The runners up of the previous World Cup, Sri Lanka, will play against the New Zealand in the first match of the World Cup 2015 this Saturday.
However, for the England viewers, the match will be starting on Friday night itself at 11 PM.
Sri Lanka might be above the Black Caps in the team rankings of the International Cricket Council at the moment, but, given the conditions that will be there in Christchurch, it’s New Zealand which is the favourite.
The Sri Lankan bowling attack is more about spin. On the small ground there, using too much of spin can be dangerous as the ball would not turn at all and thus, playing lofted shots would be too easy.
The boundaries are so short in Christchurch that you don’t need to middle the balls to hit them for six. With modern bats, if you get it even close to the sweet spot of the willow, the ball would carry to the stands and that gives New Zealand the advantage. They have got some most powerful of the hitters around.
As far as the Sri Lankan batsmen are concerned, they will have to cope with the pace of New Zealand. The raw pace and also, the swing of Trent Boult, the man who devastated the South African batting line up in one of the practice matches.
Sri Lanka, however, have got some flashy individuals. You can call them the superstars, the likes of Sangakkara and Dilshan. This is their last World Cup. So, they would be putting in all their experience to snatch the game away from the Kiwis come tomorrow.
This match can prove to be a cracker and it can well set up the tone for the whole tournament.