India and Sri Lanka yesterday inked a civil nuclear pact -- the first such deal between two Saarc countries -- and decided to expand defence and security cooperation.

Sri Lanka's new President Maithripala Sirisena seeks to mend relations with India over China's growing influence on Colombo

In a day of allround performance by the Kiwis, Lankans appear weaker both with their bats and the ball.

As New Zealand arrive, wanting only to sustain their success, confident the bowlers will not lose their lines, and lifted by the feeling that someone in the top seven will always find a way to fire, Sri Lanka are scrambling around, searching for that spark that will set their campaign alight. In past world tournaments, the visitors have found it in unlikely places.

In the inaugural match, Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka may steal the focus.

Bangladesh received the honour to co-host the ICC World Cup 2011, for the first time, along with India and Sri Lanka as a full-time member of the highest cricket body and missed the chance to play quarterfinals by a subtle calculation of Net Run Rate (NRR)