Match: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, (NZ vs SL, 3rd ODI)

Date: March 31, 2023 – 3:30 AM IST

Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton

The third and final One-Day International between New Zealand and Sri Lanka is set to take place on March 31. Sri Lanka will be looking to draw the series when the two sides go head to head at Seddon Park in Hamilton. 

The hosts had hammered the Lankan lions in the opening game before the second match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. New Zealand, who have the 1-0 lead, will be hoping to clinch the series in the absence of their top players.

Sri Lanka had a chance of direct qualification into the ODI World Cup heading into this series but now they have to rely on Netherlands beating South Africa in both ODIs. 

The first match of this series saw the Black Caps defeat the visitors by 198 runs. Finn Allen was the top run-scorer for them with 51 off 49 at the top while Daryl Mitchell made 47 runs. The hosts lost key wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to 5 for 152 before Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra added a 66-run stand for the sixth wicket.

Phillips added 39 runs while Ravindra scored 49 to take the side to 274. From the Sri Lankan side, Chamika Karunaratne was the star performer with 4 for 43 while Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara picked two scalps each. 

Sri Lankan batters were completely shell shocked by the Kiwi seamers, led by Henry Shipley’s 5 for 31. Mitchell and Blair Tickner also bagged two wickets each as they bowled out the visitors for only 76.  

Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for NZ vs SL, 3rd ODI

Seddon Park is known to be a very batting friendly venue in limited overs cricket. A total of 50 ODIs have been hosted here with the average first innings score of 236. The highest total registered here was 363/4 by West Indies.  

Hamilton should witness partly sunny and pleasant weather on Friday afternoon. There’s less than a 10% chance of precipitation with the temperature around 20 degree Celsius.

New Zealand – Expected XI and Team News 

With their top players not available due to Indian T20 League commitments, New Zealand will give chances to fringe players. Henry Nicholls and Tom Blundell should come into the side that played the first ODI. The rest of the line-up could be unchanged. 

Probable XI – Chad Bowes, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Henry Shipley

Sri Lanka – Expected XI and Team News 

Sri Lanka have Nuwanidu Fernando and Pathum Nissanka at the top of the order. Their pace bowling attack comprises Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka along with all-rounders Chamika Karunaratne and Dasun Shanaka. Wanindu Hasaranga was the solitary spinner in the first game and they are likely to stick with the same.

Probable XI – Pathum Nissanka, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka

Head to Head record of NZ vs SL 

Total Encounters – 100

New Zealand won – 50

Sri Lanka won – 41

Tie – 1

No Result – 8

New Zealand lead the last five encounters by 5-0.

Best Captaincy Picks for the NZ vs SL match

Daryl Mitchell: All-rounder, New Zealand   

Daryl Mitchell has been in terrific form in the last couple of years, scoring runs across formats. He delivered an excellent all-round performance in the first ODI, scoring 47 runs with the bat and picking two wickets. Mitchell is a top captaincy pick considering his all-round value.

Matt Henry: Bowler, New Zealand   

Matt Henry has been one of the best seamers in the world, especially when there’s movement on offer. He has outstanding numbers in the fifty-over format, having taken 116 wickets in 66 ODIs at an average of 25.57. Henry remains a good C/VC option for this game.

Chamika Karunaratne: All-rounder, Sri Lanka 

Chamika Karunaratne was superb for the visitors in the first ODI, picking 4 for 43 in his nine overs. He has 24 wickets in 22 ODI matches while scoring 419 runs at an average of 28. Karunaratne could be a good differential C/VC option.

Top Differential Picks 

Henry Shipley: Bowler, New Zealand  

Henry Shipley had his career-best outing in the first ODI, where he bagged 5 for 31. Despite that he’s only picked by 34% of the MPL teams and can be a good differential. 

Will Young: Batter, New Zealand  

Will Young has a pretty good record in List A cricket, having scored over 3100 runs at an average of 41 while striking at 90. He is selected by only 15% of the MPL teams and can be a great differential.

MPL Fantasy XI 

Where and what time to watch the match live in India 

The New Zealand vs Sri Lanka series won’t be televised in India. However, you can catch all the live action on the online streaming platform Amazon Prime Video. 

Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.