World Cup 2019: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka - Match details, Probable XI and Players to watch out for

In the third match of the ICC World Cup 2019, New Zealand will take on Sri Lanka at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on June 1st. The Kiwis had two contrasting warm-up games, where they successfully conquered the mighty Indian batting in the first game but conceded 420+ runs to the West Indies in the next game. The Lankans, in contrast, have problems aplenty to sort out as they failed miserably to both Australia and South Africa in their warm-up games.

Chances of rain

The temperature is expected to be between 20-22 degrees Celsius and the chances of rain are less.

Is it a batsman's paradise?

The Cardiff pitch is expected to assist the batsmen as the 300-run mark was breached many times in the recent matches played here. This is the same pitch where KL Rahul and MS Dhoni made centuries in the last game against Bangladesh.

What to choose after winning the toss

Whoever wins the toss will bat first and will try posting a commendable total on the board. The pitch could also assist spinners as the game progresses.

Probable Playing XI - New Zealand

Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi

Players to watch out for

Ross Taylor: With 8026 runs from 218 matches, Ross Taylor is the most experienced batsman in the New Zealand line-up. He is expected to be the pillar of their middle-order batting.

Probable Playing XI - Sri Lanka

Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay

Players to watch out for

Angelo Mathews: The immensely talented all-rounder will be the key for Sri Lanka in their opening game of the tournament. He has scored 5381 runs from 204 games and is a solid middle-order batsman and a handy medium pacer as well.