New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
New Zealand and Sri Lanka get their one-day series underway on Saturday when they meet in the first of five 50-over matches in the space of 11 days.
The Black Caps will be playing for the first time since captain Brendon McCullum announced he will retire from international duty in February 2016, per BBC Sport.
However, the outgoing skipper—who will call it a day after the home Test series against Australia—will be determined to make sure he finishes with a flourish.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
As for Sri Lanka, they were competitive in the recent Test series between the nations, yet they still ended up being on the wrong end of a 2-0 sweep.
Date: Saturday Dec. 26, 2015
Time: 11 a.m. local (10 p.m. Friday GMT, 5 p.m. Friday ET)
Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch, New Zealand
Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), SuperSport (South Africa), NowTV (UK, subscription required), Willow TV (U.S., subscription required)
Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, the forecast is for early clouds to disappear by lunchtime, making for a sunny afternoon. The 11 a.m. start time could tempt whoever wins the toss to bowl first.
Overview
After revealing his retirement plans, McCullum begins his farewell tour around New Zealand.
The long goodbye starts and ends in the same place—Christchurch. It is somewhere the 34-year-old and his young family now call home, having been born in Dunedin.
Per Andrew Fidel Fernando of ESPN Cricinfo, McCullum felt it was only right to finish his international career on New Zealand soil:
"I think there's something pretty romantic about finishing playing cricket in front of New Zealand crowds and in New Zealand grounds.
Also we'll be playing in Christchurch and Wellington—two of the most amazing grounds.
The Basin Reserve has the history and means a lot to New Zealanders. And Christchurch is now my established home. There's a little bit of romance there. That was certainly the focus for me.
"
McCullum's final match will also be at the Hagley Oval venue on the South Island, when New Zealand face Australia in the second Test of the series.
Before then, however, he makes his return to the 50-over game. The right-handed batsman hasn't featured for his country in an ODI since the series finale against England back in June.
Since then, Kane Williamson—who will take over the captaincy from McCullum—has led the Black Caps on tours to Zimbabwe (where they won 2-1) and South Africa (where they lost 2-1).
Although it is not quite out with the old yet, New Zealand's selectors are bringing in someone new.
Batsman Henry Nicholls could make his international debut in the series. The 24-year-old has been included in the home side's squad for the first three matches.
However, the seam duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee are both rested for the start of the series. Pace bowler Mark Henry has been picked for the doubleheader in Christchurch, but he will make way for Southee after the second ODI.
According to Chris Barclay of Stuff.co.nz, Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott and Jimmy Neesham were not considered for selection due to injury.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will hardly relish a return to Christchurch.
They have lost there twice already in one-day action in 2015, including a 98-run defeat in the opening match of the Cricket World Cup.
Their hopes of avoiding an unwanted hat-trick are not helped by the absences of Dhammika Prasad and Kusal Perera. The former is out with a back injury, while the latter is suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
Angelo Mathews' side are on a four-match winning run in one-day cricket, although all those victories—including sweeping a three-match series against West Indies—came on home soil.
Key Players
New Zealand
Who else could it be but McCullum. Having revealed his retirement date, he can now go out and play with a clear mind and enjoy his extended swansong.
He should relish the chance to get back to action in limited-overs cricket.
The skipper endured a lean time of it in the ODI series against England, managing a total of 101 runs in five knocks, but he averages 30.30 in the format in his career.
Sri Lanka
Tillakaratne Dilshan was not involved during the Test leg of Sri Lanka's tour, so he should be raring to go.
The veteran all-rounder—who is still going strong at the age of 39—made 97 runs at a strike-rate of 151.56 per 100 deliveries faced in three knocks against the West Indies on home soil in November.
Dilshan also has a good record in New Zealand, averaging 43.35 in 16 games. He hit two hundreds in the tour there at the start of the year, making 116 in both Dunedin and Hamilton.
Squads
New Zealand
Brendon McCullum (captain), Doug Bracewell, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, George Worker
Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews (captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhanushka Gunatillake, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Thisara Perera.
All stats used in the preview are from ESPN Cricinfo
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
