England face NZ in must-win game

Jun 16, 2013 |

Cardiff

Stunned by an inspired Sri Lanka in their last game, hosts England find themselves in a spot of bother when they take on New Zealand in a must-win Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.
England, one of the strong contenders for the trophy, had themselves to blame as their strong bowling attack failed to defend an imposing 293/7 against Sri Lanka.
The loss against Sri Lanka had put the hosts in a dicey situation after the game between Australia and New Zealand was washed out on Wednesday.
The Group A is still wide open as all the four teams — New Zealand (3 points), England (2), Sri Lanka (2) and Australia (1) are in the reckoning for the two semifinal spots from the group.
England will consider on Sunday’s game as a virtual quarter-final as only a win will guarantee their place in the knockout stage irrespective of the result of the remaining group matches.
New Zealand, on the other hand, are placed much better as despite a loss tomorrow, they still can progress to the semi-finals provided results of the last Group A match between Australia and Sri Lanka go in their favour. To add to it, New Zealand would have by now acclimatized to the English condition having played in the country since the last one month. Batting is an area which is a cause of concern for New Zealand so far in this tournament.
On the bowling front, left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, pace spearhead Kyle Mills and part-time spinner Nathan McCullum are doing a wonderful job for the Kiwis.

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