Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand

NZ vs SL, 2nd Test

Preview 

New Zealand (NZ) and Sri Lanka (SL) will lock horns in the second and final Test match of the bilateral series from Friday, March 17 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The opening match went right down to the wire with the hosts managing to win the game of the final ball of the game. It took a masterclass from Kane Williamson in the second innings to take the hosts home in the clash. The former test skipper notched his 27th ton of his test career and remained unbeaten on 121. Daryl Mitchell was another chief architect of NZ’s epic last ball win. The 31 year old played a counter attacking knock of 81 to put his side on the frontfoot. Williamson and Mitchell added 142 runs for the fourth wicket before Asitha Fernando dismissed the latter. 

While the hosts will be looking to continue the winning momentum and clinch the series in the process, the visitors will try to make an emphatic comeback. They did play good all round cricket in the first game and will strive to do more of the same but along with the finishing touches this time around. On the batting front, SL will rely on the contributions from Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis whereas  Prabath Jayasuria and Fernando will be the bowlers to keep an eye on. Ahead of this summit clash, let us have a look at how these two teams will fare out on matchday. 

Match Details 

Match: NZ vs SL, 2nd Test, Sri Lanka tour New Zealand, 2023

Date: Friday, March 17, 2023 - Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Time: 3:30 AM (Mar 17)

Venue: Basin Reserve, Wellington

Pitch and Weather Report

The Basin Reserve pitch has provided assistance to the bowlers. The initial phases of each day will see the pacers getting plenty off the wicket. Majority of games played on this strip has been won by the team fielding first.

Moderate rain with a max temp of 17 degree celsius is forecasted for tomorrow. 

NZ vs SL Squads

NZ: Tom Blundell (wk), Tim Southee (c), Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Blair Tickner, Doug Bracewell, Will Young, Scott Kuggeleijn

SL: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake

NZ vs SL Probable Playing XIs

NZ: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee (c), Scott Kuggleijn, Doug Bracewell, and Blair Tickner.

SL: Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kasun Rajitha, P Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando.

Match Prediction

We put our stakes on New Zealand. Despite losing two of their key players Matt Henry and Neil Wagner to injury, the hosts will fancy their chances against a spirited Sri Lankan side. They are more accustomed to the Basin Reserve playing conditions and have a good balance within their squad. 

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