SL tour of NZ, 2023

NZ vs SL, 1st Test

Preview

New Zealand and Sri Lanka will lock horns for the inaugural Test of their two-match series starting on Thursday, March 9. The game is scheduled at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. 

The Kiwis, led by Tim Southee, have named an unchanged side for the upcoming series after the two Tests again England. The Black Caps were humiliated in the first Test but came back with a thumping win in the second Test to level the series. The home side will now be looking to put on a full-fledged performance against the Lankan side, who have struggled in overseas Tests for quite some time.

Sri Lanka, on the other side, are still in the race to get to the final stage of the Test World Championship 2021-2023, which will be played in the latter half of this year. They need to beat New Zealand 2-0 in the upcoming series and also Australia needs to beat India in the final Test in Ahmedabad to make a clear way for the Sri Lankans to get into the finals.

If this happens, Sri Lanka will become the second finalist facing Australia who qualified in the first place, hence pushing down India in the third place in the points table. The Islanders have tasted defeat in both their Tests in Christchurch lastly in 2014 and 2018.

Match Details

Match: NZ vs SL, 1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand, 2023

Date: Thursday, March 09, 2023 - Monday, March 13, 2023

Time: 3:30 AM (Mar 09)

Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Pitch and Weather Report

The grounds in New Zealand are perfect for the batters, and the Hagley Oval’s surface in Christchurch is also not an exception. The batters will appreciate their time in the middle overs of the game. There is an even bounce on the pitch, and the batters will find no hardship in trying out their favourite shots.

The boundaries at this venue are not that big, and it will certainly favour the batting side. Also, the ground has a fast outfield which will provide the batters with rich rewards for their shots. In the opening overs of the game, the pacers may get some support from the surface. Being an open ground, the breeze will certainly flow in and assist in cheeky swing bowling.

The weather forecast in Hagley Oval, Christchurch is clean with a patch of clouds around the sky. The temperature is predicted to be around 22°C on the match day with 68% humidity and 23 km/h wind speed. There is 18% of precipitation during the match time.

NZ vs SL Squads

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

SL: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Nishan Madushka, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, and Milan Rathnayake.

NZ vs SL Probable Playing XIs

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

SL: Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Niroshan Dickwella, Kasun Rajitha, Chamika Karunartane, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya

Match Prediction

The home side have won eight out of eleven matches at the Hagley Oval stadium. The only two they have lost are against Australia (2016) and South Africa (2022). Hence, the Kiwis are the favourites to win this game.

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