New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand, 2018-19 Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui Date & Time: Jan 03, 02:00 PM LOCAL

New Zealand are looking to test players in the three-match ODI series. © Getty

That's it from us folks! The second ODI is day after and we hope you join us then. Tata!

POST-MATCH THOUGHTS:

Kane Williamson: A good surface, but the outfield was really random, and the wind factor were the reasons for such high scores. Two very competitive sides who played well in this match. You can take a few wickets early and put scoreboard pressure but that wasn't too be today.

Lasith Malinga: The bowlers didn't deliver many wicket-taking balls. We didn't use variations even on a batting wicket. We have to analyse that and come back stronger in the next game. We are playing on the same wicket next match also, so we have to use our variations, and we need to use our wicket-taking options. The players realise that we weren't up to the mark. I'm happy with the batting

Martin Guptill, MoM: Pretty good, happy with that outing. Certainly a good recovery in the end. I played the CPL and played in England, and in the last three months I did a lot of hardwork to come around and everything is fine with my injuries now. Everything is settled down now, I played a few games for Auckland, and I'm just trying to keep my balance as much as possible.

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New Zealand and Sri Lanka enter the three-match ODI series with completely different aims. With the World Cup just five months away, Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, stressed they'll be trying to find the perfect approach, alter their plans and allow some of the players to make a claim for a spot in the squad for the mega tournament. The visitors, on the other hand, will aim to pick up the pieces, weave something out of it and hope they haven't been knocked too far behind.

Sri Lanka's last ODI series win came in January last year in Bangladesh in a tri-series involving the hosts and Zimbabwe. Since then, they lost to South Africa at home, struggled in Asia Cup and then to England at home to end a disastrous year. And the hopes, once again,are pinned on Lasith Malinga. Axed from the side not too long ago for being unfit, he'll return to lead the side and hopefully inspire them to rise above the mediocrity they've showcased in the limited-overs format.

Unfortunately for Malinga, there are no quick fixes in sight, but his main aim will be to build consistency. Sri Lanka impressed in patches in the preceding Test series, but faltered. He's stressed he wants to "find the best in Sri Lanka" and the onus has been put on the players to prove their worth. Malinga, and the players, know enough opportunities were provided and the time to rebuild is over. There could be a shift in approach as well. "We need to consolidate our first 10 overs, how we're going to address the conditions, how we build a good partnership - then we have time to accelerate at the end of the innings," the captain said, making clear that the top order needs to take more responsibility and need to go away from the slam-bang approach.

New Zealand may be taking the visitors lightly, but see this series as a golden opportunity to experiment before the big-ticket series against India. The fact that they feel comfortable resting Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme and give an opportunity to others shows they are fairly confident of the ability of the replacements coming in. Martin Guptill and Jimmy Neesham return to the side after a long lay-off and will be keen to show they are still the front-runners to make it to the World Cup squad.

Stead would ideally want to identify the perfect template in this series before trying to replicate it against India. New Zealand have got three ODIs to find that before a more mightier challenge lands on their soil.