CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl Saturday in the opening match of the Cricket World Cup against New Zealand at Hagley Oval.
While the pitch for the match looked dry and fast, conditions when play began were bitterly cold and there were showers forecast in the afternoon.
New Zealand omitted veteran seamer Kyle Mills from its lineup in a bold move, choosing instead to include young tearaway Adam Milne.
Lasith Malinga returned to the Sri Lanka lineup after a lengthy absence through injury.
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.
Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga.
Umpires: Marais Erasmus, South Africa, and Nigel Llong, England.
TV umpire: S. Ravi (India). Match referee: David Boon, Australia.