New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka

SL vs NZ, 1st ODI

Preview

Sri Lanka is all set to cross swords against New Zealand in the first ODI of the three-match series, which will be played on Wednesday, November 13, at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. 

The recently held T20I series between both sides ended in a draw, as the two teams managed to win one game each. Mitchell Santner and Co. won the second T20I by five runs before the hosts won the series opener by four wickets. 

In the meantime, the NZ side last played an ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2023 and won the series 2-1. Following that, they faced a semi-final loss in the 2023 ODI WC. Conversely, SL won the recent ODI series against the Caribbean Giants by 2-1 margin before razing over the Men in Blue by 2-0 in a three-match series. 

Match Details

Match: SL vs NZ, 1st ODI, New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka, 2024

Date: Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Time: 02:30 PM

Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla

Pitch Report

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium posses a tough challenge for the batters as the ball doesn’t come onto the bat smoothly. Pacers don’t get much assistance from the pitch. It has a good track record for the spinners in the past. The wicket is slow, which will likely make life tough for the batters as they will have to play well against balls that stop on them. Spinners would like bowling on this surface. 

Dambulla will have overcast skies with temperature around 28 degrees celsius during the match time. There is high chances of rain affeting the gameplay. 

SL vs. NZ Squads

SL: Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Janith Liyanage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha, Nishan Madushka, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Mohamed Shiraz

NZ: Mitch Hay (wk), Mitchell Santner (c), Tim Robinson, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Zakary Foulkes, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Nathan Smith, Dean Foxcroft

SL vs. NZ Probable Playing XIs

SL: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka

NZ: Mitchell Santner (c), Will Young, Mitch Hay (wk), Henry Nicholls, Jacob Duffy, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Ish Sodhi

Match Prediction

New Zealand has struggled in the Sri Lankan ground so far. It seems that the ground conditions don't suit them, and it is being hard to cope up especially for their batters. They are also missing some of their prime players and need contributions from their top and middle order batters. Sri Lanka on the other side have shown great consistency at their home with a strong spin attack. We expect it to be a tough fight will the hosts coming out on top, winning the ODI series opener at the end. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket