Sri Lanka have an overwhelming record of winning 10 of their last 11 ODI matches and six in a row against the Kiwis but the Black Caps would back themselves to reverse the trend particularly when their batsmen are in superb touch.
The Kiwis are perhaps the best acclimatised side after hosts England having spent some good amount of time here. They know the conditions well which will help them sort out their team combination quickly.
However, while against England they faced a pace-pronged attack, in Sri Lanka they face a side which is full of wily spinners, led by Sachitra Senanayake. Jeevan Mendis, Rangana Herath are other specialist spinner while Tillakaratne Dilshan can also be handy.
The big worry for Sri Lanka is their batting. Neither the top-order nor the middle order batsmen are in good form. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara never looked in good touch during the recent IPL.
Teams:
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (C), James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Luke Ronchi (wk), Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (C), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shaminda Eranga, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), and Lahiru Thirimanne.
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