New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka 6th ODI: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

New Zealand have a 3-1 lead over Sri Lanka as the teams head into the sixth ODI of the seven-match series.

Venue: University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand

Date: Sunday, January 25, 2015

Start time: 11 a.m. local time, 10 p.m. GMT (Thursday, Jan. 22)

Live on: CSN (Sri Lanka), TVNZ (New Zealand), Sky Sports (UK).

Weather: All clear on the weather front, according to AccuWeather.com. It will be a mild 21 degrees Celsius, with the sun trying its best to warm things up.

Overview

New Zealand got out of jail in the fifth ODI, with Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott breaking records to help the Black Caps recover from 93 for five. The pair hit an unbeaten 267 off 180 balls, the highest ever for the sixth wicket and the second highest for any wicket for New Zealand.

Their effort lifted New Zealand to 360 in 50 overs, and Sri Lanka fell well short, losing by 108 runs. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 116 off 106, but the other batsmen were poor, as the visitors were all out for 252 in 43.4 overs.

New Zealand will be pleased with their efforts in the series so far. Four players have hit centuries, but what they have been lacking is consistency. Barring Brendon McCullum, no player has been convincingly consistent. For Sri Lanka, Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene have led from the front, but they have been let down by the lower order.

With the World Cup now fast approaching, this series is all about getting some time out in the middle. From a bowling perspective, things have been far more consistent.

Barring the record stand in the last match, Sri Lanka have had three dependable bowlers. Rangana Herath, as ever, has been sublime and boasts an economy rate of 3.94. Angelo Mathews, too, has kept things tidy, and his four wickets have come at an average of just 14.00 with an economy rate of 4.04.

Even Lahiru Thirimanne has put in a good effort with two wickets at an average of 18.00 and economy rate of 5.14.

New Zealand's bowlers have had excellent returns, too: Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan and Tim Southee have all been solid.

This bodes well just before the World Cup. For both teams, the remaining games are about having fun and building momentum.

Squads

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shaminda Eranga, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Kumar Sangakkara, Sachithra Senanayake, Lahiru Thirimanne

Key players

New Zealand: As already mentioned, Brendon McCullum has been ever-dependable. His ability to anchor the innings will be as crucial as ever, and he'll be hoping that this time around his top order can back him up.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews has had a great time with the ball but hasn't managed to play a big innings with the bat. He is growing into the captain's role, though, and testing his tactics is crucial ahead of the World Cup.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.