Colombo, Feb 26 (.) Rachin Ravindra said confidence is growing within New Zealand as the side moved closer to a semi-final berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup following their emphatic win over Sri Lanka.
New Zealand remained unbeaten in the Super Eights with a convincing 61-run victory over Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday and are now locked in a direct battle with Pakistan for the final semi-final spot from Group 2.
Ravindra starred in the win with a four-wicket haul and a quick 32 with the bat, and said the team was building momentum at the right time, as per the International Cricket Council (ICC) website.
“I mean, you’re always confident going into these fixtures, especially when we know what the surface is going to be like, but I think it’d be silly to underestimate England at any point,” Ravindra said after the victory over Sri Lanka.
“They’re obviously such a quality unit, and they’ve shown this in bowling, and how well they’ve been bowling. I mean, they’ve got world-class batters throughout their order. So it’s nothing necessarily like that,” he added. “Obviously, we’ll take confidence from today and move on, but realise in two days’ time it’s a different challenge and hopefully we can be up for it.”
New Zealand can secure qualification with a win over England, though other results involving Pakistan could also be decisive.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka were knocked out of semi-final contention after suffering their third straight defeat in the Super Eights.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka blamed external negativity and the pressure of playing at home for the team’s disappointing campaign.
“A lot of times, what we see and hear are negative things,” Shanaka said.
“No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside. That’s a big loss for Sri Lankan cricket. This is the only sport we have, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to protect it. If you look outside the stadium, you’ll see how many people are standing outside with mics, and people will say stuff without having watched the match,” he added.
“Why spread this negativity? Yes, we lost a World Cup, and we know the reasons. Everyone has concerns. More than talking about that and correcting it, the negativity has come to the fore.”
“We will play and leave, but if for the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it (the negativity) that’s better for their mental health.”
. VAN PRS