New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, 2nd Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview
New Zealand will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run on home soil to 13 Tests when they take on Sri Lanka in the second and final match of their short series.
Back on their own turf after a tough tour of Australia, Brendon McCullum's Black Caps won the opening game by 122 runs at the University Oval in Dunedin.
The teams have now shifted to Hamilton on the North Island, and the next venue could offer a ray of hope for the tourists. The Kiwis last tasted defeat on home soil at the same Seddon Park ground in 2012.
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However, Sri Lanka have a miserable record in New Zealand—they've managed just two Test wins there in 16 attempts, with their last success coming back in December 2006.
Date: Friday Dec. 18, 2015
Time: 10:30 a.m. local (9:30 p.m. Thursday GMT, 4:30 p.m. Thursday ET)
Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton, New Zealand
Live Stream and TV Info: Sky Sports (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), SuperSport (South Africa), NowTV (UK, subscription required), Willow TV (U.S., subscription required)
Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, the opening day of the Test could see rain showers in the morning. However, conditions should be good for the rest of the match.
Overview
All eyes will be on the pitch on the first morning. ONE News sports reporter Kimberlee Downs tweeted an interesting picture of the playing surface being prepared for the Test:
If it does end up being a seamer-friendly surface, the hosts are likely to retain the same XI that clinched victory on Day 5 in the first Test in Dunedin.
Doug Bracewell would, therefore, keep his place as one of four pace bowlers, despite picking up just one wicket in the series opener.
However, bowling coach Dimitri Mascarenhas has backed Bracewell, per Andrew Fidel Fernando of ESPN Cricinfo: "Doug's probably been the best bowler, but isn't getting all the wickets. That's how teamwork goes in a bowling unit. Sometimes it might be your day. As long as you keep plugging away, the next day will be his."
Bracewell was picked for all three Tests on the tour of Australia, but the recalled Neil Wagner outperformed him in the last match.
The left-armer picked up five wickets on a flat deck at the University Oval, including the key scalp of Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews that ended a dogged fifth-wicket stand worth 56 on the final morning.
New Zealand also saw Martin Guptill enjoy a long-overdue return to form in the five-day game.
The opening batsman made 156 on Day 1. It was just his second Test hundred, with his other three-figure score coming back in February 2010, against Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka would welcome a century from one of their top-order players. The retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene has left a sizeable hole in the touring side's batting lineup.
Debutant Udara Jayasundera managed just four runs in two knocks, but captain Mathews is backing his new-look team to prosper, per Agence France-Presse (h/t the National): "They showed a lot of guts, they didn’t want to give up even though one played his debut and others were playing their second or third game. The quality is there in the dressing room. It’s just the mindset that needs to shift around."
The visitors also need their seamers to stand up and be counted, particularly if the conditions are in their favour.
Mathews won the toss and opted to bowl first in Dunedin, a decision that went disastrously wrong. New Zealand reached the close on 409 for eight, leaving their opponents struggling for survival after just 90 overs.
If history is repeated on Day 1 in Hamilton, the Sri Lankans must perform better with the ball if they want to have any hope of squaring the series.
Key Players
New Zealand
Wagner's success in the first Test made you wonder quite why he had been overlooked throughout the trans-Tasman series in Australia.
Mark Geenty of stuff.co.nz wrote of the bowler's performance: "Neil Wagner came back stronger and better from nearly a year away from Test cricket with a compelling match analysis of 42-10-143-5."
If the paceman can back it up with another good outing in Hamilton, he can move himself ahead of Bracewell in the fast-bowling queue and become a regular member of the Test team.
Sri Lanka
Mathews holds the key for Sri Lanka, in every way possible.
As a seamer, he is a steady hand, which is something that cannot be said about the rest of the attack. As a batsman, he is the key wicket for New Zealand to take. Once the right-hander departed on Day 5 in the first Test—embarrassingly bowled through his legs by Wagner—his team fell apart in their survival bid.
He also has a pivotal role to play as the captain of the side. It is a lot to heap on one man's shoulders, but Mathews' are broad enough to deal with all the responsibility.
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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