Black Caps eye semis as Sri Lanka rue negative environment

New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra believes confidence is rising within his side as they inch closer to earning a spot in the semi-finals at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

The Black Caps remained undefeated in the Super Eights phase of the tournament with an emphatic 61-run triumph over Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday and are now in a head-to-head battle with Pakistan for the one remaining spot in the semis out of Group 2.

New Zealand can confirm their place in the knockout stage with a win in their final Super Eight contest against England, while a loss may also prove enough depending on how Pakistan perform in their own fixture against Sri Lanka.

It was Ravindra who starred for New Zealand in their victory over Sri Lanka with a four-wicket haul and a quickfire 32 with the bat and the impressive all-rounder thinks his side is getting better with every showing at the T20 World Cup.

Ravindra knows the threat that England will pose in their remaining Super Eights fixture and will not be taking anything for granted in the contest that may decide New Zealand's fate at the tournament.

"I mean you're always confident going into these fixtures, especially when we know what the surface is going to be like, but I think it'd be silly to underestimate England at any point," Ravindra said after the victory over Sri Lanka.

"They're obviously such a quality unit, and they've shown this in bowling, and how well they've been bowling. I mean, they've got world class batters throughout their order. So it's nothing necessarily like that.

"Obviously, we'll take confidence from today and move on, but realise in two days' time it's a different challenge and hopefully we can be up for it."

While confidence levels are high in the New Zealand camp, it is quite the opposite for Sri Lanka who were knocked out of contention at the T20 World Cup following a third consecutive loss at the event.

It leaves the tournament co-hosts without any points in the Super Eights and Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka was quick to point the finger at the additional pressure the side had received when playing matches on home soil.

"A lot of times what we see and hear are negative things," Shanaka said.

"No matter how we as cricketers try to stay positive, there is negativity outside. That's a big loss for Sri Lankan cricket. This is the only sport we have, and I don't know if we'll be able to protect it. If you look outside the stadium you'll see how many people are standing outside with mics, and people will say stuff without having watched the match.

"Why spread this negativity? Yes, we lost a World Cup, and we know the reasons. Everyone has concerns. More than talking about that and correcting it, the negativity has come to the fore.

"We will play and leave, but if for the players who will come in the future, if the government can even stop it (the negativity) that's better for their mental health."

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