New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test: Probable XIs, Match Prediction, Weather Forecast, Pitch Report, and Live Streaming Details

New Zealand and Sri Lanka will lock horns in the opening Test of their two-match series on Thursday, March 9. The Hagley Oval in Christchurch will host the contest.

The Black Caps, led by Tim Southee, have named an unchanged squad for the upcoming series after the two Tests against Ben Stokes’ England. The Kiwis were beaten black and blue in the opening Test, but came back to win the second Test by a slender margin of a run.

Neil Wagner bowled a bouncer and all James Anderson could do was glove it down the leg side to keeper Tom Blundell. The hosts will now be looking to put in a clinical showing against Sri Lanka, who have struggled in overseas Tests for some time now.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are still in the race to advance to the final of the World Test Championship 2021-23 to be played later this year. To start with, they need to beat New Zealand 2-0 in the upcoming series. Moreover, Australia need to beat India in the final Test in Ahmedabad.

In that case, Sri Lanka will become the second finalists along with Australia after pushing India down to third in the points table. The Lankans have lost both their Tests in Christchurch thus far in 2014 and 2018.

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Match Details

Match: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test

Date and Time: March 9, 2023, Thursday, 03:30 am IST

Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Pitch Report

Since 2021, statistics show that the pitch tends to get worse as the match progresses. Hence, batting first should be the way forward. Fast bowlers are expected to get a lot of movement and it’s not going to be easy for the batters.

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Weather Forecast

There are chances of rain on four out of five days, which could lead to delays and interruptions. Clouds will be there and the sun will hardly be there. Temperatures will be around 22 degree Celsius.

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Probable XIs

New Zealand

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

Sri Lanka

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

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction

New Zealand have won eight out of 11 Test matches at Hagley Oval so far. They have only lost to Australia (2016) and South Africa (2022). The Black Caps will go into the game as the heavy favorites.

Prediction: New Zealand to win the match.

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New Zealand vs Sri Lanka TV and Live Streaming details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming: Prime Video