Sri Lanka vs New Zealand 1st ODI Predictions - Hosts set for victory in series opener

Marc Thomas

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Last updated: 12 Nov 2024

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Marc Thomas 12 Nov 2024

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Sri Lanka won 3 of last 4 ODIs, strong home form.
New Zealand has not played ODIs in 4 months.
Both teams inexperienced, potential for low scores.

Expired

Hosts to see off young New Zealand side (Getty Images)

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Preview

Sri Lanka have been very solid at home in recent times and will be looking to continue that form. The Black Caps have not played ODI cricket for some time which could result in some rustiness, particularly with the young squad.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Preview
Head to Head
Sri Lanka Form
Sri Lanka Injuries & Team News
New Zealand Form
New Zealand Injuries & Team News

Sri Lanka have won 3 of their last 4 ODI matches.
Sri Lanka won their last ODI series at home.
New Zealand have won their last 4 ODI matches against Sri Lanka.
New Zealand have not played ODI cricket in 4 months.

Head to Head

The visitors have won their last four ODI fixtures against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Form

Sri Lanka have played a bit of ODI cricket recently with series at home against India and West Indies. They beat the Windies 2-1 in their most recent series.

After winning the final match against India as well, Sri Lanka have now won three of their last four ODI matches. Confidence will be high coming into this series, particularly on home soil.

The series against the West Indies was a low scoring affair, mostly because rain curtailed all three games. The most overs came in the first fixture with 38 overs used in the first innings.

Sri Lanka Injuries & Team News

Charith Asalanka captains a reasonably young and inexperienced home side.

New Zealand Form

New Zealand have not played any ODI cricket in recent months, at least not since the conclusion of the T20 Cricket World Cup. It might take some time for the players to get into the swing of things, but the recent T20I series should help.

It was a two-match series against Sri Lanka in the T20 format, and after losing the first game narrowly, New Zealand bowled superbly to secure the second game.

Both T20I games were played in Dambulla as was the first ODI. Now, both T20 games produced very low scores, which may be a concern for both teams going into this opening ODI.

New Zealand Injuries & Team News

Mitchell Santner will captain New Zealand while they have also have plenty of inexperience. Neither side is near full strength which could lead to some low scores if the pitch in Dambula remains as poor as it has been.