Sri Lanka has taken control of the first Test match against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, ending day one at 305/6 in 75 overs, with Dhananjaya de Silva and Kasun Rajitha still batting. Kusal Mendis put on a solid knock of 83 balls for 87 runs, punishing a costly and ineffective Kiwi attack led by Tim Southee and Matt Henry.
Sri Lanka is currently in third place on the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points table and is likely to qualify for the WTC Final if India does not win the current fourth Test against Australia. Despite the odds, here are three reasons why Sri Lanka has the potential to shock New Zealand in this upcoming series.
#1 New Zealand has had trouble combating opponents showing intent with the bat
The Black Caps have often been at the receiving end of England’s attacking style of cricket, epitomized by Brendon Mccullum. On their return to England in 2022, following a WTC Final win, they were mauled 3-0 by England. More recently, despite Neil Wagner’s heroics, another whitewash was possible when England visited New Zealand without Boult, who could not stop them from scoring runs. This recent series confirms that the Black Caps are still very susceptible to attacks from their opponents.
#2 New Zealand haven’t been in form in Test cricket
The New Zealand Test side had seen a dramatic decline in their fortunes since 2021 when they won the inaugural WTC final against India at Southampton. They occupy second last place in the WTC points table with only two wins and six losses in their eleven matches, despite more than half of them being played on home soil.
#3 Sri Lanka is a much-improved side
The Sri Lankan cricket team has seen a resurgence, thanks to a new batch of talent emerging after the golden generation departed. With a real chance to compete in the World Test Championship final, their ability to win Test matches is undisputed evidence of their success. Under the captaincy of Dimuth Karunaratne, their opponents are learning to take them seriously, and the results are there to see.
