There seems to be not much to play for when New Zealand face Sri Lanka in their final Group A encounter at the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday. Both teams, along with Australia and Pakistan, have already qualified for the knock-outs and are awaiting the results of the tight Group B to prepare for their quarter-finals.
Yet, cricket can often be a game of momentum, and neither side would want to lose that after the strong performances they have strung together, having suffered minor setbacks earlier in the World Cup, with Sri Lanka losing to Pakistan and New Zealand getting smashed by Australia.
Some of the needle has also been taken off the match by the nonavailability of Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori and pace spearhead Kyle Mills due to injuries. Vettori injured his knee while attempting a catch against Pakistan while Mills strained his quadriceps in the match against Canada here on Sunday.
In their absence, the toss-up is likely to be between fast bowler Hamish Bennett and left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock, both of whom have been named in the 12. Bennett has had a patchy tournament so far, but could unsettle the Sri Lankans with some genuine pace. He had a long session with the ball in the nets. The emphasis was on facing spin bowlers, especially of the left-arm variety.
The men from the Emerald Isle are the only ones among the co-hosts to be playing a match outside their home conditions, except the India- Bangladesh clash which opened the tournament in Mirpur, Dhaka. For them, it will not only be a question of getting used to the conditions, but also playing in front of a crowd that will not be as vociferous in their support as the full houses in Hambantota, Colombo and Pallekele have been. New Zealand have already played a played a game at the newly-reconstructed stadium.
However, what will count in their favour is the form their players have been in. The top four of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, captain Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have all been among runs.
With the mercury rising in the city and given the sea-side nature of the ground, the conditions will not be too different to what they have experienced in their country, and the experienced bowling attack — including Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis — is a handful in any conditions.
It won’t be a surprise, though, if they bring in fringe players like Dilhara Fernando and Rangana Herath to bring them up to match fitness.
The bowlers also spent a lot of time batting in the nets, with Kulasekara in particular unveiling his ferocious hits. Sangakkara and Jayawardene, in contrast, only padded up towards the end of the two-hour plus session, and took throw-downs from the coaching staff.
The pitch, as seen in the New Zealand-Canada match, has good bounce and carry, but with the afternoon start, it is likely to be flatter and extremely conducive for batting. The Kiwis have been in excellent six-hitting form in the last two matches, hitting 13 and 12 respectively against Pakistan and Canada, and there should be more of the same with the short boundaries at the Wankhede.
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