Bhathiya Barukanda
Sri Lanka and New Zealand look poised for a close showdown in the 2-match home Test series going by paper evaluation with a buoyant rejuvenated home side’s stunning comeback third test triumph over England from a 2-down loss to an overall comparative recent performance throwback where the visitors enjoy a slight edge of one of the better successes by their 2-0 defeat of South Africa in 2023/24.
In an equation of two seemingly balanced sides, the testing challenge will be how the two phase off on a tricky track at the Galle International Cricket Stadium that has been traditionally spin friendly.
The last time Sri Lanka and New Zealand was a good four years ago in 2019 in a series that was drawn 1-1.
Sri Lanka will necessarily go back to the drawing board of the largely minus factors to fixing a shaky batting line-up exposed by England’s fast bowlers mainly when they confront a New strong New Zealand outfit skippered by the highly experienced all-rounder Tim Southee in a pack powered by superstar batsman Kane Williamson who led the side to the the inaugural world test championship title in 2021 defeating favourites India.
Sri Lanka’s 2023-24 test record to lying 6th in the ICC World Test Championship rankings follows the last tour mixed fortunes of a 2-0 loss to Pakistan in 2023, beat Afghanistan 1-0 in 2023/24, beat Bangladesh 2-0 in 2023-24, lost to England 2-1 2024
New Zealand, one place ahead of Sri Lanka at 5th sees a 2023-24 run of 2-0 series triumph over South Africa, 2-0 loss to Australia and 1-1 draw with Bangladesh. They have won the inaugural World Test Championship (2021) and the ICC Knock Out Trophy, the predecessor to the Champions Trophy (2000).
Conspicuous of the Lankan batting failures in England has been No.3 Kusal Mendis whose bad form saw him left out fo the second test, but got the nod for the third test to getting back to measure by a 39 knock in supporting Pathum Nissanka take Sri Lanka to the victory platform. Notably, Mendis has of late cast aside a characteristic aggressive penchant to the sedate. He was among several who came a cropper against the hostile England pace attack while Nishan Madushka had to make way for Pathum Nissanka following a bad run did see Nissanka make the most of it from a 2-year sidelining to batting Sri Lank to victory by a brilliant unbeaten 127.
Of course, Sri Lanka will draw on the strength of Nissanka and young Kamindu Mendis, both of whom hit centuries with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva also in good nick as the selectors sit to name the Lankan squad.
The Lankan camp would be looking to the usually reliable opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne to redeliver following a shaky run in England while the other discovery on the England tour was all-rounder Milan Rathnayake who hit a maiden half century on debut.
The form of seamers Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando was a type of tail-end tribulation from the defeats with Asistha Fernando having been right along consistent with the ball.
New Zealand’s 15-man squad of pace and spin with five spinners to tackle the challenging sub-continental conditions, a hint of the conditions they would confront at Galle as they seek to come good on the 2-0 loss to Australia.at home. Key players are Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and the experienced Kane Williamson.
Southee’s pace attack will revolve around Matt Henry, Ben Sears, and Will O’Rourke while the spin options are Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, and Michael Bracewell, with Phillips and Ravindra part-time spinners.
New Zealand squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vc), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
source: sri lanka cricet.lk
