NZ vs SL Match Preview
Kane Williamson is averaging 122 at the moment in the series due to the superb hundred he scored in the last innings of the first test. This inning was instrumental in taking the kiwis to a victory over the Sri Lankan lions. Williamson hit 11 fours and 1 six during his stay at the crease. Daryl Mitchell also hit a hundred in this game although this century was scored in less trying circumstances in the first innings of the test. However, he also backed it up with a fifty in the second innings. Tom Latham also batted well in this test.
Tim Southee is an experienced bowler for New Zealand and he was the pick of the bowlers in the first test. He picked up 7 wickets at 17.28 apiece and together with Matt Henry was the destroyer-in-chief for the kiwis. Matt Henry also picked up 7 wickets in the match for 21.57 runs apiece. Tim Southee also picked up a fifer in the first innings of the Sri Lankan outfit. BM Tickner is another bowler that did a good job for New Zealand in this game picking up 4 wickets in the test match.
Angelo Mathews was the leading run-getter for Sri Lanka in the first test with 162 runs from a couple of good innings he played. He also hit a hundred in the second innings scoring 115 runs. Before this century he had scored a good amount of runs in the first innings. Kusal Mendis also hit a super 87 in this test and he is averaging 50.50 in the series as a result of this effort. Dhananjaya de Silva also played a couple of useful knocks in the test match for Sri Lanka. The experienced campaigner Dinesh Chandimal also scored 81 runs in the test.
AM Fernando was the top bowler for Sri Lanka in the test match with a haul of 7 wickets at an average of 21.14. His best figures in the game were 4 for 85. Kumara also did a decent job picking up 4 wickets in the match at an average of 34.25. The part-time bowler Prabath Jayasuriya was responsible for picking up 3 wickets in the test although he had to give away a lot of runs for those wickets. None of the other bowlers from the Sri Lankan team could make too much of an impression over the kiwis.
Weather Report
We are likely to get temperatures in the region of 18 degrees during the test match. There are chances of getting overcast conditions during the test match that will support the quicker bowlers even further. There is also the possibility of getting rain during the match. You can also expect some strong winds during this game.
Pitch Report
During the recent period, England played a test match at the Basin Reserve. New Zealand recorded a top win in this game by a single run. Traditionally, the Basin Reserve track has been heaven for the fast bowlers. But these days you can expect some serious competition between the bat and the ball. There is every opportunity for the pacers to enjoy the conditions on this track and make life difficult for the batters. Batters will need to settle down before they can score runs on this track.
Notable stats
Kane Williamson has a terrific batting average for the series.
Kane Williamson hit a crucial not-out hundred in the 4th innings of the first test. As a result of this effort, he has a terrific batting average of 122 at the moment in the series.
New Zealand leads the recent head-to-head between the two sides in test matches.
The New Zealand team leads the recent head-to-head between the two teams 3-1. They have also won the last couple of tests played between the two sides.
Team News
There do not seem to be any injury worries at the moment from either of the teams. You can expect the entire sides to be available for selection tomorrow.
NZ vs SL Probable 11
NZ Playing 11
- Devon Conway
- Tom Latham
- Kane Williamson
- Henry Nicholls
- Daryl Mitchell
- Michael Bracewell
- Tom Blundell (Wk)
- Tim Southee (C)
- Blair Tickner
- Scott Kuggeleijn
- Doug Bracewell
SL Playing 11
- Dimuth Karunaratne (C)
- Oshada Fernando
- Kusal Mendis
- Dinesh Chandimal
- Angelo Mathews
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Niroshan Dickwella (Wk)
- Lahiru Kumara
- Kasun Rajitha
- Ramesh Mendis
- Asitha Fernando
Dream11 Prediction
The New Zealand team is going into this match with a couple of victories under their belt. They are playing at home and are playing better cricket than Sri Lanka at the moment. Having said that, Sri Lanka gave them a run for their money in the first test. But these conditions favor the kiwis more and we expect New Zealand to win the game and take the series.
Top Picks
Devon Conway: Devon Conway has gradually become one of the leading openers in the world in test matches. He has scored 1325 runs from 15 test matches with an average close to 50.
Dimuth Karunaratne: Dimuth Karunaratne is another top-opening batter for Sri Lanka. He has scored in the excess of 6000 runs in test matches with an average of 39.55.
Dhananjaya de Silva: Dhananjaya de Silva has been a consistent player for the Lankans, especially with the bat. He has scored 2908 runs with a good average of 37.28 and can contribute to the balling attack as well.
Tim Southee: Tim Southee over the years has collected a rich haul of 366 wickets in test matches with an average of 29.11. He was the best bowler on show in the first test.
NZ vs SL Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: K. Mendis
Batters: A. Mathews, K. Williamson (VC), T. Latham, D. Conway
All-rounders: D. de Silva, M. Bracewell, D. Mitchell (C)
Bowlers: T. Southee, M. Henry, K. Rajitha
