New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner won the toss and, without hesitation, chose to bat in today’s Super Eight meeting with England at the Premadasa Stadium. The surface is the same one on which the Black Caps brushed aside Sri Lanka by 61 runs, and Santner is expecting similar assistance for the spinners.
“You have to win games if you want to win World Cups, so first things first,” he said. “The pitch does look the same. It looked pretty good last game, it spun more than we thought.”
New Zealand are unchanged, so pace-bowling all-rounder Cole McConchie and the three-pronged spin group of Santner, Ish Sodhi and Rachin Ravindra all keep their places. Victory today would guarantee top spot in the pool and a semi-final place, but Santner was careful not to look too far ahead.
England, already assured of progression, have made one alteration: leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed replaces seamer Jamie Overton and makes his first appearance of the tournament. Captain Harry Brook confirmed he will stay at No.3 after a 50-ball hundred against Pakistan last time out.
“We would have won the toss and batted as well,” Brook admitted. “We watched the game the other night and it spun a bit. My main message is to go out there play with freedom and look to take it to them. I think we’ve fielded amazing through the tournament, there was a bit of mis-execution in the last game.”
Former India captain Anil Kumble, working as a television analyst, offered a measured warning. “If England batting fires they will be dangerous,” he said, adding that the side “are in a good place having qualified but yet to play their best cricket”.
Scenario watch
• England win: they finish on six points and take top spot; Pakistan remain alive but need a hefty net-run-rate swing.
• England lose: New Zealand qualify as group leaders; England may still finish first if the margin is tight, although NRR permutations then favour Pakistan.
Teams
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (capt), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson.
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (capt), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
First ball is scheduled for 6 pm local time. With a dry track and two spin-heavy attacks, par may hover around 160, but anything above that could feel larger once the surface begins to grip.
