Confident New Zealand ready to kick-off their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka

New Zealand is ready to kick-off their World Cup campaign

ICC In the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the Black Caps opened their tournament with a rampant 98-run victory over Sri Lanka, and if recent form is anything to go by, a similar result could well be on the cards in Cardiff today.

New Zealand may have suffered at the hands of a blitzing performance against West Indies in their final warm-up match, but the marker was laid down when they faced off against India at The Oval last Saturday, as they bowled out Virat Kohli’s men for a paltry 179 before chasing down their total with six wickets to spare.

One of the biggest positives for New Zealand has been the eye-catching performances from their less-heralded players. Against India, Jimmy Neesham – who missed out on a place in New Zealand’s squad four years ago – impressed with the ball, with figures of 326. Against West Indies, Tom Blundell – yet to play a one-day international – hit an 89-ball 106, an innings which featured eight fours and five sixes.

Tom Blundell scored a steady 106 in a tough run-chase against West Indies in the last warm-up match

For Sri Lanka, their tournament preparations have been anything but smooth. While Dimuth Karunaratne was installed as skipper after more than four years in ODI wilderness, their warm-up fixtures against South Africa and Australia resulted in two defeats.

If there have been any bright sparks for Sri Lanka of late, they came in the warm-up against South Africa, with Karunaratne and the wise old head of Angelo Matthews hitting half-centuries. Matthews arrives into this tournament having spent quite a bit of winter on the sidelines. With a career average of 42 and over a decade of international experience, his return to the line-up holds great significance for Sri Lanka.

Key players

Trent Boult (New Zealand): He was exceptional in 2015, taking 22 wickets in just nine matches and the left-armer was in fine touch during the warm-ups, collecting four-wicket hauls in both games. A top-order which tends to struggle against pace and swing presents ideal opportunity for the 29-year old to carry his form in the tournament major.

Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka): The 1996 World Cup winners are in a desperate need of motivation and there can’t be a better person than the captain himself to inspire the unit. Karunaratne proved his batting abilities against the new ball when he scored a fluent 87 in the warm-up fixture against South Africa. The left-hander, who had scored his maiden test hundred against the Blackcaps in 2014, could be the glue that holds the Sri Lankan batting together.

Conditions

Teams batting first scored well in excess of 300 in the two completed warm-up matches at Cardiff. With negligible chances of rain and sunny intervals throughout the day, a full 100-over game with lots of runs can be expected on Saturday. Gentle breeze might just assist new-ball bowlers early on.

Squads

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay.