New Zealand in Sri Lanka
Whilst all England basks in the glow of an Ashes win, we may have overlooked the fact that there is some cricket going on between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Sri Lanka won both of the Test matches, by 202 runs and 96 runs respectively. New Zealand’s batting was not strong enough in either of their 1st innings to keep them in the contest, although they did make a better fist of their mammoth run chase in the 2nd Test, reaching 397.
Frankly, though, if it hadn’t been for the efforts of Daniel Vettori, the captain, the defeats would have been even more resounding. He was the only bowler to average under 40, and the only batsman to average more than 40, scoring the Black Caps only century in the process.
New Zealand are always more competitive in the shorter formats, and managed to win a close finish in the 1st Twenty20, despite an early blitz from Dilshan. Vettori again was the key, with outstanding figures of 4-0-11-2.
Perhaps the most noteable thing from this match was the return to the lineup of Shane Bond, after the end of his ICL ban. He was wicketless, but recovered well from Dilshan’s onslaught. If he can be successfully re-introduced into the team, it will give the pace attack a bit more of a cutting edge.
It’s hard to know what to make of Sri Lanka. They now trail South Africa by just two points in the ICC rankings, but could not really have wished for a more straightforward Test series.
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