PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka — In the second one-day international match against New Zealand on Sunday, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first.
In the opening ODI, which was impacted by rain, Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando each scored centuries, leading Sri Lanka to a 45-run victory utilizing the DLS method. This win puts Sri Lanka ahead 1-0 in the three-match series.

New Zealand continued with the same team that faced difficulties against the Sri Lankan spinners in the previous game held at Dambulla. In that match, three players—Nathan Smith, opening batsman Tim Robinson, and wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay—made their ODI debuts for New Zealand.

To bolster their spin options, Sri Lanka introduced left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage. He takes the place of pace bowler Dushan Madushanka, adding depth to the home team’s spin attack.

This series serves as an important preparation phase for New Zealand as they gear up for the Champions Trophy tournament slated for next year. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka missed out on qualifying for this tournament after finishing ninth in the previous World Cup held in India.

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Lineups:
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (captain), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando.
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