HAMILTON, New Zealand, March 31, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Friday.

The tourists need a win to square the series with New Zealand holding a 1-0 lead after winning the opening ODI in Auckland last Saturday. The second game was washed out in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said he wanted to give his batters an early crack at the Seddon Park wicket.

He beefed up his batting in the wake of the heavy defeat in Auckland with Dhananjaya de Silva coming in for Dilshan Madushanka in the only change.

Sri Lanka were chasing a win to boost their hopes of a top-eight finish in the Super League, which carries automatic qualification for the ODI World Cup that starts this October in India.

The visitors are also looking for a first victory on their New Zealand tour, with a three-match Twenty20 series against the Black Caps due to start Sunday.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham made two changes, with opener Tom Blundell replacing Finn Allen while Henry Nicholls came into the middle order for Glenn Phillips.

Teams:

New Zealand: Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (capt), Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

Umpires: Chris Brown (NZL), Wayne Knights (NZL)

TV umpire: Shaun Haig (NZL)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)