The first Test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka fires up on Friday evening in the UK and with just two matches in the series both teams will be eager to get off to a fast start and to claim an immediate share in the series.
The two teams head into the series off the back of very different results in recent times and it will be interesting to see if those pathways continue or if the applecart can be upset in some way. The glorious Basin Reserve is the venue for this opening game.
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New Zealand
The Kiwis should be full of confidence after their recent win against Pakistan in the UAE but they will need to be careful that they adjust to the change in conditions right from the beginning here. They were in the Emirates for long enough to have got themselves on a default setting on those slow pitches so the adjustment will be crucial.
That series success highlighted just how varied their bowling options are. That they could leave out Tim Southee in one of the matches and win in conditions which were maybe slightly against them highlights how good they can be. One area where there is also no doubt about them is with the bat where they have two or three genuine class acts.
Sri Lanka
One of the big problems for Sri Lanka heading into this match from their series defeat against England is that they go from conditions which suit them to ones which probably don’t allow them to be at their best. They are unlikely to see too much turn in these matches so they are going to need to find a seam attack from somewhere.
They will also need to be brave with the bat on pitches that will be a lot livelier than the ones they play on back home. If they can put a value and a premium on their wicket it will be a useful start but what they can’t afford if they are to come out on top here is a disastrous spell where they lose a bunch of wickets in quick succession.
Team News
New Zealand have already named their side for this match. They go with their usual pace trio of Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult with Ajaz Patel getting the spinning slot. Colin de Grandhomme takes the all-rounder slot.
Sri Lanka haven’t named their side and as ever it is not easy to pick. One man we do know who won’t be playing is Akila Dananjaya who has been banned from bowling. Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara look set to take the new ball.
Basin Reserve
There have been 61 previous matches on this ground but while New Zealand have played in all of them they have a bit of a mixed record here with just 18 wins to 20 defeats. There have also been 23 draws in that time. Sri Lanka also have an indifferent run here with a win, a draw and three losses from their five matches.
This is not the highest scoring ground initially but as the match goes on it tends to flatten out a little bit and becomes easier for batting. The pitch was said to be completely green on the eve of the match which suggests that it could be quite dry and needs to be held together.
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Betting
I’ll go with a couple of bets on this match with the first of them being Trent Boult and his performance which looks a little low to me at 110.5pts. He has taken at least two wickets in all but one innings of the seven matches he has played on this ground and I’m expecting that run to continue here. Six wickets sees this line covered but the chances are he’ll cover it with five and a catch and some runs. Sri Lanka showed against England that the moving ball still troubles them and these conditions should only exaggerate that more. I think he covers this line.
Roshen Silva was one of Sri Lanka’s better batsmen against England and he looked like he had the technique, skill and patience to value his wicket which is exactly what I think is needed here. At 9/1 he could be the value in the Sri Lanka first innings batting market. Clearly Angelo Mathews is the man to beat but if he falls early or New Zealand get stuck into the new ball and have him under pressure it could be that Silva is the man to take advantage down the order when the ball might not be doing as much.
Tips
Back T.Boult’s Performance – Over 110.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Betfair
Back him here:
VOID – Back R.Silva Top Sri Lanka 1st Inns Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 10.00 with 888sport
Back him here:
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