Black Caps won’t get carried away
Everything points to a New Zealand domination over Sri Lanka, but as sage observers will note, test cricket at the Basin Reserve doesn’t always go to script.
Just six days after touching down on home soil from a momentous 2-1 test series victory over Pakistan, the Black Caps return to familiar climes chasing a sixth straight test win over Sri Lanka who haven’t won in New Zealand in 12 years.
That was at this very ground, inspired by two of their greats, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan, a stark contrast with today’s first test when most patrons will struggle to recognise too many of the XI who visiting captain Dinesh Chandimal will confirm at the toss at 10.30am.
Sri Lanka arrive in Wellington off a 3-0 home series defeat to England, constant selection panel and coaching staff changes and an unconvincing draw with a ninthstring New Zealand XI in Napier. Former skipper Angelo Mathews’ unbeaten century was one shining light.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson exercised his usual caution under the RA Vance Stand yesterday, fully aware that the United Arab Emirates triumph in vastly different conditions is now history and that they’ve made hard work of previous Basin tests.
‘‘As soon as it comes to tomorrow it’s 50-50 and it’s whoever plays the best cricket. For us, it’s about playing our best, and smart cricket, to give us the best chance,’’ Williamson said.
‘‘There’s always things you want to improve, but one of the highlights was the constant fight the team showed throughout when the game Unlike the Academy Awards, New Zealand Cricket doesn’t hand out a gong for best actor – make that cricketer – in a supporting role.
If it did, Bradley-John Watling’s name would be a regular feature on the trophy.
That’s the lot of the wicketkeeperbatsman in test cricket; rarely in the headlines but often a popular teammates’ pick for most valuable.
The historic 2-1 series victory over Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates underlined that again with Watling, the quiet achiever of this Black Caps side and ultimate team man in the image of his skipper, Kane Williamson.
His vital runs, especially 77 not out in the first innings of the deciding test, propped them up when they were flagging. His 10 catches and one stumping in a tidy all-round show in difficult conditions saw him pass Brendon McCullum’s 179 test dismissals.
Now as Watling, 33, straps on the pads and dons the gloves for his 50th test as New Zealand wicketkeeper, against Sri Lanka at Wellington’s Basin Reserve, his total of 187 dismissals has him within 23 of Adam Parore’s national record.
With five home tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh upcoming, it’s a safe bet Watling will stand at the top by mid-March and inside the world’s top 15 (Parore is 16th).
Would that give him immense satisfaction?
‘‘Probably not, to be fair. I’d like to win five test matches in that time and that’s the main priority,’’ Watling said.
‘‘For me it’s about moments like we’ve just had in the UAE and that’s why I keep playing the game, to enjoy those moments with the boys and try and achieve special things along the way. That’s been the most fun for me in my career.’’
Fun, but incredibly hard work and punishing on the body.
In that first innings in the Abu Dhabi decider, Watling arrived at 72-4 in a teetering first innings after Williamson won the toss. When the
ebbed and flowed a lot.’’
A typical emerald green pitch will mean both captains bowl if they win the toss. The last four bowl-first sides have won at the Basin. New Zealand were skittled up front by Australia (2016) and South Africa (2017) and lost, then sent Bangladesh in two years ago and conceded 595-8.
They scrapped hard to win that game, and beat a Sangakkarainspired Sri Lanka in January 2015 innings ended, Watling was unbowed after facing 250 balls, then after a short break crouched behind the stumps as Pakistan racked up 348 off 135 overs.
It makes Watling’s career average as wicketkeeper of 40.29, including five centuries, seem all the more impressive.
Of the world’s top-10 keepers for dismissals, only Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (53.70), Australia’s Adam Gilchrist (47.60) and England’s Matt Prior (40.18) averaged better than 40 on retirement. Watling’s average is ahead of guns such as McCullum
after batting first and conceding a deficit of 135.
Williamson will want to rid the sluggish starts and dominate from ball one as they did against West Indies a year ago, with the world No 2 test ranking beckoning if they win both tests.
‘‘On these wickets that offer to the seamers, you do bowl good balls but at the same time they are good wickets where scoring can happen (34.18), India’s MS Dhoni (38.09), South Africa’s Mark Boucher (30.30), Australia’s Brad Haddin (32.98) and England’s Alec Stewart (34.92).
Watling began as an opener in 2009 then, cajoled into returning to his former role by then-coach John Wright, started his test keeping career with a century against Zimbabwe in Napier in January 2012. He now has five tons with the gloves, equal with McCullum’s New Zealand record.
Two of those were at his field of dreams at the Basin, where Watling played his part in two epics: third and
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‘‘As long as you’re playing your part and performing your role and trying to be the best you can be for the team, that’s basically all I try to do.’’ BJ Watling
quickly if you miss. It’s important we are disciplined with the ball.’’
That task will fall to the big three of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, reunited after a spindominated UAE series. Wagner battered the Bangladesh and West Indies batsmen here and after sitting out the third test for Southee, will be charging in and utilising the bounce if the two senior swing men don’t come off early.
Williamson confirmed a predictable XI with Matt Henry missing out again, and spinner Ajaz Patel playing his first home test, deservedly for the top Plunket Shield wicket-taker three seasons straight.
Openers Tom Latham and Jeet Raval both need confidenceboosting runs while Williamson arrives at the peak of his powers, second to Virat Kohli on the world rankings and with an average fourth highest New Zealand test partnerships. He added 352 with McCullum against India in 2014 when the skipper went on to a triplecentury, then beat that sixth wicket record less than a year later with 365 unbroken with Williamson against Sri Lanka.
‘‘I’m proud of some of those achievements but it’s about what’s put in front of you on the day. That’s all I try to think about – score runs for the team and try to get ourselves in positions where we’re in the game.
‘‘I don’t really look at numbers too much. As long as you’re playing your
against Sri Lanka of 91.88.
Chandimal is familiar with Basin conditions and will hope to give his lively but inexperienced quicks first use.
In their previous away test, pacemen Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha skittled West Indies for 93 in Barbados in June for a series-levelling fourwicket win.
‘‘In the past series [in New
Adam Parore:
Ian Smith:
Zealand] we learned a lot – what to do and what not to do. If we can execute when the situations come we can compete with them,’’ Chandimal said.
‘‘They [pace bowlers] played some outstanding cricket on the tour to West Indies. We got a lot of grass on the pitches and we just always want to attack the batsmen as a unit. That’s what we are looking to do here.’’