The Black Caps needs a win in its second Super Eights match in Group 2 on Wednesday at the R. Premadasa Stadium after its first match against Pakistan was washed out at the same venue.
Santner’s team has been in the Sri Lankan capital for a week after finishing its group stage in India.
“I guess that’s the challenge when you play a tournament in two countries — we played in Chennai and Ahmedabad on flat pitches and here we have to play a bit differently,” Santner told reporters.
“But I think you pick a squad of 15, knowing that you could potentially be in both countries on slightly slower wickets, on some flat ones as well.”
Santner, a left-arm spinner, said, “So I think we have the spin kind of options covered as well, which is nice, but it’s just going out there and adjusting as fast as you can.”
Sri Lanka comes into the contest in a must-win situation after it suffered a huge loss to England in their Super Eights opener in Kandy.
But Santner said Sri Lanka is always a tough nut to crack in their own den.
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“Sri Lanka are a very strong side at home and they dominate conditions here,” said Santner.
“They are missing a couple of players but there’s quality in that line-up. We are lucky that we have played them a lot in recent years and there are no secrets.”
New Zealand has one point from the rained-off match, while Sri Lanka stays bottom among four teams in the Super Eights group.
A defeat for New Zealand will dent its chances of making the semi-finals.
“Any game in the Super Eight is sort of knock out,” said Santner. “We know that it is the same for Sri Lanka. We want to put out a good show tomorrow and walk out with a win.”
Published on Feb 24, 2026
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