Sri Lanka will be travelling to New Zealand for a high-anticipated 2-match Test series, 3-match ODI series and 3-match T20I series. The Test series will be of utmost importance as Sri Lanka are well in contention for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) finals.
After India lost to Australia in the 3rd Test match of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Test series in Indore, Sri Lanka now have things in their own hands. They need to whitewash the Kiwis 2-0 in the upcoming Test series and seal the final spot.
Notably, Australia have already qualified to the finals and will be facing either of India or Sri Lanka in the finals. The job however will not be easy for Sri Lanka as the swing-friendly conditions of New Zealand make it extremely hard for the visiting teams.
In this article, we take a look at 5 players to watch out for in the upcoming New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Test series:
1. Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka)
The former Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal will be a key player to watch out for in this Test series. He has been in tremendous form in the ongoing WTC Test cycle and has been an integral part of Sri Lanka’s Test team.
His reliability in the middle and his knack for scoring runs has made him an asset for Dimuth Karunaratne, who is the skipper of Sri Lanka. Chandimal has mustered 778 runs in the ongoing WTC cycle.
2. Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Former Kiwi Test skipper and current white-ball captain Kane Williamson is a rock-solid batter in the batting department of New Zealand. He has an average of 53.3 in Tests and so far has scored 7787 runs in 92 Test matches.
He recently struck a century against England in the 2nd Test match between the two sides and also became the leading run-getter of New Zealand in the longest format of the game.
3. Tim Southee (New Zealand)
Swing-friendly conditions, lateral movement in the air: these are perfect bowling conditions for a bowler of the statute like Tim Southee. The skipper of the home side would be looking to marshal his troops from the front and lead his side to a victory in the 2-match Test series.
In 92 Test matches, the 34-year-old speedster has bagged 359 wickets and has an average of 29.3 in the Test format.
4. Kasun Rajitha (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka would be heavily relying on pace bowler Kasun Rajitha in the upcoming Test series. His bowling will be extremely pivotal to the plans of the island nation and if they are to play the WTC final, then his performance will be very crucial.
The 29-year-old pacer from Matara has so far bagged 39 wickets in 13 matches.
5. Neil Wagner (New Zealand)
A very experienced pacer of New Zealand, Neil Wagner will be a key asset in the bowling department of New Zealand. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the recently-concluded Test series between New Zealand and England, with 11 wickets under his belt.
His game presence is exceptional and he will be bowling in tandem with Tim Southee, the skipper of the Kiwi side.
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