Fatigued Sri Lanka look to dig deep against well-drilled New Zealand
A fit-again Daryl Mitchell is likely to return, in place of Mark Chapman, for New Zealand
Big picture
Fatigue-wise, New Zealand have had a kind start to the tournament. They thrashed Australia in Sydney, then took the short flight to Melbourne, where their match against Afghanistan was rained out without a ball being bowled. They'd have preferred to play that match, of course, but they've not had to contend with crazy schedules or serious changes in timezone.
Form guide
New Zealand WLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWWL
In the spotlight
That the likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson are good at turning it on is known, but don't sleep on Mitchell Santner, who has put up some impressive stats this year. Against Australia, he took 3 for 31 bowling inside the powerplay, and then through the middle overs. In T20Is this year, he has 17 wickets from 12 games, with an economy rate of 6.69.
Pitch and conditions
Thankfully, after two rained-out games on Friday, the forecast looks good in Sydney. This match will be played on a fresh pitch, and the short boundary will be the opposite direction to New Zealand's first game here. The SCG has generally been the best batting surface so far in the tournament.
Team news
Pramod Madushan will likely slot in for Binura Fernando, who was the third Sri Lanka quick to be ruled out of the tournament.
Stats and trivia
- Pathum Nissanka is the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is this year, with 636 from 21 innings. But those runs have come at a strike rate of only 111.
- Sri Lanka have been one of Santner's favourite opponents in the past. He has taken seven wickets against them in five matches at a strike rate of 6.26.
- New Zealand have won 10 and lost seven T20Is against Sri Lanka. In T20 World Cups, however, the tally is 4-1 in Sri Lanka's favour, though they haven't met at this tournament since 2014.
Quotes
"If it's a good batting wicket and a fast outfield, the runs are there for taking. We need to go with a different game plan on a pitch like this.."
Sri Lanka assistant coach Naveed Nawaz on needing to adjust to Sydney, having played in three other venues in the past 12 days.
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee on the entirely different kind of challenge that his team faces.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf