NZ vs SL, 1st Test: Head to Head, Playing XI, Preview, Where to Watch on TV, Online, and Live Streaming Details

New Zealand will be hosting Sri Lanka in the first Test match at Christchurch's Hagley Oval starting March 9. New Zealand, the reigning champions of the World Test Championship (2019-2021), drew 1-1 against England in their most recent series at home and haven't won any Test series in WTC 2021-23 cycle.

They have been not at their best since lifting the first-ever WTC title in 2021 and are eighth among nine teams in the WTC 2021-23 table. 

However, the Kiwis' thrilling one-run win against England in the Wellington Test has put them in a favorite spot to dominate the upcoming two Tests against Sri Lanka. They have lost only twice in 19 Tests against Sri Lanka at home and lost only once in the last five matches. 

The hosts have named a 13-player squad for the Sri Lanka Tests with all eleven players from the latest Wellington Test win included. Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy have been dropped while Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out as he is about to undergo a back surgery.

Sri Lanka remain in contention for the WTC final and that will definitely put them under pressure from the begining. They need to win both Tests and also pray for India's draw or loss against Australia in their fourth Test starting March 9.

They drew 1-1 against Pakistan in their latest Test series but it's been more than seven months. Most of the senior players have been part of the recent preparation camp at Radella and have played in Sri Lanka's recent domestic four-day first-class cricket.

Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis dazzled with fifties in the tour game against New Zealand XI at Lincoln last week before rain disturbed the fixture. Sri Lanka will heavily rely on their experienced batters Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, and Angelo Mathews with the latter scoring 503 runs in just six Tests in New Zealand at an average of 55.88.

Pitch Conditions

Hagley Oval's surface favours both batters and pace bowlers in red-ball cricket. Fans can expect a little grass and pacers are likely to produce extra bounce and pace from Day 1. The average first innings score here is 286 with teams bowling first winning seven of 12 Tests here. New Zealand have won both Tests against Sri Lanka here, including a huge 423-run triumph in the latest encounter in December 2018.

Probable Playing XI for NZ vs SL, 1st Test

New Zealand:

The hosts have named only 13 players for both Tests, including the playing XI that pulled off a one-run thriller against England in their last match. However, they are likely to field an extra pacer in the first Test with either one of Will Young or Henry Nicholls sitting out because of Blair Tickner.

Probable Playing XI: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee (c), Matt Henry, Neil Wagner, Blair Tickner

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka have included uncapped Nishan Madushka and Milan Ratnayake with Lahiru Kumara and Chamika Karunaratne returning to the Test setup after missing the Pakistan Tests. They might be tempted to play with four specialist pace options, including Angelo Mathews, with all-rounders Dhananjaya de Silva and Ramesh Mendis providing the spin options.

Probable Playing XI: Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando

NZ vs SL Head-to-Head in Tests

Played- 36 | New Zealand- 16 | Sri Lanka- 09 | Draw- 11

NZ vs SL Broadcast Details

Match Timings: 03:30 AM IST, 11:00 AM Local

Live Streaming: Amazon Prime Video