New Zealand arrive in Colombo

The New Zealand cricket team traveled from icy Christchurch to the tropical heat of Sri Lanka on Saturday, getting acclimatised four days ahead of a three-nation series.

The Black Caps will meet host Sri Lanka in the first match. India are the third team in the tournament.

Despite their late night arrival, at 1:00 am, Sri Lankans gave a warm welcome to the team, sweating in the 32 C (90 F) heat.

Not all players arrived. Skipper Stephen Fleming, with other overseasbased players Mathew Sinclair, Lou Vincent and Kyle Mills, are coming from London.

New Zealand has not played since the Sharjah tournament in April, when the team missed a spot in the final against Pakistan because Sri Lanka had a superior run rate.

With the Sri Lankans enjoying a home advantage, and India fresh from a tri-series with the West Indies in Zimbabwe, the New Zealanders are anxious to slip back into game mode.

The New Zealanders will play a warm-up match on Monday.

Sri Lanka comfortably beat New Zealand 4-1 in a one-day series at home in February.

New Zealand last played India in a series in 1999 where they lost 3-2.