NZ vs SL 1st ODI Match Prediction

NZ vs SL Team Previews

New Zealand

New Zealand was clinical in their performances during the test series, powered by some brilliant performances from the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, and Henry Nicholls. However, they will be missing some of those players in the ODI series and will need to come up with another game plan.

With Kane Williamstown off to India to fulfill his IPL commitments, Tom Latham will be leading the squad here. He will miss out on the services of Southee, Devon Conway, and Mitchell Santner, all of whom are unavailable due to the IPL. In another blow, ace seamer Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out due to an injury.

Chad Bowes, who has had a brilliant season in List A cricket with Canterbury is expected to make his international debut here, along with Ben Lister, who has picked up 49 wickets in 42 matches for Auckland. The likes of Henry Nicholls, Finn Allen, and Glenn Phillips will add strength to the batting.

The team has some capable all-rounders in the form of Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, and Henry Shipley, who add depth to the batting. Blair Tickner is expected to open the bowling along with Matt Henry, while Ish Sodhi is the specialist spinner in the squad.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is currently in 10th place in the World Cup Super League standings and will need to win here if they want to keep their chances of direct qualification to the upcoming ODI World Cup alive.

Originally Dushamantha Chameera was named as the captain of the Sri Lankan team for limited-overs cricket. But since he is still undergoing rehabilitation for his left ankle, Dasun Shanaka is expected to lead the team in his absence. Pathum Nissanka and Nuwanidu Fernando add heft to the batting at the top of the order and the team will expect them to score well, especially during the Powerplay.

The visitors have a lot of quality all-rounders in the squad who are expected to play an important role here. Chamika Karunaratne, who was by far the best batsman in the team during the test series, will again play a big role here, while the likes of Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews are available too, to add depth to the batting.

Kasun Rajitha is expected to get the new ball, along with Lahiru Kumara, while there are plenty of options for Shanaka during the middle overs, including Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage.