Weather Holds Key in Series Opener

Pallekele: Weather holds key in series when New Zealand take on Sri Lanka in the opener of a five-match series on Thursday.

It's time New Zealand reversed its bad run in one-day internationals, captain Ross Taylor said.

The Kiwis lost four of five matches of their last series against West Indies in July, and before that were swept at home by South Africa 3-0 at the start of the year.

"We are not looking too far ahead, tomorrow's game is an important one," Taylor said on Wednesday.

Their confidence wasn't boosted by the opening tour match on Tuesday, when New Zealand slumped to 74-7 in 14 overs before the one-off Twenty20 was washed out.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and fast bowler Lasith Malinga return after being rested for the Twenty20. Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has also been called up while offspinner Sachithra Senanayake and batsman Dilshan Munaweera, who were part of the Twenty20 squad, have been excluded.

Sri Lanka has also included 19-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal. Spinner Akila Dananjaya, who made his international debut without any first-class experience in the World Twenty20, is likely to make his ODI debut on Thursday.

New Zealand has retained the same squad as the Twenty20.

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dananjaya, Tharindu Kaushal.

New Zealand: Ross Taylor (captain), Trent Boult, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Ronnie Hira, Tom Latham, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

Pitch & conditions
The pitch at Pallekele International Stadium has been covered for several days because of rain, and it is expected to retain moisture and assist seam bowlers with sharp movement, as exploited by Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have played only one ODI at this ground, beating Pakistan by 110 runs during the 2011 World Cup.
• Of the seven ODIs at Pallekele, four have been won by the team batting first.

Match facts
Thursday November 1, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 0900 local (1430 GMT)