Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground

Start Time: 9:00 AM (UK)

Prediction: New Zealand win

Words by Ciaran Coyle

New Zealand have a chance to cement their place at the top of Group 1 in the as they take on Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Kane Williamson’s side find themselves top of the table despite playing a game less than 4 of the other teams in the group, with the Kiwi’s picking up 3 points from their fixtures against Australia and Afghanistan.

Their emphatic 89-run win against the tournament hosts on opening night ensured New Zealand have a strong net run rate going into this face off with Sri Lanka, a statistic which looks to be crucial in deciding which teams progress to the semi-finals.

The Lankans suffered a big defeat at the hands of Australia in their last tournament fixture, with the Aussie’s managing to chase their total of 158 in just 16 3 overs.

However, Chris Silverwood’s side will be buoyed by the fact that they are still within a chance of progressing to the semi-finals with rain playing spoilsport in a handful of games in the group.

A win for Sri Lanka would see them displace the Kiwis at the top of the group with England and Afghanistan left to play.

A win for New Zealand would give them the opportunity to seal their progression to the knock out stages with a game to spare if they were to beat England next Tuesday.

However this game transpires; let’s hope it’s the cricket rather than the rain that dominates the headlines.

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