New Zealand will be keen on keeping its winning streak alive when they face Namibia in their ICC men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 group 2 match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. This is the first time that these two nations will be facing each other in international cricket.

Winning the toss, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus decided to field against New Zealand.

“We will bowl first. The pitch looks very good, Tough to defend. Hopefully, we will be able to chase down later. It has been tough but we have been used to it. It has been a good tournament so far. Would want to go one better today. Two forced changes for us,” Namibia captain Erasmus said.

“Looks a typical Sharjah wicket. Important we need to build some partnerships early on and then take it forward. Have had few niggles but so far so good. The guys are going alright. We have got the same team,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said at the toss.

Playing XI (from)

New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.

Namibia (Playing XI): Stephan Baard, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus(c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Michael van Lingen, Karl Birkenstock, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.

“This is the third match which is going to be played on this surface. Both the matches have been high-scoring. It is going to be a low, slow wicket and it is going to be different as it is an afternoon game. I feel the spinners will have more influence and also the ball will stop and come onto the bat, it won’t be easy for the batters,” said VVS Laxman in his pitch report.

What players said ahead of the match.

“The guys that have done well at Sharjah are the guys that are skiddy out in the front and keep it low. I guess that’s probably the biggest adjustment for me and Ish where in the past you look for that over spin and bounce where it’s a little less effective in Sharjah,” New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner said.

“We know New Zealand is a tough opposition. They’ve got world-class players there. And again been seen as the underdogs in the game, but we’ve played the games at Sharjah. Played a bit of success at Sharjah, and we think it’s a wicket that could suit our type of bowling. So we’ve done our prep, we’ve got a final training session this afternoon. We’ll go there to try to nail our skills,” Namibia’s David Wiese said.