NZ v SL 1st ODI Preview: Islanders aim for positive result in ODIs

New Zealand will be back in colored clothing at home for the first time after the 2015 World Cup, where they finished second best. Having lost the subsequent series against England and South Africa, both away, the Kiwis will look to continue their domination at home. The only series win for the team post the World Cup was the one against Zimbabwe in an away series.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will look to bounce back from the twin defeats in the Test series and aim for greater consistency in all facets of the game. Prior to the World Cup, these two teams had met in the same country with the home side emerging as winners by 4-2 in a 7-match series. The islanders lost the ODI series against Pakistan this year, but beat the West Indies in the following one, having played both of these at home.

New Zealand:

New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been rested for the first 3 matches of the 5-match series in an effort to manage workloads. Tim Southee will also have a couple of matches off, before joining the squad for the Nelson ODI on New Year’s eve. Neither player was a part of New Zealand’s tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier in the year as Boult was injured and Southee was rested. Though, they have played four back-to-back Tests since the start of November.

The only new face among the 13 players picked was the 24-year-old batsman Henry Nicholls. It is Nicholls’ first call-up to the New Zealand squad. He averages 44.07 after 34 List A matches, with eight fifties and a big hundred. In the 2014-15 season, in the 50-over format, he was the second-highest scorer in the Ford Trophy with 454 runs in eight matches at an average of 75.66.

Nicholls has been a middle-order batsman for most of his domestic career and might get his New Zealand cap sooner rather than later considering all-rounders Corey Anderson, James Neesham and Grant Elliott are still recovering from injuries.

Sri Lanka:

Batsman Chamara Kapugedera has been selected in Sri Lanka’s ODI as well as the T20I squad. This is more than 3 years after the right-hander played his last ODI though he did feature in the T20Is recently. Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who was a part of the Test squad, also features in both the squads. Lahiru Thirimanne, who had been dropped from the Test squad, is in the ODI outfit and also retains his vice-captaincy. Ajantha Mendis, who was dropped from the T20 outfit, has been retained in the ODI squad.

Nuwan Kulasekara replaced the injured Dhammika Prasad after the latter was ruled out of the entire tour. Prasad sustained a back injury during the tour game against New Zealand’s Board President’s XI in Queenstown. Kithuruwan Vithanage will remain in New Zealand for the ODIs as well, as a replacement for Kusal Perera, who was suspended following a positive test for a banned substance.

Sri Lanka are also keeping a close eye on the fitness of their ODI pace spearhead Lasith Malinga, who is recovering from a knee injury picked up during the recent home series against West Indies. If Malinga fails to recover from the injury, the all-rounder Thisara Perera will take his place in the squad.

Squads-

New Zealand (for first three ODIs):

Brendon McCullum (C), Doug Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry (first two ODIs)*, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, George Worker.

*Tim Southee will join the squad for the third ODI.

Sri Lanka:

Angelo Mathews (C), Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardana, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeffrey Vandersay

Standby Player: Thisara Perera

Stats:

• Brendon McCullum is 15th on the list of highest runs scorers in all NZ v SL ODI series and the only one from the current squads of both teams.
• None of the current bowlers from either side has taken a 5-wicket haul in an ODI between these 2 teams.

Schedule:

Sat Dec 26: 1st ODI at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Mon Dec 28: 2nd ODI at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Thu Dec 31: 3rd ODI at Saxton Oval, Nelson

Sat Jan 2: 4th ODI at Saxton Oval, Nelson

Tue Jan 5: 5th ODI Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

(All matches start at 11.00 Local and 03.30 IST Time)