SL vs NZ Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Sep 18, 2024
The New Zealand team has landed in Sri Lanka for a 2-match Test series beginning this week. The first match will start on Wednesday at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand head-to-head record
The two teams have faced each other in 40 Test matches to date. New Zealand has been the dominant side with 18 wins while Sri Lanka has managed to win only 9. 11 matches ended in a draw.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Live-streaming and Broadcast
This match will be live-streamed on the FanCode App. One can also watch it live on the Sony Ten Sports Network.
Match Prediction and Cricket Betting Tips for SL v NZ 1st Test 2024.
SL vs NZ Team Previews
Sri Lanka
Back from a difficult tour to England, the Sri Lankans will be relieved to be back on home turf as they face New Zealand at home after 5 years.
Sri Lanka has had a pretty settled batting unit and hasn’t made any major changes to the line-up, barring Nishan Madushka, who has been benched following his poor performance on the road. He has been replaced in the squad by the veteran top-order Oshada Fernando, who has put up an impressive performance in the ongoing unofficial test series in South Africa.
He will join the likes of Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Kamindu Mendis in the line-up. Coming to the bowling, seamers Kasun Rajitha and Nisala Tharaka didn’t bowl in England and they have been dropped here, given the spin-friendly nature of the wicket in Galle.
Lahiru Kumara, Angelo Mathews, and Vishwa Fernando are the 3 seamers on the squad. Ramesh Mendis may find a place in the playing eleven thanks to his all-round abilities.
Sri Lanka is obviously a tougher team to face at home than in seaming conditions. Expect batters like Nissanka and Mendis to prosper while the spinners will dominate proceedings with the ball.
Sri Lanka Playing 11
Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.
New Zealand
New Zealand is currently placed 3rd in the WTC points table. While they only have an outside prospect of making it to the WTC Finals next year, a win here will go a long way in helping them achieve that dream.
New Zealand is coming into this contest on the back of a series loss against Australia. While they were expected to bounce back during the one-off Test against Afghanistan, inclement conditions robbed them of that opportunity.
Nevertheless, the visitors have plenty of experienced players in the squad and we expect them to play well. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra are expected to open the batting for the team here. The duo has played quite a few matches in the subcontinent, thanks to their stints in the IPL and they will face similar conditions down in Sri Lanka.
The middle-order batting will revolve around Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson, with all-rounders Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner coming in lower down the order. Skipper Tim Southee will lead the attack with the new ball and will be supported by Matt Henry while Ajaz Patel will feature as a specialist spinner.
New Zealand has shown flexibility while selecting its team for different conditions. We think they will pick their spin-bowling all-rounders like Mitch Santner, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra to give them plenty of options with the ball while adding to their batting depth.
New Zealand Playing 11
Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ajaz Patel, William O'Rourke.
SL vs NZ Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss will likely opt to bat first. This should be seen as being a big advantage as the pitch will definitely take turn later in the inning.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch at Galle is good to bat on during the first two days as there is plenty of pace and bounce on offer, compared to other subcontinental pitches. The ball comes onto the bat and the outfield is quick as well.
The average first-inning score here is around 365. However, the surface begins wearing off as the match progresses and the spinners will come into action. Anything over 200 will be difficult to chase here in the 4th inning.
The weather in Galle is likely to remain cloudy throughout the week and we may see some drizzling over the last couple of days.
SL vs NZ Betting Tips
Traditionally, New Zealand has been the dominant of the two teams and in this match as well, we feel that the visitors have a slight edge. That said, Sri Lanka will be high on confidence after beating England in the last test match and we are expecting a very close contest. New Zealand has the squad to be able to pull off a win here, though, thanks to the phenomenal number of all-roudners that they could potentially pick.
Bet on New Zealand to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
The pitch at the Galle Stadium is good to bat on. The average opening stand here over the past 44 matches played here is 37.33. As both teams have a strong opening pair, we are recommending this bet.
New Zealand is likely to try and cash-in against the hard new ball before the spinners come into play. Just one or two boundaries will help them cross 12.5 with ease and netting you a 76% return!
Who will win SL vs NZ
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Match Predictions
Cricket Betting Tips
- Total runs before the fall of 1st wicket - Over 30.5 (1.90) and 1 more SL vs NZ betting tip
- India Total Runs Before 1st Dismissal - Over 37.5 (1.85) Read analysis of IND vs BAN betting tip
- The top batter of the contest to be from Australia. - 1.30 and 3 more AUSW vs NZW betting tips
- Over 12.5 sixes and Over 54.5 fours in the match - 3.10 and 2 more ENG vs AUS betting tips
- Highest individual score - Under 96.5 (1.86) and 1 more AFG vs RSA betting tip
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.