Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 1 T20I)

[The Speaker]

Two teams that were once considered about on par, but now occupy completely opposite ends of the cricketing world. Sri Lanka is coming off a 0-3 home Test series loss and 1-3 home ODI series loss to England. They are ranked sixth in Tests, somehow, and eighth in ODIs. New Zealand, on the other hand, won their away Test series against Pakistan in the UAE 2-1, their first series win against Pakistan away from home in five decades, and drew the ODI series 1-1. They are fourth in the Test rankings and third in ODIs, and a 2-0 series win would see them jump to 2nd in Tests (if only temporarily).

While the Sri Lankans have the backbone of a decent batting team, they struggle to have multiple batsmen deliver big scores in the same innings or match, and their bowling stocks are thin. NZ will be favourites throughout the series.

 

[PhatBoy]

Two teams that were once considered about on par, but now occupy completely opposite ends of the cricketing world. Sri Lanka is coming off a 0-3 home Test series loss and 1-3 home ODI series loss to England. They are ranked sixth in Tests, somehow, and eighth in ODIs. New Zealand, on the other hand, won their away Test series against Pakistan in the UAE 2-1, their first series win against Pakistan away from home in five decades, and drew the ODI series 1-1. They are fourth in the Test rankings and third in ODIs, and a 2-0 series win would see them jump to 2nd in Tests (if only temporarily).

While the Sri Lankans have the backbone of a decent batting team, they struggle to have multiple batsmen deliver big scores in the same innings or match, and their bowling stocks are thin. NZ will be favourites throughout the series.

West Indies dominated most of the three test series against SL only to inexplicably fall over in the last innings of the final test and hand them the game and draw the series. I can’t see them having any impact in NZ

 

[Doss]

Can't see Sri Lanka getting close. They've been crushed on their last two New Zealand tours, and New Zealand are arguably an even better side and Sri Lanka are definitely a worse side now than then.

 

[Kyptastic]

Perfect outswing bowling by Southee for the first two wickets

 

[Wolfs]

The Neil Wagner stock ball. A short ball.

 

[Wolfs]

Shit gets wickets but it was a no ball.

Get rekt Colin

 

[The Swans Blog]

That's some vicious swing from the medium pacer

 

[corbies]

Been a good fightback from Karunaratne and Mathews. A bit streaky but atleast they're still there.

 

[PhatBoy]

Karunaratne has surprised me big time. Never ever would have given him a chance of turning into the player he has become. Vastly improved cricketer

 

[PhatBoy]

When did trent boult become capable of bowling 145kmh?

He’s always been sharp enough and pushing 140 but I don’t think I’ve seen him bowl as fast as he is at the moment

 

[corbies]

When did trent boult become capable of bowling 145kmh?

He’s always been sharp enough and pushing 140 but I don’t think I’ve seen him bowl as fast as he is at the moment

That ball he bowled to Karunaratne that hit him looked genuinely scary quick.

 

[PhatBoy]

That ball he bowled to Karunaratne that hit him looked genuinely scary quick.

Absolutely! I have a lot of respect for boult, he just seems to be a perpetually evolving bowler.

On an unrelated note, I don’t know how much more miffed I can get regarding how international quality batsmen can’t seemingly find an effective method of dealing with Neil Wagner

 

[Doss]

Wagner is just better than you give him credit for, I think.

 

[PhatBoy]

Wagner is just better than you give him credit for, I think.

Don’t get me wrong, he gets given a job and he does it. He bowls a good accurate bouncer and has seemingly superhuman reserves of energy with which to do it.
But at this level I don’t get how players of test standard haven’t developed a counter method to a bowler who doesn’t threaten two main modes of dismissal (bowled and leg before). He doesn’t swing it much either. Maybe if he were 10km quicker I’d be able to get my head around it because of the greater physical threat.

 

[PhatBoy]

Lol, right in cue he nearly yorked Karunaratne

 

[corbies]

Don’t get me wrong, he gets given a job and he does it. He bowls a good accurate bouncer and has seemingly superhuman reserves of energy with which to do it.
But at this level I don’t get how players of test standard haven’t developed a counter method to a bowler who doesn’t threaten two main modes of dismissal (bowled and leg before). He doesn’t swing it much either. Maybe if he were 10km quicker I’d be able to get my head around it because of the greater physical threat.

The thing is though he does sometimes throw the odd one up there that threatens LBW/bowled. He almost uses the full ball like most bowlers use the bouncer. I can think of one in particular where he bowled Angelo Mathews between his legs on SRL last tour when Mathews was trying to pad it away.

It might also have a tiny bit to do with his sledging and intimatory nature .

 

[PhatBoy]

There it is. Waist high, down leg side. FMD hahahaha

 

[Doss]

Sri Lanka 187/6, of which Southee has 5/50.

 

[The Speaker]

Really good innings from Dickwella right now, very frustrating for NZ. If SL can get to 300, game on.

 

[Cleavy]

When did trent boult become capable of bowling 145kmh?

He’s always been sharp enough and pushing 140 but I don’t think I’ve seen him bowl as fast as he is at the moment

maybe the speed guns need recalibrating?

 

[PhatBoy]

Another score, another non-hundred for Dickwella.

Lack of a century would be starting to become a serious point of annoyance I reckon.

 

[PhatBoy]

maybe the speed guns need recalibrating?

He did look visibly sharper than normal

 

[HBF]

Sri Lanka 187/6, of which Southee has 5/50.

Southee reminds me of Anderson. Bloody good in his own conditions.

 

[the universal]

Another score, another non-hundred for Dickwella.

Lack of a century would be starting to become a serious point of annoyance I reckon.

Not through fault of his own on this occasion though.

 

[PhatBoy]

Not through fault of his own on this occasion though.

Not at all.