Bengaluru: New Zealand's quest for 4th spot is hanging by a thread

New Zealand have their last game of the round robin stage scheduled on 9th November in the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. It could be argued that the rain worked slightly against their favour on November 4th as they lost by 21 runs based on the Duckworth Lewis despite having scored 400 runs in the first innings. 

The weather forecast for November 9th is also a reason for worry. A chance for light to moderate rains ranging from 2.5 mm to 25mm with spells of showers lasting up to 30 to 45 minutes have been predicted post 2:30 pm. This could still mean that we might witness a complete match even if the number of overs are reduced. However uncertainty still looms around the game. It is worth noting that in the 2019 World Cup, the game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was washed out. Pakistan and New Zealand were in a similar race for the 4th spot and a result on that day could have had an effect on the final outcome. 

Sri Lanka registered a commanding win over England in their previous encounter in the Chinnaswamy stadium. However Sri Lanka has not defeated New Zealand in ODIs since December 2015. 

The Blackaps would be counting on their stars and hoping for a clear sky.