, respectively.

They were at one time sitting at the top of the points table, and everyone expected them to easily qualify for the semifinals, but after the first four games, nothing went right for them as they lost all their next four games against India by 4 wickets, Australia by 5 runs, South Africa by 190 runs and Pakistan by 21 runs, and now are on the verge of getting eliminated from the tournament.

Interestingly, a win on Thursday, will not immediately result in them getting the ‘Q’ in front of their name but surely would result in much easier scenarios to hope for, to qualify.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, except for a few things, has seen absolutely nothing going their way. They took the most number of matches to open their account as they lost their first three matches against South Africa, Pakistan and Australia by 102 runs, 6 wickets and 5 wickets respectively.

They made a comeback by winning two back-to-back games against Netherlands and England by 5 wickets and 8 wickets, respectively, and that were their only moments to shine in the tournament as they once again went on a 3-match losing streak, courtesy of, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh by 7 wickets, 302 runs and 3 wickets, to see themselves getting eliminated from the tournament.

However, the match against New Zealand will not be a dead rubber for them as in order to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy. They have to win this match and make their comeback in the top 8.

Head-to-head records

If we look at the head-to-head records of the two teams, they have faced each other 101 times before in the ODIs in which New Zealand have won 51 of them, and Sri Lanka has emerged victorious in 41 of them. 8 matches between the two teams have finished in no contest, while 1 match ended in a tie.

The records in the World Cups are quite different as in World Cups. It is the Sri Lankan Lions who lead against the black caps with a small margin of 6 to 5.

Top performers

New Zealand

Batsman: Rachin Ravindra- 523 runs

Bowler: Mitchell Santner- 14 wickets

Sri Lanka

Batsman: Sadeera Samarawickrama- 372 runs

Bowler: Dilshan Madhushanka- 21 wickets

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