New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, NZ vs SL, Today Match Prediction 09 March 2023

nz vs sl Match Prediction & Analysis

New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in a 2-match Test series at home which starts with the 1st Test in Christchurch. The Blackcaps have lost 3 of their last 6 Tests at home including one against Bangladesh at the start of 2022.

They were outplayed in their last home series against England and a Wagner special saved the day as NZ clinched a 1-run win over England at the Basin Reserve.

Sri Lanka are placed at number 3 in the WTC standings and fancy a chance of reaching the final. All they need is to beat NZ 2-0 in this series and hope that India either draws or loses their last Test against Australia.

Sri Lanka played their last Test match in July of 2022 in Galle where they defeated Pakistan by 246 runs and the series ended in a 1-1 draw.

The visitors have got a strong side with reliable and experienced batters throughout the lineup. The hosts will have the home advantage and can start with confidence from their recent win.

TEAMS PREVIEW

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand’s recent win over England saw some of their key batters find form. Now, if they manage to carry it to this series, the hosts will definitely be on top of the game.

New Zealand have won 4 of their last 5 Tests at this venue in Christchurch. Kane Williamson scored a hundred in his last innings while other top-order players also found their form.

Wicket-keeper batsman Tom Blundell has proved to be a reliable batsman in the lower order and along with Daryl Mitchell can build crucial partnerships. The captaincy will now rest with New Zealand’s star bowler, Tim Southee.

Southee will also be crucial with the new ball and is expected to deliver early breakthroughs. There will be no Jamieson in this squad and the hosts will likely feature Matt Henry in the bowling attack. Neil Wagner is a match-winning bowler who can once again play a big role for the hosts.

It is not an easy surface at the Hagley Oval and though NZ have the advantage of familiarity with the conditions, they should remember their recent loss against South Africa on this ground. The depth in the batting lineup and the ability of the lower order to hang in there and add crucial runs sets them apart and gives them an edge in this contest.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee (c), Matt Henry, Neil Wagner

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Henry Nicholls, Michael Bracewell, Kane Williamson, Tom Blundell, Blair Tickner, Tim Southee

Sri Lanka Preview

Sri Lanka will come here all guns blazing as the only way for them to reach the WTC final is a 2-0 win over New Zealand. Dimuth Karunaratne has a great setup with experienced players in the lineup who can deliver an inspired performance.

The top-order players looked in good touch in the 2-day warm-up match. Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, and Karunaratne are the big wickets in the Sri Lankan innings.

Angelo Matthews and Chandimal bring plenty of experience to the side and can be reliable when it comes to building partnerships in the middle. It has been a very long time since Sri Lanka played their last Test.

Also, they have never won a Test match at the Hagley Oval and have lost 5 of their last 6 Tests in New Zealand. The other one ended in a draw.  This is Sri Lanka’s first long-format tour of New Zealand since 2018. The challenges are aplenty for the visitors. However, the home team hasn’t been in their best touch lately and that should give Sri Lanka some hope.

As it goes in Test cricket, the bowlers hold the key to a win. If they can’t take 20 wickets, the team cannot win. And the conditions here are good enough to pick all the 20 wickets. Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, and Prabath Jayasuriya will be the key bowlers to watch out for in this side. 

Sri Lanka Predicted Playing XI:

Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha

Sri Lanka Actual Playing XI:

Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Kumara, Angelo Mathews, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a good batting deck at the Hagley Oval with some help on offer for the pacers as well. There can be some movement in the air which would make batting difficult against the new ball. The weather will be cloudy with a high of 24 degrees Celsius and this can assist the swing bowlers on day one.

Venue Details

Hagley Oval in Christchurch will host the first Test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The average 1st innings score on this ground in the 1st innings is 286 runs and 305 runs in the 2nd innings. The 3rd innings of the match will be the deciding one of all with high chances of the game swinging in either direction.

Toss: To Bowl

Teams bowling first have won 7 of the 12 Test matches played at this venue. The average 1st innings score isn’t very high here and that can be an issue when setting a target later in the game. It will not be ideal for Sri Lanka to bat first for they’re visiting NZ after 5 years and playing a Test match after 8 months.