New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner states that adapting to conditions will decide the winner of their T20 World Cup Super 8 clash with Sri Lanka. The Kiwis face a must-win scenario after their first match was washed out, complicating their path.
Adapting to conditions key in must-win Super 8 clash: Santner
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said both New Zealand and Sri Lanka are aware of each other's game and whoever adapts to the conditions best will win their Super 8 encounter of the T20 World Cup 2026, set to be held at Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. New Zealand's first match in the Super 8s, against Pakistan, was washed out as both teams shared a point each.
The washout makes both New Zealand and Pakistan's jobs more complicated in the Super 8s as they can not lose a game and win both their remaining matches now, in order to have ideal chances of securing a semifinal berth. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have already lost their first match of the Super 8s and now find themselves in a precarious situation.
'No real secrets'
Ahead of Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Super 8s clash, Mitchell Santner, during the pre-match press conference, said New Zealand are aware of Sri Lanka's quality, having seen their strong performances in the group stage and added that both both teams know each other well, and the match will likely come down to which side adapts better to the conditions on the day. In the group-stage, Sri Lanka defeated Oman by 105 runs and then registered a phenomenal eight-wicket win over Australia. "We know tomorrow - I think we are lucky that we've played them a lot and I guess they've played us a lot. So there's no real secrets or it's just whoever can go out there tomorrow, adapt the best to the conditions and put on a show," Santner said as quoted by the ICC website.
'Sri Lanka are a great team'
"I think we know Sri Lanka are a great team obviously. They showed that in the first stage of the group. Everyone's just trying to get through to the Super 8s. I guess that was the first thing to be ticked off. England are a great side and we saw that on a slightly slower wicket. If you lose power play wickets at the start, it can be a challenge, but we know they've got quality all the way throughout, obviously missing a couple of players through injury, but, in saying that, they're still very good," Santner said.
(ANI)
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