Date – Saturday, 22nd February 2020
Time – 7 pm (Local Time), 4:30 pm (IST)
Venue – WACA, Perth
With the tournament well and truly underway with India beating Australia in their first match, Group A – comprising of Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh – can have very interesting contenders for the playoffs. This makes the match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka very important for the two sides as they meet in WACA, Perth. A New Zealand victory would make the hosts quite uncomfortable as that would mean that they will fall behind in the competition, although it does seem like the likely result considering New Zealand’s experience in these tournaments. A Sri Lankan win can similarly have some implications later on in the tournament.
In past history, though, the White Ferns have not been very good at this tournament. They were runners-up in the first 2 editions but have not performed up to the expectations since qualifying for the knockouts in only two attempts out of four. In the previous World T20 in West Indies also, they failed to make it to the playoffs. They will want to correct that with a strong performance to begin their campaign.
Sri Lanka has participated in 6 editions of the World T20 and has been eliminated from the group stage on all the six occasions. They will not go into this tournament with a lot of expectations but, going by the practice game against England, will look forward to shaking things up in the group by causing a few upsets.
New Zealand Vs Sri Lanka – Head-to-Head
New Zealand has played 7 T20Is against Sri Lanka – 3 T20Is as a part of their Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand in 2015 and 4 World T20 matches in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 – winning all their 7 games quite comfortably.
|
Matches Played |
New Zealand Won |
Sri Lanka Won |
|
|
Overall |
7 |
7 |
0 |
|
World T20 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
With this record, they are likely to defeat them again. However, they last met in 2016, after which Sri Lanka has improved as a side and can cause a few upsets as they showed against England in the practice game.
Form Guide
New Zealand – WLWWW
Sri Lanka – LLLLL
(Last 5 completed matches)
New Zealand has shown that is a good team in this format, winning four out of their last five outings. Their only loss came against South Africa in the recently-concluded series in New Zealand, but they won the 5-match series 3-1.
Sri Lanka has competed but has lost on all their last five occasions – the last 3 games against Australia in Australia and 2 games against England at home prior to that.
These figures highlight that New Zealand is a much superior team on paper and should win this match comfortably.
Teams
New Zealand Squad –
Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Rachel Priest, Lea Tahuhu
Sophie Devine has been the most consistent performer for New Zealand recently. In the T20I series against South Africa at home, she scored a total of 297 runs in 4 matches hitting one century and three half-centuries. She is among the highest run-scorers for New Zealand. Suzie Bates, the former captain, has the highest number of runs in World T20s and also overall. They form the batting core of the side along with Rachel Priest and Katie Martin. Leading the bowling attack is Lea Tahuhu, their premier fast bowler along with spinners like Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, and Anna Peterson. Jess Kerr and Rosemary Mair will look to make their debuts in the tournament.
Sri Lanka Squad –
Chamari Atapattu (captain), Harshitha Madavi, Anushka Sanjeewani, Hansima Karunaratne, Shashikala Siriwardene, Nilakshi De Silva, Ama Kanchana, Kavisha Dilhari, Udeshika Probodhani, Achini Kulasuriya, Hasini Perera, Sathya Sandeepani, Umesha Thimashini, Sugandika Kumari, Dilani Manodara
The Sri Lankan batting is heavily reliant on their captain Chamari Atapattu. As was evident in the innings against England, if she is on the song, she is unstoppable and can take the game away from the opposition. During their recent tour of Australia, she scored a quick-fire century but her side could not chase down the stiff target. Shashikala Siriwardene can be quite a handful with the bat and can put in some overs with the ball as well. Dilani Manodara can also be good with the bat. The bowling department will be led by their pace bowler Udeshika Prabodhani and the spinner Sugandika Kumari. Achini Kulasuriya suffered a head injury during the practice game but thankfully did not sustain any serious damage. She is, however, expected to be warming the bench until she fully recovers.
Players to Watch out for
Sophie Devine (New Zealand) –
The White Ferns’ skipper, Sophie Devine, is in sublime form at the moment. Coming on the back of an impressive run comprising of a century and 3 half-centuries in the recently-concluded series against South Africa, she is one wicket which the Sri Lankans will want early. While possessing the ability to build an innings as she did in that series, she is also destructive and has the record of scoring the fastest fifty in Women’s T20Is, completing a half-century in just 18 balls. She also has taken 84 wickets in T20Is, making her a very effective bowler as well.
Suzie Bates (New Zealand) –
New Zealand’s former captain, Suzie Bates may not be in the best of form but she can be equally deadly with the bat. Her record speaks for herself. She is one of the most experienced players in this format and has the highest number of runs with over 3000 runs to her name. She has also scored 881 runs in the history of the competition, which is the highest number of runs scored by a woman in the World T20s. She has also picked up 49 wickets in T20Is, which shows that she can fill in some overs when required.
Chamari Atapattu (Sri Lanka) –
The Sri Lankan opener and skipper is in good form at the moment and seems to be the only player who can make New Zealand nervous. As she had shown in the Sri Lankan tour of Australia and in the recent practice game against England, when she gets going, she is really difficult to stop. She scored 113 in 66 balls against a highly accomplished Australian side before blowing away England away with a 50-ball 78. New Zealand needs to dismiss her early to cement their hold in this match.
Lea Tahuhu (New Zealand) –
Lea Tahuhu is the most experienced pace bowler in her side. Playing 53 T20Is till date, she has picked up 46 wickets at an average of just over 21 runs. The pitch at the WACA will suit her style of bowling and a few quick wickets can unsettle the opposition and close out the match quickly.
Pitch & Conditions
The match is being played at the WACA, which has traditionally favored fast bowlers with a lot of bounce and carry. Although no Women’s T20I has been played on this ground yet, there have been 21 Women’s Big Bash League matches played here out of which 7 has been won by the teams batting first and 14 by the teams batting second. Whoever wins the toss, will like to field first on this ground and try chasing down the target.
The temperature in Perth will be 22 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius, with a thunderstorm predicted in the morning. A cloudy sky is expected. Both will help in assisting bowlers and will reinforce the captain’s decision on fielding first after winning the toss.
We are expecting a cracker of a match. Do join us on Female Cricket for all the updates.