Sri Lanka will look to avoid a whitewash when they face New Zealand in the third and final ODI that will be played on Saturday. Get our latest expert New Zealand vs Sri Lanka match preview, predictions and picks below.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Information
- Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
- Date: Saturday, January 11
- Time: 2 pm local (1 am GMT or 6.30 am IST)
- How to Buy New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Tickets? You can get all the information about this here.
What Have The Two Teams Done Recently?
New Zealand
New Zealand have come all guns blazing in this series and gone up 2-0 following two mammoth wins so far.
Before this series, New Zealand had featured in just three ODIs in the entire 2024 of which one game was abandoned due to rain. They lost that series 2-0, the defeat having come at the hands of Sri Lanka.
They were also coming off a 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka in the T20Is.
Sri Lanka
Much like New Zealand it was against them only that Sri Lanka played their last ODI series and won it 2-0 back home.
However, unlike New Zealand, Sri Lanka was involved in a crazy amount of ODI cricket in the entire 2024 year. They featured in 16 completed matches and rather stunningly, won 12 and lost just three of them.
This included a 2-0 win over India in a home series.
Sri Lanka fell to a nine-wicket defeat with over 23 overs to spare in the first ODI in this series and then lost the second by 113 runs.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head Stats
- Overall New Zealand vs Sri Lanka ODI Head-to-Head: There have been 98 completed ODIs between these two teams before this and New Zealand lead 54-43 on head-to-head with a game having ended in a tie.
- Over the previous 12 ODIs played between these two sides, New Zealand have won 10. The two they lost came in the last two games which were held in Sri Lanka as recently as November last year.
- It’s 32-12 in favour of New Zealand at home after their win over Sri Lanka in the first two ODIs of this series.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Preview & Predictions
New Zealand have been a rampaging form and it doesn’t matter whether they are batting first or second. After bowling Sri Lanka out for 178 in the first game they chased that down with consummate ease.
In the second, they batted first in a rain-affected game, piling 255/9 in 37 overs before bowling the tourists out for 142.
Sri Lanka’s problem has been their batter’s inability to handle the pace and bounce in New Zealand, which while isn’t as much as what would be expected in Australia or South Africa, has been more than back home.
As a result, their batters have fallen away in a hurry and this includes the in-form Pathum Nissanka who has not gotten into double-digits in these two games.
A fifty from Avishka Fernando in the first game and a fighting 64 off the blade of Kamindu Mendis in the second is all they have got. What they would like to do is to bat first and try and see off the initial period without losing too many.
Building a good score the old way could be the need of the hour for them.
That being said, their bowling also needs to be able to take control with none of their seamers done anything of note in the same games where Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Will O’Rourke have excelled.
We could see Sri Lanka improve on their batting in this game but that might not still be enough.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Match Winner
- New Zealand to win: 4/11
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Top Batsman
- Top New Zealand Batter – Will Young: 15/4
- Top Sri Lanka Batter – Pathum Nissanka: 15/4
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Top Bowler
- Top New Zealand Bowler – Matt Henry: 13/5
- Top Sri Lanka Bowler – Wanindu Hasaranga: 11/4
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Toss Prediction
- Sri Lanka to win the toss: 10/11
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Other Predictions
- Team of Top Batter – New Zealand: 8/11
*odds correct at the time of writing.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Squads
New Zealand ODI Squad:
Sri Lanka ODI Squad:
Charith Asalanka (captain), Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Nishan Madushka, Janith Liyanage, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Chamidu Wickramasinghe, Lahiru Kumara, Mohamed Shiraz, Eshan Malinga
How to Watch New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI Live?
This NZ v SL game will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network on TV in India with SonyLiv live streaming the event. New Zealand fans can watch it on Sky Sports while in Sri Lanka, this game can be watched with IPTV, Supreme TV, Ten Cricket and Dialog.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Series Schedule
- 1st T20I: December 28 at Mount Maunganui
- 2nd T20I: December 30 at Mount Maunganui
- 3rd T20I: January 2 at Nelson
- 1st ODI: January 5 at Wellington
- 2nd ODI: January 8 at Hamilton
- 3rd ODI: January 11 at Auckland
