With the T20I series finished and dusted, New Zealand Sri Lanka will now face each other in the three-match NZ vs SL ODI series. The first ODI of the series will be played at Basin Reserve, Wellington on Sunday (January 5, 2025).
The T20I series ended 2-1 in New Zealand's favour. The Black Caps won the first match by 8 runs before registering a 45-run win in the second T20I to take a 2-0 lead. In the third match between NZ and SL, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by 7 runs to end the series with a win.
Kusal Perera's scorching knock of 101 pushed Sri Lanka to a huge total of 218/5 in the allotted twenty overs. Captain Sharith Asalanka did well with the bat as well, scoring 46 runs off just 24 balls.
Setting a target of 219 runs, New Zealand ended their innings on 211/7. While they ended up losing the match, opener Rasheen Ravindra's performance was a big positive for them. After struggling to perform well with the bat in recent times, Ravindra top-scored for his team in the third T20I, scoring 69 runs off 39 balls.
With both teams now gearing up for the first ODI of the three-match series between NZ and SL, we take a look at the weather and pitch report.
NZ vs SL Weather Report and Basin Reserve Pitch Report, Wellington – 1st ODI Tour, Sri Lanka in New Zealand 2024-25:
NZ vs SL weather report in Wellington:
The weather could play a spoilsport during the first ODI between NZ and SL. The New Zealand-Sri Lanka match is scheduled to be played in Wellington on Sunday and the weather forecast is not very promising. The weather forecast called for strong winds and drizzle on match day.
The New Zealand-Sri Lanka match will start at 11:00 a.m. local time and the precipitation rate at that time will be more than 55 percent.. The chance of rain reaches 80 percent early in the morning. Therefore, it is possible that the start of the game will be delayed due to rain or dampness on the field. The chance of rain is about 50 percent throughout the day.
NZ vs SL Pitch Report:
Here are the statistics for Basin Reserve, Wellington:
| First ODI match | 03/09/1975 |
| Last ODI match | 03/26/2021 |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Matches won by the home team | 13 (43.33%) |
| Matches won by Touring Side | 11 (36.67%) |
| Matches won by the neutral side | 3 (10.00%) |
| Matches won by batting first | 16 (48.48%) |
| Games won by batting second | 11 (33.33%) |
| Matches won by toss | 12 (36.36%) |
| Matches won by forfeit are toss | 15 (45.45%) |
| Matches are drawn | 0 (0.00%) |
| Matches without results | 3 (10.00%) |
| Top team roles | 318/6 (New Zealand) |
| Lowest team roles | 74 (New Zealand) |
| Highest chase ever achieved | 254/4 (New Zealand) |
| Average number of runs per wicket | 26.71 |
| Average number of runs per over | 4.52 |
| Average points hit first | 200 |
The surface at Basin Reserve is expected to serve as a model pitch in New Zealand that will help players. Fast bowlers will get good swing and bounce especially with the new ball. However, batsmen will also enjoy the speed with which the ball will reach the bat.
After the initial phase, batsmen are likely to have a greater role in proceedings. The venue will host an ODI for the first time since 2021 and tThe last match played at this venue was between New Zealand and Bangladesh. In that match, New Zealand scored 318 runs before beating Bangladesh by 154 runs.
The average first innings total at Basin Reserve is 200 points. So anything above 250 will be a very competitive total.
conclusion:
With the weather forecast calling for rain on Sunday in Wellington, the two teams are likely to play first after winning the toss. With the DLS method expected to be implemented, teams will look to chase rather than bat first.