Just when they were getting their act together, New Zealand seem to have hit a bit of rough weather. The Kiwis will take on Sri Lanka on Friday without Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills.
Just when they were getting their act together, New Zealand seem to have hit a bit of rough weather. The Kiwis will take on Sri Lanka on Friday without Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills.
“We are looking at having Kyle and Dan fit for the quarterfinals,” said stand-in-skipper Ross Taylor.
As a precautionary measure, Daryl Tuffey has been called in as cover for Mills, who hurt his left quadriceps in the game against Canada. Tuffey would be joining the team on Friday.
Vettori hurt his right knee during the game against Pakistan at Pallekele on March 8. Taylor said that the absence of the two seasoned campaigners is a good opportunity for others to step in.
Though, for now, he is their man-in-form, he doesn’t want to tinker with his batting order as such. “No, I am not looking at going up the order. My spot is fairly sealed, Guptill and McCullum at top are doing very well, and then Jesse is also coming along well. I have to bat lower down and make use of the (batting) Powerplay,” Taylor pointed out.
About his opposition, the Wellington-based batsman said that it is good to play the Lankans in a neutral territory. “It's not a disadvantage to Sri Lanka in any way. If they had played at home they would have a lot of supporters. But Sri Lanka are a very professional side and it won’t affect them at all,” he concluded.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene thought playing away from home is good for the team. “When we are at home as a team there are so many things that are happening. We hardly spend time together. We only practice, come back and everyone goes away.
“When we came to India, we had a couple of really good days. We played some games together. It’s a good thing for the team also to come out of Sri Lanka and bond together, analyse a bit more as a team what we need to do. All in all, it’s an advantage,” Jayawardene said.
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