Black Caps get chance to move on from
It’s been a standard question to Black Caps players and coaches in the past month, inquisitors treading carefully lest they open some wounds. ‘‘How are you coping?’’
This was no catastrophic or tragic event, rather the painful aftermath of a Cricket World Cup final at Lord’s which New Zealand had no business losing, but somehow did to England amid scarcely believable scenes.
To mangle All Blacks coach Steve Hansen’s ‘‘rock under the beach towel’’ line, this was a white Kookaburra in the plane seat for nine of the 15-man test squad on the flight to Sri Lanka.
When Kane Williamson leads his side onto Galle International Stadium for the first test today (4.30pm start NZT), it will be exactly one month since that July 14 decider.
And not a moment too soon as the World Test Championship arrives and the Black Caps can finally move on from Lord’s. Or can they?
It’s one of several questions looming over this two-test series, with 60 points on offer in each match to take an early lead in the race back to Lord’s for the decider in 2021.
How will New Zealand bounce back from that heartbreaking defeat? Which Sri Lankan side will turn up amid more off-field turmoil? And what influence will Thilan Samaraweera have, the former Sri Lankan batsman and coach snapped up by the Black Caps to help quell the inevitable spin threat?
First question goes to New Zealand opener Tom Latham: ‘‘The guys are coping pretty well. It’s quite nice to have something different. There’s a lot of new faces who weren’t in the oneday squad and it seems quite fresh and the boys are ready to go.’’
First test, Sri Lanka v New Zealand
Galle, from 4.30pm today
Two of those new faces, spinners Ajaz Patel and Will Somerville, are together again for the first time since their respective stunning debuts in the United Arab Emirates last November in a likely three-spin attack. That 2-1 series win was New Zealand’s first in 49 years against Pakistan away.
It’s been a while in the stifling humidity of Sri Lanka, too, New Zealand’s only test series win 35 years ago when the hosts were the newbies.
New Zealand arrive as test cricket’s second-ranked side after five successive series wins, four of those at home. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were described by leading cricket writer Andrew Fidel Fernando of Espncricinfo as ‘‘an acid trip in cricketing form’’.
Last time at home they lost 3-0 to England, then, after a 2-0 hiding in Australia became the first subcontinent team to win a test series in South Africa, 2-0 under new captain Dimuth Karunaratne.
There’s inevitable off-field drama, too, with coach Chandika Hathurusingha essentially stood down by Sri Lanka’s cricket board post-world Cup, and his deputy Rumesh Ratnayake handed the reins.
Sri Lanka’s batting looks solid with two former skippers Dinesh
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