Betting Tips

Home advantage may be what evens the contest for Sri Lanka and New Zealand. In a one-on-one contest between these two teams, the Black Caps have been the much more dominant force. Sri Lanka’s spinners will hold the key for whether the home side can challenge the might of their visitors. Sri Lanka will feel their best chance of beating the team from the Trans-Tasman is winning the toss and batting first to give their bowlers something reasonable to defend.

Both teams have winning form behind them though. New Zealand won their ODI series against Bangladesh in December 2023.

Sri Lanka won their ODI series against India and West Indies in August and October 2024 respectively.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Head-to-Head record

New Zealand has the last five ODI matches against Sri Lanka heavily skewed in their favour with four wins and only one match abandoned. All those wins have been rather convincing too. The Black Caps also won the last T20I of the T20I leg of the tour to level the T20I series at one-all.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Live-Streaming and Broadcast

The first ODI of the ODI series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be available to Indian viewers on the FanCode app. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, 13 November 2024 at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.

SL vs NZ Team Previews

Sri Lanka

Charith Asalanka's team boasts impressive batting depth and versatility in the spin-bowling department. The top-order batting is aggressive with Avishka Fernando and Pathum Nissanka potentially opening.

Nissanka has been phenomenal over his last eight ODI innings with 426 runs at a batting average over 50. Kusal Mendis is the Sri Lankan batting glue and will be expected to stick around for most of the innings. He hit a half-century in the third ODI against the West Indies.

Asalanka's leadership will be important, but will need significant batting contributions alongside Sadeera Samarawickrama. The Sri Lankan skipper was player-of-the-series against the West Indies.

The team's all-round strength lies in Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Dunith Wellalage. Wickramasinghe offers batting and fast-bowling skills. Hasaranga's spin bowling and hard-hitting batting make him a game-changer.

Dunith Wellalage supports the spin-bowling attack with his variations and change of speeds. Together the combination of Hasaranga and Wellalage has claimed 24 wickets in their last 15 ODI matches. Maheesh Theekshana’s mystery adds the adaptability of the spin attack.

Potentially the weak link in the Sri Lankan lineup is their fast-bowling, which will be reliant on Asitha Fernando with the new ball.

Sri Lanka Expected Playing 11

New Zealand

Mitchell Santner is growing as a leader in the black of New Zealand’s white-ball sides. The top-order comprises Will Young, Tim Robinson and Henry Nicholls. Each of the three offers different sets of skills to create a balanced top-order lineup.

Will Young and Henry Nicholls may be two of the more conservative batters between the trio. They are also highly experienced for New Zealand. Will Young has hit 356 runs in his last seven ODIs.

The middle-order's strength lies in Glenn Phillips' 360-degree batting and Mark Chapman's all-round skills. Phillips' hard-hitting capabilities make him pivotal. Dean Foxcroft and Michael Bracewell contribute to the batting depth and add spin-bowling options.

Santner's left-arm finger-spin is supported by leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. Lockie Ferguson's pace and Jacob Duffy's swing could be troublesome in the powerplay. Ferguson took a hat-trick in the second T20I to help the tourists defend 108.

New Zealand Expected Playing 11

SL vs NZ Toss Prediction

The last time this ground hosted an ODI was back in October 2018. That match was won by England when they batted first. The surface would have seen a lot of traffic on it over the last two T20Is. The lower-scoring nature could also mean both captains will favour batting first and defending a total.

Pitch and Conditions

The outcome of the game would partially be dependent on which team adjusts to pitch conditions faster. The pacers may have lateral movement to work with in the powerplay if the pitch is under covers for part of the game. New Zealand will feel confident that their fast bowlers can exploit conditions. Batting may not feel as easy initially, but if teams can navigate a tricky powerplay period, they could be rewarded in the middle overs.

The weather in Dambulla is predicted to feature scattered thunderstorms with a 67 percent chance of rain, particularly in the afternoon to early evening. Temperatures will be hot and extremely humid.

SL vs NZ Betting Tips

Both teams have shown their prowess in the ODI format over the course of their recent ODI series. Sri Lanka have won two consecutive ODI series before taking on New Zealand in this series. New Zealand, on the other hand, have played and won one ODI series against Bangladesh since the end of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023.

They were semi-finalists at the world’s premier ODI event.

Bet on New Zealand to win.