PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — New Zealand is looking for a consolation victory after it won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final one-day international against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka won its fifth ODI series this year and leads the series 2-0 after winning both matches by 45 runs and three wickets respectively.
With the series already sealed, Sri Lanka tested its bench strength and made five changes. It awarded an ODI debut to 22-year-old seam bowling all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe, who bats left-handed and bowls right-handed.
Fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka returns after missing the second game while paceman Mohamed Shiraz, Nuwanidu Fernando and Nishan Madushka also got their first games of the series.
New Zealand brought in fast bowlers Zakary Foulkes, who made his ODI debut, and Adam Milne in place of Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy. Milne had replaced Lockie Ferguson, who flew back home after sustaining a calf injury during the preceding drawn T20 series at Dambulla.
The series served as build up for New Zealand for next year’s Champions Trophy tournament, which Sri Lanka failed to qualify for by finishing ninth in last year’s World Cup in India.
___
Line-ups:
New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne.
Sri Lanka: Nishan Madushka, Avishka Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (captain), Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Janith Liyanage, Mohammad Shiraz, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dilshan Madushanka.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
The Associated Press
