Black Caps vs Sri Lanka - Test Series Preview
It's been a long time, they shouldn't have left us ... but they had to. The Black Caps have spent 2014 riding around a few corners of the globe, trying to establish themselves as a certified force in Test cricket. We missed them, seeing the beautiful faces of King Rossco and Prince Kane but we were treated to the continue rise of the Black Caps as they performed admirably in foreign conditions. Now they're back and they're here for a while, so quit sippin' your hateraide and get in behind this squad, especially in their Test's before the World Cup. The World Cup is a bridge that is on the horizon that we'll cross, but for now we have an exciting Test side to get in behind.
We welcome Sri Lanka to Aotearoa, after they touched up the English in a few ODI's. That makes it pretty hard to judge or predict how they may perform as they played ODI cricket in Sri Lankan conditions ... it doesn't get much more different than Test's in Aotearoa. They do however still have the great Kumar Sangakkara who will not only provide some class for the Sri Lankan batting line up, but he'll give Kiwi fans many an opportunity to sit back and admire batting at it's finest. Their skip Angelo Mathews goes pretty good as well, he'll bat in the middle order and bowl a few overs with the seam upright, nibbling it around.
There are a few things to watch with this Sri Lankan side, with their seam attack being a key. They'll obviously feature pretty heavily in our conditions, but they have the skills to back it up and bowl the Black Caps out twice. It's always a wait and see game, but the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Shamindra Eranga, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera are all very capable pace bowling options. I doubt all 5 will play - expect Lakmal and Eranga to be certainties and Prasad had an awesome tour of England earlier in the year. Chameera picked up 3 wickets in about as many overs against our Chairman's 11 (which was full of battlers) but is also the youngest so it will be interesting to see how they line up. Be safe in the knowledge that their pace attack will pose many a problem for our batsmen.
With the bat, besides Sanga, keep an eye out for Niroshan Dickwella. He doesn't have much of a record, but he's a very talented 21 year old wicket keeper batsmen who will, if selected provide Sri Lanka's middle order with plenty of spark.
They'll be without Rangana Herath who has come to be a very reliable left arm tweaker over the years, which will provide an opportunity to Dilruwan Perera or Tharindu Kaushal who are both offie's. That's if the Lankans decide to pick a spinner, which they probably will but given their crop of talented seamers, they could rely on batsmen who give it a rip.
The Black Caps probably have the edge on paper, boasting two of the best swing and seam bowlers in world cricket and three of the best batsmen. Expect Tim Southee and Trent Boult to thoroughly enjoy the Kiwi conditions and Brendon McCullum will rely heavily on them to get early wickets and put the pressure on Sri Lanka's batsmen. The surprise factor will be there for many of the Sri Lankan batsmen, as they come to grips with Southee and Boult but they'll have to still perfectly execute plans to pick up wickets - good areas, full, make them play, be consistent.
The make up of the Black Cap's bowling attack will be very interesting. Earlier in the week I sent out a wish that they play both Doug Bracewell and Neil Wagner, with Mark Craig batting up a spot as a bit of an all rounder. I hope it happens, but it will be a brave move which, if they don't go for, I'll be happy to see either Doug or Wagnut get a go. I have a bit of a man crush on Dougie so it would be nice to see him back in action and his bowling is built upon swing and seam, which fits the bill quite nicely.
Mark Craig will play an important role with the Sri Lankans masters against spin. Craig's a tall bugger so he'll love the bounce of our wickets which will be the key to troubling the Lankans. Whether he turns it or not isn't such a big deal, he's got the variations in flight and the height to keep things tight and pose a threat all day, every day. Everyone will be creaming their undies to see Prince Kane bowl, but it doesn't really matter - he'll be there if needed, otherwise there's guys to do the job.
With the willow, the key will be the royal lads at 3 and 4. B-Mac will relish coming in after them with runs on the board so he can bat freely and I want to see the hard work done by the top order. Sure, the skipper and BJ Watling can save an innings, but it's the top order who must set the innings up. Obviously we have full confidence in Williamson and Taylor, but the openers, well who knows. Tom Latham looks the goods and a long term option at the top, but his partner which looks likely to be Hamish Rutherford isn't as comfortable. I think we have to slightly lower our expectations of our openers as many look solely at their runs and judge. If Latham and Rutherford can see out the new ball, bat a session or two and lay a foundation then it's job done. In comes the royalty to get to work.
It's going to be a fascinating series, I could go on for yonks discussing the make up of the Black Caps team but it's up in the air and I'd be going round in circles. There are guys who are the key men and/or look to have a spot locked down - Latham, Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Watling, Craig (/Sodhi), Southee and Boult. The rest of the team can come and go depending on form and will be given a role to play. The core will win us Test matches, but the rest of the squad will play an important part if they can simply do their job for the team. I trust Mike Hesson to pick the right guys at the right time, so it's no biggie.
There's a strong chance, probably 70% that Sri Lanka will be competitive. They're a very good side who performed well in England and have plenty of talent, but we've seen many a cricket side come to our shores and play soft cricket. The bigger picture means that I'm very interested in how the Sri Lankans perform, they're a side on the rise and this is a great chance for them to put some classy performances on the board. For the Black Caps, well they have to fight off that challenge and defend their home turf staunchly. Last summer was a bit of a breeze, it was a honeymoon where everything went right and if the Sri Lankans are here to play then it will be a great series of Test match cricket.