Kane Williamson won the toss and sent Sri Lanka in to bat in a game his New Zealand lineup needs to win Thursday to secure a semifinal spot at the Cricket World Cup.

It is the last league game for both teams with a lot at stake.

New Zealand, the 2019 runner-up, won its opening four games before losing four straight to India, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan.

New Zealand needs a win to claim the last remaining semifinal spot. Ahead of the game the Blacks Caps had eight points, equal with Pakistan and Afghanistan but ahead on net run-rate.

India, South Africa and Australia have already qualified. South Africa will meet five-time champion Australia and India will take on the No. 4 team.

Sri Lanka’s last match, beaten by Bangladesh on Monday, ended its semifinal hopes.

Sri Lanka is ninth in the standings with four points from eight games. It needs a win to finish eighth or higher to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

England, Bangladesh and Netherlands are also in contention for that eighth spot.

New Zealand has made one change to its lineup, with paceman Lockie Ferguson replacing wrist spinner Ish Sodhi.

Sri Lanka recalled bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne to replace Kasun Rajitha.

The pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is good for batting. There is threat of rain, putting a potential focus on the DLS method for this all-important game.

Lineups:

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (captain), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (captain), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tom Latham, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson.

Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim is set to feature for Fortune Barishal in the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Mushfiqur had played for Sylhet Strikers in the last edition. His price was fixed at 80 lakhs in the players' draft according to the category. Which means he was in 'A' category.

The top category player will play along with other star players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khaled Ahmed in Fortune Barishal.

Neymar said he was relishing “new challenges and opportunities in new places” after he joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal Tuesday, becoming the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The Brazil forward, 31, ends a six-year stay in the French capital and follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Middle East.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said in a statement from the Saudi Pro League.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he added.

Neymar was “in negotiations” on Sunday to become the latest football superstar to decamp for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just as Kylian Mbappe was brought back in from the cold by the French champions.

A source close to PSG told AFP that 31-year-old Neymar “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans” with the Brazilian immediately linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf kingdom.

Another source in Saudi Arabia said that “direct negotiations” between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were ongoing.