Who Will Win Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 3rd T20?
New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in a nail-biting thriller the other night to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. With just one more game to go, this third and final T20 international is now nothing more than a dead rubber. Both the teams have been very competitive in the series which has produced back-to-back close encounters. The hosts may have suffered defeats on both occasions but they have not made things any easy for the Kiwis. They have stretched the visitors in both the games and have made them toil hard for their wins.
Sri Lanka will now be playing for pride when they take on New Zealand in this final T20 international. The match will be played on September 6 at the same venue - Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele. Live telecast is scheduled to begin at 7 PM local time.
SL vs NZ, 3rd T20: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, Fox Sports, Sky Sports, Ten Sports, Willow TV, GTV, Super Sports
Live Streaming: Bet365, SonyLIV, Sri Lanka Cricket YouTube Channel, Sky Sports App
SL vs NZ Weather Report
Plenty of cloud cover is expected throughout the game on Friday. However, the chances of precipitation are very low and so there should be a full 40-overs contest. Temperature should be around 24-26 degrees Celsius while humidity is likely to be between 79% and 84% during the match.
SL vs NZ Pitch Condition
The first two T20 internationals of the ongoing series that have been played at Pallekele have produced high-scoring thrillers with 160+ having been scored each time. This goes to show how good the wicket has been for batting and one can expect similar conditions on Friday as well.
SL vs NZ Toss Prediction
New Zealand batted second in both the matches and went on to win on both occasions. Pallekele has offered good batting conditions this series and so setting a target can be a little tricky here. The toss-winning team, therefore, will probably choose to chase this time around.
Read on for team previews, betting odds, betting tips and predictions for Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I...
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
Sri Lanka are likely to be without batsmen Shehan Jayasuriya and Kusal Mendis for this third T20 international. Both collided on the boundary while fielding in the second T20I and have picked up leg injuries. Danushka Gunathilaka is likely to replace Mendis. The hosts could consider going in with an extra seam option in Lahiru Kumara as a replacement for Jayasuriya. The Sri Lankan team management have decided not to call up any replacements in the squad for the injured duo.
SL Key Players
Niroshan Dickwella: He seems to be in good touch and Sri Lanka's middle-order batting is going to depend heavily on him. The left-hander has scored 33 and 39 in the two matches and he will look to score big this time around.
Akila Dananjaya: The off-spinner will be the biggest threat in this Sri Lankan bowling attack. He has taken four wickets in the series and is coming on the back of a three-wicket haul in the last match.
Avishka Fernando: Sri Lanka's number three is another key man when it comes to batting. Avishka has made some fine contributions in the recent past - he scored 82 in an ODI against Bangladesh and 37 off 25 balls last time out.
SL Recent Form
The four-wicket loss last time out was Sri Lanka's fifth defeat in the six T20 internationals that they have played so far this year. After losing the one-off T20I against New Zealand at Auckland at the start of the year, they suffered a 0-2 series defeat at the hands of South Africa. In the ongoing series, Sri Lanka have lost the first two games - by five wickets and four wickets respectively. The hosts have had a good series with the bat and they have managed to pick up early wickets with the ball.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Perera (wk), Avishka Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Wanidu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga (c), Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Lahiru Kumara
New Zealand Team News & Playing 11
NZ Team News
New Zealand face a few injury concerns ahead of this upcoming SL vs NZ 2019 match. Martin Guptill and Tom Bruce suffered abdomen and knee injuries respectively in the second T20 international. While the latter's fitness is being monitored, the former has been ruled out of this tour-ending game. Hamish Rutherford has been called up in the squad and he is likely to feature in the starting eleven in case Bruce is declared unfit on the eve of the match. All-rounder Lockie Ferguson is already out with a broken finger and the Kiwis will be praying that there are no further injuries in their camp leading up to this match.
NZ Key Players
Colin de Grandhomme: The all-rounder has scored the most runs for New Zealand in this series. After scoring a 28-ball 44 in the first T20I, de Grandhomme cracked a half-century in the second match and the team will want him to continue his good form.
