New Zealand should be strengthened by the return of Shane Bond and Jacob Oram, who missed the Super Eights loss to Australia, for the game and they will be valuable assets on what is expected to be a bouncy Sabina Park pitch.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene however was unconcerned about the pitch.

"Like any other cricketers in the world, our batsmen love to play on bouncy tracks when the ball is coming on," Jayawardene said.

"And we've got a very decent bowling attack to complement those conditions."

Oram, who has recovered from a heel injury, said the surface would be better suited to New Zealand than the one at Grenada, where they lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets during the Super Eights.

"The Jamaican pitch is going to have a bit more bounce and seam than we've experienced everywhere else in the West Indies, so I know a few of the guys at the top of the bowling order are keen to extract some sort of bounce," Oram said.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Farveez Maharoof has made a strong case for selection ahead of Dilhara Fernando for the match.

Fernando secured his spot in the eleven with impressive performances against India and England but suffered an ankle injury against Australia. Maharoof, who replaced him against Ireland, was adjudged man-of-the-match for his haul of four for 25.

"I will give 200 per cent in the match and I would back myself to perform," Maharoof told. "We have played really well so far. It will be a case of continuing to give it our best."

Upul Tharanga, the out-of-form opener, looks all set to retain his place in the line-up amid reports that former captain Marvan Atapattu could replace him. Tharanga has managed only 17 runs in the last three innings but has been assured of his place by Asantha de Mel, the chairman of Sri Lankan selectors.

"We must not forget that Tharanga scored two centuries against England last year and also scored two centuries in the Champions Trophy," de Mel said. "In this World Cup also he was the highest scorer with 65 against India."

Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand off-spinner, was not so optimistic about gaining a spot in the semifinal line-up in spite of taking two for 48 against Australia. "I've heard Jamaica is a dirty, green seamer and Barbados is hard and bouncy, so I'm not sure how much more action I'm going to see," Patel told the Dominion Post, a New Zealand newspaper.

"I wasn't sure of my place in the squad because I wasn't sure how the wickets here would play. But so far it has been very good."