After a spectacular fightback from Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka did the unthinkable and drew the opening Test match at Wellington. Having dominated nearly the entire Test, New Zealand found themselves struggling against the resolute pair and will head into the second Test hoping to win and seal a comfortable home series win.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have won just one series in New Zealand before this, way back in 1994-95, when they won their first ever Test away from home. In eight tours to the country, Sri Lanka have won Test matches just twice, the last of them coming 12 years ago. The odds are stacked against them as is recent history but the Lankans are not a group to be perturbed by such factors. Christchurch awaits a humdinger on Boxing Day.
Conditions: Decent batting track with the quick bowlers expected to get swing and seam.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: BJ Watling (8.5 cr)
A real firefighter in the Black Caps line-up, BJ Watling is expected to shore up any top-order fallacies and take New Zealand to safety in any condition. A barely acknowledged wicket-keeper batsman, Watling has time and again proven detractors wrong and he should surely trump the rash Niroshan Dickwella in your fantasy side.
Batsman: Tom Latham (9 cr)
With a mammoth 264 at Wellington, Tom Latham has stamped his presence at the top of the New Zealand batting order. An old-school Test batsman with strong technical skills, Latham is grossly underestimated in
After a spectacular fightback from Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka did the unthinkable and drew the opening Test match at Wellington. Having dominated nearly the entire Test, New Zealand found themselves struggling against the resolute pair and will head into the second Test hoping to win and seal a comfortable home series win.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have won just one series in New Zealand before this, way back in 1994-95, when they won their first ever Test away from home. In eight tours to the country, Sri Lanka have won Test matches just twice, the last of them coming 12 years ago. The odds are stacked against them as is recent history but the Lankans are not a group to be perturbed by such factors. Christchurch awaits a humdinger on Boxing Day.
Conditions: Decent batting track with the quick bowlers expected to get swing and seam.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: BJ Watling (8.5 cr)
A real firefighter in the Black Caps line-up, BJ Watling is expected to shore up any top-order fallacies and take New Zealand to safety in any condition. A barely acknowledged wicket-keeper batsman, Watling has time and again proven detractors wrong and he should surely trump the rash Niroshan Dickwella in your fantasy side.
Batsman: Tom Latham (9 cr)
With a mammoth 264 at Wellington, Tom Latham has stamped his presence at the top of the New Zealand batting order. An old-school Test batsman with strong technical skills, Latham is grossly underestimated in today's world but as a solid opener, he has been a brilliant player for the Kiwis in the last couple of years. Back him in your fantasy side by all means.
All-rounder: Colin de Grandhomme (8.5 cr)
The mercurial Colin de Grandhomme would love to bowl on the Christchurch wicket, which offers seam and swing. The burly all-rounder is in the side for his ability to move the ball through the air. At Hagley Oval, his dangerous outswingers could be quite a handful for the Lankan batsman. Surrounded with some solid batsmen, de Grandhomme's big-hitting skills could also come into picture at Christchurch.
Bowler: Tim Southee (9 cr)
Southee wrecked Sri Lanka on the opening day at Wellington, snapping up six wickets with his late swing and movement. Quick and highly skilled, Southee often goes unnoticed these days in the ruffle created by Trent Boult but has slowly but surely made his presence ominous at home. Against Sri Lankan batsmen, who showed a prominent weakness against him, Southee could be a handful.
Captain: Tom Latham
Vice-captain: Tim Southee
