Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special

"The MCG is extraordinary place. I played in the first day-night match ever played here, we didn't know what to expect, and the city went beserk. We came here after a hard tour of India in 1985, I wasn't prepared for it, and there will be a couple of England players here today - like James Taylor and Moeen Ali - who won't have played in such a cauldron. But it can energise you."

Alison Mitchell
BBC Test Match Special

"It's gloriously sunny at the moment here in Melbourne. It rained overnight, but the clouds are clearing away and we're an hour away from the toss looking out at a bright MCG, waiting for 90,000 people to pack in."

Listen to TMS commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

What an explosive start to this Cricket World Cup. There was plenty of expectation on New Zealand in front of their home crowd, and boy did they live up to it.

Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum got the innings off to a rollicking start with a flurry of boundaries in the first powerplay. Sri Lanka hit back well in the middle overs, drying up the runs for Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, but New Zealand didn't panic and kept wickets in hand for that final ten-over blitz that they do so well. Corey Anderson and Luke Ronchi may well have taken the game away from Sri Lanka with some brilliant hitting at the death.

Can Sri Lanka chase this down? Well, you never write off a team with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara in the ranks, but get this - New Zealand have never lost an ODI at home where they've scored 300 batting first.

New Zealand 331-6 (50 overs) - Sri Lanka won toss

Batsman: Ronchi 29*

Fall of wickets: 1-111 (McCullum 65), 2-136 (Guptill 49), 3-193 (Williamson 57), 4-193 (Taylor 14), 5-258 (Elliott 29), 6-331 (Anderson 75)

Bowling figures: Kulasekara 8-0-78-1, Malinga 10-0-84-0, Mathews 6-0-28-0, Herath 9-0-37-1, Dilshan 5-0-35-0, Lakmal 10-0-62-2, Mendis 2-0-5-2

Full scorecard

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"You'll look at the scorecard after this innings and think Mathews got it wrong somehow: why did Herath only bowl nine overs, and why did Mendis only bowl two overs, and take two wickets for five runs? If the side batting second gets this, it will have been an exceptional game."

Anderson finally perishes off the final ball of the innings, slugging to cover, where Suranga Lakmal takes the catch at the second attempt.

It was another good over for the Kiwis though. Kulasekara started by sending down a tame half-tracker which Anderson swivelled on and dispatched to the fence. Ronchi joined the party with a textbook down-on-one-knee drive through extra cover. New Zealand have once again shown their unrivalled prowess in the last 10 overs.

Scorecard

The scorecard doesn't really show it, but Lasith Malinga has come back well here. He's sending down some textbook yorkers. Luke Ronchi is befuddled but Corey Anderson has the solution up hiss sleeve. He gets down on one knee outside off and plays the most outrageous shot, ramp-flicking the ball over his head into the vacant third man region. New Zealand have plundered 84 from Malinga's set of 10 overs today.

Image source, AP

Christchurch local Anderson brings up a muscular 50 with an entirely typical bludgeon down the ground for four. He's not done yet either. He picks up Kulasekara and swats him backs over his head for six. The crowd are loving this. Emphatic finish for the hosts.

Paul Barker:, external Should be enough for NZ. Kiwi fielding will secure success.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"It was no surprise that Angelo Mathews put New Zealand in, but Brendon McCullum would probably be looking for at least 320 - and they're probably going to get that."

A very decent over from Malinga ends up costing seven runs. What do New Zealand target from here? 315? 320? More?

Lasith Malinga's day goes from bad to worse. He thinks he's got Luke Ronchi with a superb, stump-rearranging yorker, but the replay reveals the most marginal of no-balls. Ronchi returns to the middle. Malinga is simmering.

Image source, AP

Corey Anderson nearly puts Suranga Lakmal in the A&E department of Christchurch hospital with a full-blooded straight drive that almost takes the bowler's head off. The bowler tries to respond with a delivery wide of off stump, but Anderson gets the toe of the bat on it and lifts it over the point fielder. Four more. The next ball sees Anderson send a full toss miles up in the air - it should be caught by Jeevan Mendis, but it slips straight through his hands. Bad miss. Salt in the wound for Lakmal as Ronchi paddles fine to the the rope. Big over for New Zealand - 17 off it.

Jeremy Coney
Ex-New Zealand captain on BBC Test Match Special

"There's not a lot of batting after these two, although there's Daniel Vettori to come, and Tim Southee can hit a long ball. These two can be very destructive."

Listen to TMS commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

Ronchi is off the mark pronto with a flick fine for four when Malinga strays down leg. And he gets another boundary with a brilliant piece of improvisation, opening the face and chopping the ball down to third man. New Zealand will want 300 and probably a bit more here.

Great work by Dimuth Karunaratne on the rope prevents a four for Anderson. Luke Ronchi, who can finish with a flourish in these situations, is the new man.

Elliott tries to swat a waist-high full toss to the mid-wicket boundary but doesn't time it and picks out Lahiru Thirimanne on the fence.

Scorecard

Jeremy Coney
Ex-New Zealand captain on BBC Test Match Special

"Even if New Zealand do get another 70 off the last seven, which would take them to 322, I don't think Sri Lanka will be put off. They've got such quality players, and if one of their big three players stays in, it's game on."

Andrew Samson
BBC Test Match Special statistician

"New Zealand's opening partnership was just their second over 100 in their last 55 ODIs. They have four other 50 opening partnerships and average 21.98 for this first wicket in that time (including today). Martin Guptill joins Allan Lamb as the only players out for 49 in their 100th ODI."

Kulasekara is back for Sri Lanka. Elliott brings up a swift 50 partnership between these two with a slap over the covers for four. Anderson hasn't quite found his timing yet, just a couple of brutish singles for him.