World Cup 2019: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Match 3- Preview, Weather Report, Pitch Report, Match Details, and Head-to-Head Stats

CWC 2015 runner-up New Zealand will meet the Asian islanders Sri Lanka in the third fixture of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at the Sofia Gardens on Saturday, June 1.

Match Details

Date: 1st June 2019 (Saturday)

Time: 09:30 PM (New Zealand), 03:00 AM (Sri Lanka), 10:30 AM (England) and 03:00 PM (IST)

Venue: Sofia Gardens, Cardiff

Weather Report

With around 70 percent cloud cover, there is very little chance of rain. The sky is expected to get clear during the latter half of the game, with the temperature hitting 23 degree Celsius during the second session of play.

Pitch Report

The flat track at the Sophia Gardens has been ideal for the batsmen and one can expect 300-plus scores on Saturday.

Head-to-Head Stats

Overall: In 98 One Day International games, the Kiwis lead the scoreline with 48 wins, while the Sri Lankans have emerged victorious in 41 games, with one ending a tie.

In CWC: The Sri Lankans hold a slight edge in games in the World Cup, with six wins in ten outings.

In England: The Kiwis have lost just one out of their four games against Sri Lanka in England.

At Sofia Gardens: This will be their second ODI meeting at this venue, with the previous one being a low scoring and nail-biting encounter, which was won by New Zealand with one wicket to spare in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

New Zealand

The Blackcaps are the potential dark horses of the CWC 2019, and boast of all the capabilities required to clear the group stage. They whitewashed Sri Lanka (3-0) in their previous ODI series, which gives them an upper hand ahead of the clash.

Batting

Key Batsmen - Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill & Ross Taylor

Kane Williamson seems to have found his form at right time. The Kiwi skipper had strong outings during the warm-ups with scores of 67 and 85. Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill boast of a lot of experience under their belt, and they will be eager to send shivers down the opponent camp.

Bowling

Key Bowlers - Trent Boult, Tim Southee & Ish Sodhi

On the bowling front, Trent Boult and Tim Southee will pose the major threat to the opponents, while Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner will be excepted to put clamps on the scoring rate.

Expected Playing XI

Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Tom Blundell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Henry Nicholls, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi.

Sri Lanka

The Islanders are struggling badly in the ODI format with just one win in nine matches played this year. Despite this, one cannot underestimate their potential in major tournaments.

Batting

Key Batsmen - Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne & Lahiru Thirimanne

Dimuth Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews are the key figures in Sri Lanka's batting lineup. Dimuth made a mark with his strong performance against Ireland, while Mathews is the most experienced campaigner in the squad, and the team will want them to score big on Saturday. Lahiru Thirimanne and Kusal Perera are the other batsmen who can surprise opponents on their day.

Bowling

Key Bowlers - Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep & Isuru Udana

Lasith Malinga will undoubtedly lead the charge on the bowling front, and the veteran is likely to inflict major damage to the Kiwi batters. Isuru Udana and Nuwan Pradeep have been quite impressive during the warm-ups, and the skipper will need them to put pressure from the other end and get a few wickets.

Expected Playing XI

Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana, Kusal Perera and Nuwan Pradeep.