Last World Cup’s finalist New Zealand would be hoping to go one better in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England as they begin their campaign with a game against Sri Lanka. The Black Caps love being the perennial underdogs when it comes to the ICC tournaments and have made several semis in the past. But in the current campaign of CWC19, they would love to play as contenders even if it comes at the cost of increasing pressure on themselves. Opponents Sri Lanka have been under rebuilding phase for quite some time now and not much is expected of them. They will like to keep it simple and hope to start with a win. Speaking of their New Zealand vs Sri Lanka head-to-head record, two teams have played 98 ODI games versus each other with New Zealand winning 48, Sri Lanka 81, 1 tie and 8 games producing no results. Here's a look back at their last five encounters ahead of NZ vs SL clash in ICC World Cup 2019. New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Cricket Score 3rd ODI Match in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 8th January 2019 – Saxton Oval, Nelson – New Zealand won by 115 runs

Fantastic centuries from Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls powered New Zealand to 364 in their quota of fifty overs which was always going to be a challenge for Sri Lanka. The visitors never came out with vigour and could only manage 249 in their reply, going down by 115 runs. New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Match Preview: NZ Aim for Confident Start Against SL.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 5th January 2019 – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui – New Zealand won by 21 runs

The Black Caps batting first reached a score of 319/7 with the Sri Lankan bowlers getting hammered around the park. Ross Taylor was unlucky to miss out on a century as was run out for 90. The Sri Lankan response was good and for large parts the remained in the game thanks to Thisara Perera’s century. But post his dismissal it went downhill as they lost by 21 runs.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 3rd January 2019 - Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui – New Zealand won by 45 runs

The game followed a similar pattern with New Zealand batting first and getting to a massive score of 371 riding on a hundred by opener Martin Guptill. Kusal Perera led the Sri Lankan charge in the second innings hitting a fine century but that was not enough in the end with the visitors losing by 45 runs. NZ vs SL, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Martin Guptill vs Lasith Malinga and Other Exciting Mini Battles to Watch Out for at Sophia Gardens.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 5th January 2019 - Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui – New Zealand won by 36 runs

Matthew Henry was the star of the show for the Black Caps with the bowl as his five wickets restricted Sri Lanka to 258 in pursuit of a target of 295. Earlier, a century from Martin Guptill helped the home team reach 294 in their innings.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka – 2nd January 2019 - Saxton Oval, Nelson – Match Abandoned

9 overs into the Kiwi innings, the rain came down heavily in Nelson and the match was initially reduced to 24 overs and finally abandoned.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Match 3 Video Preview

The Sri Lankans have not beaten New Zealand in the last five games and based on the current form, the Kiwis are firm favourites for the contest.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).