Sri Lanka v New Zealand – Only T20I – Kiwi batsmen to watch out for [Part 1]
Following the conclusion of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 will be jumping
right back into the format, and the conditions, as they prepare to kick off their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka with an only T20, scheduled to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on October 30.
New Zealand have had a fairly poor year as far as the T20 format is concerned. The team has played a total of 13 T20 matches in 2012, out of which they have won just 5 games. The Kiwis played a 3-match series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 (which they won 3-0) and a 2-match
series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in September (which they won by 1 run).
The highlight of the international cricket year was, predictably, the ICC World Twenty20 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747. The conditions didn’t seem to have suited the Black
Caps, who were also unable to handle the Sri Lankan team, losing their Super Eights match against the hosts after a Super Over decided the result.
However, for the upcoming Only T20 against the Lankan http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808, which precedes a 5-match ODI series and two Tests, New Zealand can take comfort from the fact that out of the 10 T20Is they have played against Sri Lanka, both teams are equally balanced, with
5 wins each to their credit.
The key, for the Kiwis, will be quick acclimatisation to the conditions and pitches, and much will depend on their batsmen’s ability to play spin on the Sri Lankan pitches. However, while Sri Lanka posses spinners such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127 and the young Akila
Dananjaya, New Zealand have a host of batsmen who look to be in fine form to take on the challenge.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129
New Zealand’s formidable T20 veteran, explosive opening batsman Brendon McCullum could be just what the doctor ordered for New Zealand in Sri Lanka. Affiliated with a host of T20 leagues around the world, such as the Indian Premier League (Kolkata Knight
Riders) and the Big Bash League (Brisbane Heat), the 31-year-old has played a total of 206 T20s, and has 6067 runs in the format to his credit.
Despite the struggles some of his teammates underwent while trying to adjust to conditions in Sri Lanka, McCullum displayed fine form during the World Twenty20. He was the team’s highest run-getter in the tournament, having contributed 212 in 5 matches.
He also scored a stellar 123 off 58 against Bangladesh in the team’s first World T20 match – not only is it currently the highest score and the fourth-fastest century in T20Is, the innings also made McCullum the first batsman to score two centuries in the
format.
Currently having wrapped up the KKR’s Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa, after the team was knocked out of the tournament, McCullum looks to be in the T20 frame of mind, and is bound to prove a difficult challenge for the Lankan bowlers.
Continued in Part 2 ...
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