NZ vs SL Team Previews

New Zealand

The kiwi outfit is going into this game with a couple of wins under their belt from their last couple of test matches against Sri Lanka and England. The last game they played was the first test match against Sri Lanka and it was a humdinger going right down the wire with New Zealand managing to hold onto their nerve to record a win. It was a narrow win though with a slender margin of 2 wickets. Batting first, the Sri Lanka team scored 355 runs in their first innings. New Zealand replied with a score of 373 runs in their first innings.

New Zealand scored 373 runs in their first innings and succeeded in chasing down the target set by Sri Lanka of 285 runs for the loss of 8 wickets. During the Sri Lankan first innings, the best bowler on display for New Zealand was their experienced seamer, Tim Southee. From his 26.4 overs, he picked up 5 wickets for 64 runs. He was well supported by his new ball partner Matt Henry who picked up 4 victims for 80 runs. The only remaining wicket was picked up by Michael Bracewell.

New Zealand got off to a decent start in their first innings with Tom Latham and Devon Conway providing a half-century stand for the first wicket. However, the real impetus to the innings was supplied by Daryl Mitchell who hit a hundred with 6 fours and 2 sixes. There were some useful contributions lower down the order from Matt Henry, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, and Michael Bracewell. Henry struck a superb 72 from 75 balls. The bowling honors during the Sri Lankan second innings were shared by Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Blair Tickner who was the most successful bowler in the inning.

Sri Lanka

The true grit we get to see from the Sri Lankan team was evident in the first test as well. They made the New Zealand batters sweat for the victory but could not pull off a win. The Sri Lankan top order was in good touch at the top of the order with Kusal Mendis scoring 87 runs from just 83 balls with 16 fours. There were several good contributions from Sri Lankan batters such as Dimuth Karunaratne who scored a fifty, Angelo Mathews who scored 47 runs, Dhananjaya de Silva who scored 46 runs from 59 balls, and Dinesh Chandimal who scored 39 runs.

During the New Zealand first innings, the best bowler on display was Asitha Fernando. He picked up 4 wickets for 85 runs from his 29.3 overs. He was well supported by other bowlers such as Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha in his efforts. Lahiru Kumara picked up 3 wickets for 76 runs while Rajitha picked up 2 wickets for 104 runs. The only remaining wicket was picked up by Prabath Jayasuriya. The Sri Lankan second inning was marked around Angelo Mathews who scored a solid hundred with 11 fours to take the score to respectability.

Other Sri Lankan batters that did a good job for the team were Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva with 42 and 47 runs respectively. The Sri Lankan team ended up scoring 302 runs in their second innings. The Sri Lankan bowlers put a lot of pressure on their kiwi counterparts as they chased the target. Asitha Fernando was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka picking up 3 wickets for 63 runs. Prabath Jayasuriya picked up 2 wickets for 92 runs and Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha picked up a wicket apiece. But this effort was not successful as New Zealand succeeded in chasing down the target.