New Zealand (-450) and Sri Lanka (+333) meet in Match 41 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup on Thursday. The Black Caps need the win to try and ensure themselves a place in the top four and the semi-final. Sri Lanka are out of the World Cup. But the Lions know that a top-eight finish guarantees them a place at the 2025 Champions Trophy, making this far from a dead rubber for the 1996 World Cup winners. In our latest cricket betting picks, we look ahead to the match and tell you what the best bets to make are.
- What; 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup
- Who; New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka – Match 41
- Where; M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India
- When; Thursday, November, 9th 2023
No time for mistakes
It’s now crunch time at the 2023 Cricket World Cup. For the first half of the World Cup, New Zealand looked a near certainty to be in the top four. The Black Caps started with four successive wins but have since gone on to score four successive defeats. A fifth loss against Sri Lanka could be curtains for their 2023 World Cup campaign and would represent a spectacular capitulation on the part of the Kiwis.
Even a win for the Black Caps might not be enough, as Pakistan and Afghanistan could still pip them to the fourth spot. But it would take an almighty turnaround in the net run rates to see the Kiwis eliminated. If they lose to Sri Lanka though, all bets are off, and a place in the semi-final is really up for grabs.
SRI LANKA OUT OF THIS WORLD CUP 2023….!!!!! pic.twitter.com/FolJPRUwfX
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) November 6, 2023
As for Sri Lanka, they are already out of the competition. All they have left to play for is a place in the top eight, which would secure one of the places at the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Officially, only the top seven qualify, along with hosts Pakistan. But as Pakistan is guaranteed a place in the top seven, eighth place in the group will secure the final spot.
At the moment, England and the Netherlands are competing with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for the final two places.
Betting to win the 2023 Cricket World Cup
India (-120) are through to the next stage, and barring something extraordinary happening, they will be joined by South Africa (+400) and Australia (+333). Fourth place in the group isn’t so certain. New Zealand (+900), Pakistan (+2500), and Afghanistan (+12500) are all in contention.
India has been the favorite throughout the competition, and they have won every match they have played so far. They have one group match remaining, against the Netherlands on Sunday. It would be the biggest shock of the whole competition if the Dutch could stop India from sweeping the group with nine wins from nine.
New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka Match Betting
The best cricket betting sites aren’t giving Sri Lanka much of a chance of winning this match. Kusal Mendis and his team are +333 to put another dent in New Zealand’s chances of making the semi-final and winning the World Cup for the first time in their history. Kane Williamson’s New Zealand are massive favorites at -450.
More match-winner betting options are available on our cricket odds table. For more details on the cricket sites we have used, please check out our best sportsbook sign-up bonuses page.
| New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka |  |
 |
 |
| New Zealand | -450 | -500 | -450 |
| Sri Lanka | +333 | +333 | +325 |
New Zealand out to end four-match losing streak
New Zealand’s confidence must have taken an almighty knock in the four successive defeats. Without ever really looking like winning, they lost to India by four wickets in Match 21. The five-run defeat to Australia in Match 27 must have been a real sickener after coming so close to scoring the 389 they needed to win. Then, in Match 32, they were simply blown away by South Africa.
But the real kick in the teeth came in the 21-run loss to Pakistan in Match 35. Having scored 401/6, the Black Caps must have felt they were sure to win. But when rain ended the match early, Pakistan were 200/1 from 25.3 overs. This put them ahead with the DLS Method used to settle rain-affected matches, and it meant another defeat for Kane Williamson’s team.
Match called off.
Pakistan 🇵🇰 win by 21 runs (DLS).
New Zealand 🇳🇿 face a defeat after scoring 401!
Only the second time a team has lost after scoring 400+ (Aus 434 v SA 2006 first).#PAKvNZ #ICCCricketWorldCup
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) November 4, 2023
If that match had reached a natural conclusion, New Zealand probably would have won. They will need to put that defeat out of their minds quickly, as they can’t afford any more mishaps against Sri Lanka.
History made by Angelo Mathews (for the wrong reasons)
As for Sri Lanka, they will be spitting feathers after their 3-wicket loss to Bangladesh on Monday. In that loss, Lions’ batter and former captain Angelo Mathews suffered the indignity of becoming the first player in the history of the game to be timed out. Something that incensed the team, as they felt it wasn’t in the spirit of the game.
A FIRST IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET!
ANGELO MATHEWS HAS BEEN TIMED OUT IN DELHI 😱https://t.co/HHkxM9FhLk #BANvSL #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/GHuiYV6hrl
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) November 6, 2023
Our Picks
Mathews is +600 to be the top Sri Lankan batter against New Zealand, and even though he will claim to be the victim of a poor call, the former skipper must know deep down he was at fault. So for our first betting pick, we are going with Angelo Mathews to be the top Sri Lanka batter at +600.
For our match-winner pick, we are making New Zealand the call. The Black Caps need the win, and if this was anything other than a crucial World Cup match, we feel they would win with plenty to spare. New Zealand needs to focus on the positives. They’ve just scored over 400 in 50 overs. Despite the recent losses, they are in good form and only need to play somewhere near that level to beat Sri Lanka.
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