Colombo, February 27 – New Zealand were elected to bat first against England in their Group 2 Super 8s clash in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Friday.
England have made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Rehan Ahmed in place of Jamie Overton as they adjusted their combination for the match. Meanwhile, New Zealand have opted for stability, naming an unchanged XI.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said, "We will bat first. To win a World Cup, you have to win games. So, our first priority is to try and get that win. We know what might happen if the pitch plays the same as it did last night, but we are ready for the challenge. It looks pretty good, to be fair. Last game, it probably played better than we expected.
"If it does something similar, it's the same group of players, but you still have to adjust your plans accordingly. We are used to playing on grounds where one side of the field might be shorter or where the wind plays a factor. It can make things a bit simpler tactically. You try to use the dimensions to your advantage with the bat, and when you're bowling, you try to make them hit to the longer side. We've got the same team."
England captain Harry Brook said, "We would also have batted. We watched the game the other night, and there was a bit of spin there. We've spoken about adapting to the conditions as much as possible. It will be a good challenge. They are an amazing side. If we can beat them and try to put them under pressure, that will be awesome for us. The main message is to go out there, play with freedom, and look to take it to them."
Playing XIs:
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid