Sri Lanka eye comeback in fifth ODI

Overview

A win for New Zealand will push Sri Lanka to the brink and they will have to win both the games to salvage a draw in the seven-match series. The fifth ODI at the University Oval in Dunedin gives Sri Lanka the chance to have a first-hand experience of playing at a venue where they take on Bangladesh in a World Cup Group A match in 30 days' time. Dunedin has hosted more Tests (six) than ODIs (two) and the day match on Friday will be a first international limited-overs encounter in almost three years.

With a double-header within three days, Sri Lanka are eager to see all their batsmen fire and not just veterans Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The experienced trio have scored 522 runs among them in the series where skipper Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dimuth Karunaratne have struggled on their way to a combined 129 runs from four games each.

On the other hand, New Zealand have seen a more balanced batting effort with Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson sharing the burden between them, with Corey Anderson and Martin Guptill chipping in when required. Although the hosts would want Ross Taylor to get back his form of last year and go into the World Cup on the top of his game. New Zealand's pacers have been able to extract more from the surface to take 18 wickets among them as compared to their Sri Lankan counterparts, who have 10 wickets in the series, an area that Mathews and co would need to address.

Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews' rollicking form of 2014 with the bat has deserted him with only 54 runs in three ODIs this year. Sri Lanka play three of their World Cup Group A games in New Zealand and will hope their batsmen are acclimatised to the conditions. Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera are yet to fire in the lower-middle order. Sri Lankan spinners, especially Rangana Herath, have kept a tight line and length and have created wicket-taking chances. However, Lasith Malinga continues to be a notable absentee from the series owing to an ankle injury that has kept him out of action.

Probable XI: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Sachithra Senanayake, 11 Rangana Herath.

New Zealand:

With 14 wickets between them, pacers Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne and Tim Southee have kept New Zealand in the ascendancy. But the talented Milne, who can hit the 150-kmph mark, has been ruled out of fifth and sixth ODIs due to a side strain and is slated to return for the final ODI at Wellington. Kyle Mills or Trent Boult, provided if the former is back to full fitness, will vie to partner Tim Southee with the new ball in the XI. Daniel Vettori has not been allowed to take a wicket but has kept the run scoring down with an economy rate of four in the series. Nathan McCullum, who has taken two wickets in the series, may yet sit out of the contest.

Grant Elliott and Tom Latham are competing for a middle-order spot in the line-up but both have failed to come up with a clinching performance. Both bring different skills to the plate with Latham, a talented top-order batsman, one in the Williamson mode and Elliott, a batting allrounder who bowls slow medium, recalled to the World Cup squad after scoring 228 runs and taking 11 wickets in seven domestic limited-overs appearances last month.

Probable XI: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (capt), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliot, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan, 11 Kyle Mills/Trent Boult.

Weather: A good day for cricket with a forecast of a sunny day and a high of 21 degrees.

Stats: New Zealand have won the two ODIs played at the University Oval, against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.