Tim Southee: With four wickets in the series, Southee is currently leading the wickets charts. The fast bowler has picked up a couple of scalps in both the matches and is having a very impressive economy of 4.75.
Colin Munro: The left-handed opener is one of the most feared batsmen in world cricket and can bat the opposition out of the game once he gets set. Munro has scored only 13 runs this series and he will look to silence his critics with a blistering knock on Friday.
NZ Recent Form
New Zealand have now won five out of the six T20 internationals they have played so far this year including the previous three in a row. They came into this Sri Lanka series on the back of a 2-1 win over India at home in February. The Black Caps have emerged victorious in both the matches of the ongoing T20I series at Pallekele. After taking a beating in the opening game, their bowlers put up a much better performance last time, restricting the Lankans to 161/9.
New Zealand Predicted Playing 11
Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (wk), Scott Kuggeleijn, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Bruce/Hamish Rutherford, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (c), Seth Rance, Ish Sodhi
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Head to Head
Sri Lanka and New Zealand have now played 18 T20 internationals against each other with the former winning six of those and the latter ten. While one has resulted in a tie, one has ended in a washout.
With their four-wicket win a couple of days ago, New Zealand have now beaten Sri Lanka on the previous five occasions in the game's shortest format.
The two teams have now played five T20Is against each other at Pallekele with the scoreline reading 2-1 in favor of New Zealand. One of those was a tied encounter while one ended without a result.
SL vs NZ Head to Head Stats
| Matches Played |
SL Won |
NZ Won |
Tie |
No Result |
| 18 |
6 |
10 |
1 |
1 |
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Betting Odds
New Zealand are favorites to win this third and final T20 international at 1.72 with Betway, 1.80 with Bet365 and 1.74 with 10CRIC. Sri Lanka continue to find themselves as outsiders and they have been priced at 1.90 on 10CRIC and 2 on Betway and Bet365.
SL Bet365 Odds
- SL to win the match: Bet365 have Sri Lanka at 2 to beat New Zealand.
- SL batsman to hit a fifty: Kusal Perera is 5 with Bet365 to hit a fifty in this third T20I.
NZ Bet365 Odds
- NZ to win the match: Bet365 is offering 1.80 on New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka.
- NZ batsman to hit a fifty: Colin Munro is 3.50 and Ross Taylor is 4 with Bet365 to smash fifties in this match.
SL Betway Odds
- SL to win the match: Sri Lanka are 2 underdogs with Betway to win this match.
- SL top batsman: Kusal Perera is 3.60 while Avishka Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella are both 4.33 with Betway to be the top batsman for Sri Lanka.
- SL top bowler: Betway is offering 3.50 on Lasith Malinga to be the top bowler for Sri Lanka. Isuru Udana and Akila Dananjaya are 4.33 and 4.50 respectively.
NZ Betway Odds
- NZ to win the match: New Zealand are 1.72 favorites with Betway to win this match.
- NZ top batsman: Colin Munro and Ross Taylor are both 3.75 with Betway to top-score for New Zealand in this match.
- NZ top bowler: Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee are both 4 with Betway to grab the best bowling figures for New Zealand in this match.
SL 10CRIC Odds
- SL to win the match: 10CRIC is offering odds of 1.90 on Sri Lanka to win this match.
- Man of the match: Kusal Perera is 11.50 with 10CRIC to be the man of the match.
NZ 10CRIC Odds
- NZ to win the match: New Zealand are 1.74 with 10CRIC to win this match.
- Man of the match: Ross Taylor is 10.75 with 10CRIC to be the man of the match.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Prediction
New Zealand have already clinched the series with wins in the first two matches. They have now won their last three T20Is on the bounce and will be carrying plenty of momentum and confidence with them into this game. The Kiwis, however, have lost their opener Martin Guptill due to injury and that could affect their batting at the top of the order. But Sri Lanka have bigger problems with Kusal Mendis and Shehan Jayasuriya both highly unlikely for this game. Although both the teams have been neck-and-neck in this T20I series, we expect New Zealand to complete a 3-0 clean sweep.
Sep 06, 2019
19:00 IST / 13:30 GMT
Pallekele Cricket Stadium - Kandy, Sri Lanka
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