Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction | 1st T20 International

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On the back of a historic Test series victory in India, Sri Lanka now pivot to T20 cricket, this time in Sri Lanka, with the hosts having beaten West Indies in a three-game showdown last month.

Date/Time: Saturday 9th November 2024 - UK – 1:30pm / India – 6:00pm / US EST – 8:30am / US PST – 5:30am

Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Weather: Very hot conditions with temperatures at over 25c, but a small chance of some thundery showers across the scheduled hours of play.

How To Watch On TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Willow TV 

How To Watch Online: UK – discovery+ / US – Willow TV

Sri Lanka Betting Analysis

Sri Lanka demonstrated their toughness on home soil only recently in white ball cricket, beating West Indies in both 20-over and 50-over three-match sets. Key to their success across the T20i games was bowler Maheesh Theekshana, the right-arm off-spinner having taken five wickets across three fixtures. Conditions in Sri Lanka usually suit him perfectly and that should be the case again here, so explore backing Theekshana to take over 1.5 match wickets.

New Zealand Betting Analysis

New Zealand’s T20i squad for this series includes Glenn Phillips, who makes a habit to trying to launch the ball into the stands on regular occasions to good effect. The 27-year-old isn’t likely to change his gameplan, even on a pitch that offers turn and it’s worth considering backing Phillips to finish this first game with the most match sixes among the Black Caps’ batting order.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Expert Prediction

New Zealand will likely find it very difficult adapting to conditions in Sri Lanka straight away when considering the short format and Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling battery. The hosts arrive in this game having really impressed against West Indies with the white ball and should carry that into these matches. Therefore, this first T20i is expected to be won by Sri Lanka as New Zealand perhaps don’t produce their best cricket straight away.

Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Tip: Sri Lanka To Win