A comfortable victory for New Zealand as they win by 9 wickets and go 1-0 up

After losing the T20 series 2-1, Sri Lanka started the ODI series with a heavy defeat. In Wellington, the hosts New Zealand completely dominated, and the Lankans stood no chance. Facing the fiery pace attack of the Kiwis, Sri Lanka could only manage 178 runs, and New Zealand won the match by a massive margin of 9 wickets with 23.4 overs to spare.

With a target of just 179 runs in 50 overs, New Zealand got off to a flying start thanks to Will Young and Rachin Ravindra (45 off 36 balls). The pair added 93 runs in just 12.3 overs for the first wicket. Rachin was dismissed just 5 runs short of his half-century when he flicked a ball from Chamindu Vikramasinghe to deep square leg, where Hasaranga took the catch, breaking the opening partnership.

However, Will Young didn't miss his fifty, reaching the milestone in 49 balls with 6 boundaries. He was joined by Mark Chapman, who provided excellent support. Together, they took New Zealand towards an easy victory with a 87-run partnership. Young remained unbeaten on 90 runs from 86 balls, while Chapman contributed 29 runs. New Zealand completed the chase in 300 balls, winning by 9 wickets with 142 balls remaining.

Earlier, after losing the toss and opting to bat, Sri Lanka's top order completely failed, except for Avishka Fernando. Opener Pathum Nissanka scored just 9, while number three Kushal Mendis managed only 2. Kamindu Mendis made 3 off 9 balls, and captain Charith Asalanka was dismissed for a duck. Sri Lanka was at 23 runs for 4 wickets.

However, Avishka formed a partnership with Janith Liyanage, who contributed 36 runs off 54 balls. The pair added 87 runs together. After Liyanage's departure, Avishka's wicket fell in the next over. Avishka Fernando, who had scored a half-century, was dismissed for 56 runs.

At the end, Chamindu Vikramasinghe scored 22, and Wanindu Hasaranga made 35 runs off 33 balls, helping Sri Lanka's total surpass 150. Among the Lankan batters, only four managed to reach double figures, while the rest were dismissed for single digits. Sri Lanka's innings ended at 178 runs in 43.4 overs.

With the ball, the Lankans were tormented by Matt Henry. The experienced Kiwi pacer took 4 wickets for just 19 runs from his 10 overs. Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith claimed 2 wickets each.