In the years since Lahiru Thirimanne debuted as an ODI opener in 2010, he has batted everywhere in the order from No. 1 to No. 8, and now he's back at the top of the order

New Zealand appeared to stutter in their chase of 142 against Scotland, but as they were in pursuit of an outstanding net run rate, the team is at ease with having lost five wickets for 71, Grant Elliott has said

Few would have thought Scotland's attack would extend the New Zealand batting to such a degree in defence of only 142, but captain Preston Mommsen said he expected chances to be created during the chase

New Zealand may have suffered from lack of intensity chasing Scotland's meagre score, but it is possible that the team's batting may be more vulnerable than recent results have suggested

Plays of the Day from the match between New Zealand and Scotland in Dunedin

The dynamism of Scotland's top order could make them a dangerous side at the World Cup, captain Preston Mommsen has said ahead of the team's first match of the tournament

Brendon McCullum attempts to suppress his excitement about Williamson's potential, but he can't help but predict great things for the batsman

Scotland come up against a supremely confident New Zealand side on Tuesday, but they've enjoyed their own successes of late and remain optimistic about springing the tournament's first surprise

The downed catches are the cause of so much of their woe, but also, are a reflection of the confidence of a side, that has lost 12 out of 19 completed ODIs, plus two Tests, since mid-October

Beginning his World Cup on the back of a difficult few weeks in New Zealand, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews was characteristically non-committal on the likely combination to appear in the tournament opener

New Zealand begin the World Cup as one of the favourites, because of their recent form. While Sri Lanka are stacked with match-winners, their current form has not been so hot

New Zealand cricket and Christchurch have seen a pleasant rebuilding in the past few years and now the country's second sport is ready to take over, at least for six weeks

Rangana Herath believes it is precision that will bring spinners success in New Zealand and Australia during the World Cup, rather than mystery or extravagant turn

A Christchurch crowd of tens of thousands welcomed the 2015 World Cup in a colourful, community-focused event, which was capped off by a spectacular fireworks display

A Hamilton Masakadza ton led Zimbabwe to an upset victory over Sri Lanka in both teams' final warm-up before the World Cup, running down Sri Lanka's 279 with seven wickets in hand and 4.4 overs to spare

Tim Southee believes that the World Cup will give his team an opportunity to "get the whole country right in behind us"

Can Angelo Mathews help Sri Lanka break through at the Cricket World Cup after coming oh-so-close in 2011?

Sri Lanka's lower middle order has not contributed runs of late, but Kumar Sangakkara has said the team can't doubt its personnel now

Though he hasn't bowled a delivery in competitive cricket since September last year, Lasith Malinga said he was unfazed by the expectations thrust on his shoulders going into the World Cup

Sri Lanka have the most experienced team at the World Cup and are driven by the desire to make up for defeats in the last two finals, but their batting is top-heavy and their bowling perhaps over-reliant on Lasith Malinga's uncertain fitness