SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates - Namibia won the toss
and put semi-final hopefuls New Zealand into bat in their T20 World Cup clash
on Friday.
New Zealand are battling with Afghanistan and India for a last-four place
with Group 2 winners Pakistan already through to the knock-out round. "Looks
like a typical Sharjah surface of late, so we are looking forward to putting
on some runs," said New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson.
The Black Caps are unchanged as they seek a third win of the Super 12
stage which would put the pressure back on to India who face Scotland later
Friday.
Namibia, the lowest-ranked side at the tournament, have made two changes
with Karl Birkenstock and Bernard Scholtz replacing Jan Frylinck and Ben
Shikongo.
"The pitch looks good and small dimensions make it difficult to defend,"
said Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus whose team have one win to their name
after beating Scotland.
Namibia: Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard
Erasmus (capt), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green
(wkt), Karl Birkenstock, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (capt), Devon
Conway (wkt), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne,
Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Umpires: Paul Reiffel (AUS) and Paul Wilson (AUS)
TV Umpire: Ahsan Raza (BAN)
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI), BSS/AFP