Toss New Zealand opt to bowl v Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will bat first for the third straight game after New Zealand won the toss and put them in once more.

With the series on the line there's one change each for both sides. Matt Henry comes in for Henry Shipley for the hosts, while Lahiru Kumara replaces Dilshan Madushanka for the visitors.

The conditions in Queenstown are nice and sunny, and it's expected to stay that way throughout proceedings at the picturesque John Davies Oval. However it is incidentally the first T20 to be played at the venue, and the first men's international fixture since 2014.

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said the lengthy gap between international matches played a part in his decision to bowl first, as they preferred to see how the wicket played before going into bat.

Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka for his part shared how he wanted his side to capitalise on the powerplay and set the tone for the game, while simultaneously pressing the importance of spending more time in the middle and getting to grips with the surface.

New Zealand XI: 1 Tim Seifert, 2 Chad Bowes, 3 Tom Latham (wk, capt.), 4 Daryll Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 James Neesham, 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Adam Milne, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Ben Lister

Sri Lanka XI: 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Kusal Perera, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Maheesh Theekshana, 9 Pramod Madushan, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara