New Zealand win toss; elect to bat first

Mumbai, Oct 20 (UNI) New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming today won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in their Group 'B' match of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Brabourne stadium here today Fleming choose to bat on a pitch which has been at the centre of media attention over the last 24 hours. After considerable criticism, the local authorities have adopted a technique used in England whereby a layer of glue is applied to the surface to bind the wicket together.

Sri Lanka, for whom this is a must win match if they harbour any hopes of making the semifinals, omitted Dilhara Fernando bringing in Chamara Kapugedera from the side that played against Pakistan, while New Zealand brought in Scott Styris and Shane Bond for James Franklin and Peter Fulton from the team that played the last match against South Africa.

Sri Lanka have to win today to stay in the tournament, following their defeat by Pakistan earlier in the week. Although New Zealand can afford to slip up, a victory will book their place in the last four.

The teams: New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (c), N Astle, S Bond, B McCullum, H Marshall, K Mills, J Oram, J Patel, S Styris, D Vettori, L Vincent Sri Lanka: U Tharanga, S Jayasuriya, M Jayawardene (c), KC Sangakkara, M Atapattu, C Kapugedera, T Dilshan, F Maharoof, C Vaas, M Muralitharan, L Malinga UNI GS PM AY HT1502