New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, 1st Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
New Zealand and Sri Lanka will renew hostilities when they meet in the opening Test of a two-match series.
The match at the University Oval in Dunedin, New Zealand, is the Kiwis' first Test on home soil since they happened to play the Sri Lankans back in January.
Brendon McCullum's Black Caps head into the game off the back of a 2-0 series defeat to trans-Tasman rivals Australia.
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However, they should find life a little easier against a Sri Lanka side that has lost the experienced Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene since they last faced each other in the longest format.
After the game in Dunedin, the teams move on to Seddon Park, Hamilton, for the second and final Test.
Date: Thursday December 10, 2015
Time: 10:30 a.m. local (9:30 p.m. Wednesday GMT, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday ET)
Venue: University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand
Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), SuperSport (South Africa), NowTV (UK, subscription required), Willow TV (US, subscription required)
Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, the match could see several interruptions due to rain, albeit only showers. The forecast for Friday (Day 2) is the only one set to be clear for the entire duration of play.
Overview
Despite losing to their neighbours, New Zealand were able to take plenty of positives from the tour of Australia.
Indeed, had it not been for a controversial decision by third umpire Nigel Llong in the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide, Brendon McCullum's side may well have returned home having drawn the series.
However, their performance in the finale shouldn't overshadow some of the problem areas for the Black Caps.
Opening batsman Martin Guptill managed only 82 runs in six innings at the top of the order, while off-spinner Mark Craig's eight wickets came at a costly average of 64.12.
Despite their struggles, both players have been retained in a 12-man squad, per ESPN Cricinfo.
Craig could still find himself the odd man out unless the hosts decide to go with two spinners.
Mitchell Santner is the other slow bowler in the squad. His batting abilities could see him jump ahead of Craig in the pecking order—the all-rounder came in at six on his Test debut in Adelaide.
Seamer Neil Wagner will come into the side if New Zealand opt for only one of either Craig or Santner.
Wagner lined up against Sri Lanka in their one and only warmup fixture on the trip, picking up four wickets while on duty for the New Zealand Board President's XI.
The tourists had their issues with both bat and ball during the three-day tour match in Queenstown.
They were bowled out for 193 in their first innings, then conceded 399 for eight before the President's XI declared. The fixture ended up as a draw, with Sri Lanka reaching 226 for six second time around.
Sri Lanka have also had problems away from the pitch, too.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera has been sent home from the trip after testing positive for a banned substance, per BBC Sport.
More importantly, they've also lost paceman Dhammika Prasad to a back injury, with uncapped bowler Vishwa Fernando called in to replace him, according to the NZ Herald.
Prasad has been inconsistent in his Test career (he averaged 57.75 on the last tour of New Zealand) but did claim nine wickets at a cost of 15.33 in the home series against West Indies in October.
The bowler may not mind missing out on playing at Dunedin, though. Of the six Tests played at the University Oval venue since January 2008, only two have ended in a positive result—the rest ended in a stalemate.
Key players
New Zealand
Kane Williamson is the key man for the Black Caps, no matter where they are playing.
The right-handed batsman was a star for his country in Australia, hitting 428 runs in six innings during the Test series.
He managed two hundreds and a half-century, and his good form on tour has seen him hold fourth spot in the ICC batsman rankings for Test cricket.
Having dealt with the fire and brimstone of the Mitchells, Johnson and Starc, as well as Josh Hazlewood, Williamson should find Sri Lanka's inexperienced bowling lineup a doddle to cope with.
The 25-year-old certainly enjoyed playing against them on home soil last time—he finished the previous series with an astonishing average of 198.
Sri Lanka
Dhammika Prasad's pain could end up being Dushmantha Chameera's gain.
The 23-year-old paceman has only played two Tests in his career so far, but he boosted his hopes of adding to his number of appearances with four for 57 against a New Zealand Board President's XI.
Andrew Fidel Fernando of ESPN Cricinfo outlined what a raw talent Chameera is: "Tall, quite quick, and possessing a smooth action, there is plenty about him to be excited about. There is also plenty for him to learn."
It might be the young bowler has to do some of his learning on the job in New Zealand.
Squads
New Zealand
Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson
Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews (captain), Kusal Mendis, Udara Jayasundera, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardana, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kaushal Silva, Vishwa Fernando.
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