Black Caps to put foot down
fred.woodcock@stuff.co.nz
Expect to see a ruthless streak from the Black Caps in Nelson today.
They may have already won the one-day international series against Sri Lanka – New Zealand are 2-0 heading into the third and final match at the majestic Saxton Oval – but there is no appetite for complacency.
They know they must be better with the ball and in the field than they were in the seriesclinching win at Mount Maunganui on Saturday, when dropped catches and a failure to close out the tourists tarnished a 21-run victory.
A marquee ODI series against India looms large, as does the oneday World Cup. Competition for places – especially among the bowlers – is fierce. Add in the change of conditions from Mount Maunganui to Nelson and the fact Sri Lanka have several players capable of turning a match, and there are plenty of factors to suggest New Zealand will be on their toes for what is technically a dead-rubber.
‘‘Every game you play for New Zealand is important and as a group we’re trying to get better,’’ Black Caps opener Colin Munro said.
‘‘These are new conditions, too, and you have to adapt and that’s what good teams do. We’ve got that blueprint to try and get 300-plus which we’ve done in the last two games by setting it up and hopefully we can continue that.’’
Perhaps more stunning than Thisara Perera’s incredible 74-ball 140 on Saturday, which nearly dragged his team to a seemingly impossible win, was the fact New Zealand’s catching was so poor. Six chances went down – several fairly straightforward and to some of the best fieldsmen in the game.
No surprises, then, that there were a few high balls when New Zealand ran through their fielding drills yesterday morning, though Munro joked they may have used up all their drops for the summer in one game.
‘‘Sometimes that happens, you can’t really say anything on it. We do put in the work and sometimes it just happens,’’ he said.
‘‘You look at the guys who dropped catches and I put my hand up there – I’m probably not one of the best fielders but some of the other guys are great fielders and probably some of the best in the world. You can look into it too much but we have acknowledged we need to do better.’’
New Zealand’s top seven looks settled but the make-up of the pace attack today is the major talking point.
Doug Bracewell is yet to feature in the series and Lockie Ferguson missed the last match. Matt Henry has played both games but is short of a gallop at international level lately and could do with another run. Then there is Trent Boult and Tim Southee who have bowled plenty of overs in the past couple of months.
Either way another highscoring affair is on the cards. The average first innings total from 10 ODIs at Saxton Oval is 275 but
New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Saxton Oval, Nelson.
11am today, live commentary and updates on Stuff from 10.30am.
(from): Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Lasith Malinga (captain), Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Asela Gunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Lakshan Sandakan, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Kumara. NZ $1.22 Sri Lanka
$4.35
New Zealand lead series 2-0.
seven of the nine results have gone the way of the chasing team. The searing heat of the past few days in Nelson suggests another belter of a pitch will greet the teams.
‘‘I think the biggest thing is taking those first 5-10 overs and assessing the conditions and going from there,’’ said Munro, who bounced back from a minislump – he had passed 30 only twice in his previous 10 ODI innings – with a brilliant 77-ball 87 in Mount Maunganui.
‘‘We’ve played some good cricket here in the past and it’s another chance for us to build on what we’re doing.’’
DROPSIES
Third ODI:
Start time:
New Zealand
Sri Lanka (from):
TAB odds: