***Official**** Sri Lanka in New Zealand 2014/2015

[hendrix]

Well, i did watch the odd session in the UAE and in the first game especially Southee struggled. At times he was downward garbage. The last game, yeah he bowled better than his figures suggest.

Are you really saying he's up there with one of the top 10 bowlers of all time?

I agree he was poor in the first test. Down on zip.

And yeah, on dead wickets Southee has been as good as Steyn in the last year. IMO.

 

[Bahnz]

Hurricane awards for the day:

Right attitude award - Mark Craig - when the message came through at the tea interval to shake a leg - he got on with it immediately and got our pursuing quick runs.
Best phrase of the day - Bahnz - for introducing the term "the trio" presume he meant our 3,4,5 in the batting line up.

Yup!

 

[Bahnz]

Think it's a little soon for the Bracewell Boosters (and I very much include myself in this category) to start needling the Wagner Warriors. Yes he bowled well today, but the real test of his bowling will come in the second innings when the pitch is easier to bat on and there's a fresh northerly that he has to bowl into.

 

[Woodster]

Ok, so when I went to bed the NZ score had progressed to just 100-2 and the ball was doing very little and Kane and Taylor were looking in control and set for a big partnership. So to then see a further 13 wickets fell in the day was quite a surprise. Did the SL attack finally find some consistency in their areas or was there some average NZ batting ? Also did the NZ attack find much more in the pitch when they bowled with the new ball than SL ?

 

[hendrix]

Ok, so when I went to bed the NZ score had progressed to just 100-2 and the ball was doing very little and Kane and Taylor were looking in control and set for a big partnership. So to then see a further 13 wickets fell in the day was quite a surprise. Did the SL attack finally find some consistency in their areas or was there some average NZ batting ? Also did the NZ attack find much more in the pitch when they bowled with the new ball than SL ?

NZ's batsmen batted very poorly and got themselves out. That's not me not giving the opposition credit, that's just what happened. I suppose there were short periods where SL's bowlers hit good areas, but they weren't great tbh.

I was actually somewhat disappointed in NZ's bowling. Boult was food but Southee was a little off, apart from the absolute pearler to get Mathews.

Still, they definitely found more movement than SL.

 

[Athlai]

Ok, so when I went to bed the NZ score had progressed to just 100-2 and the ball was doing very little and Kane and Taylor were looking in control and set for a big partnership. So to then see a further 13 wickets fell in the day was quite a surprise. Did the SL attack finally find some consistency in their areas or was there some average NZ batting ? Also did the NZ attack find much more in the pitch when they bowled with the new ball than SL ?

Bit of both, Sri Lanka bowled far better in the second session. The trio all got out chopping it on which was pretty unfortunate. We bowled a lot better than they did though. But we were gifted a wicket by Sri Lanka and Silva got out chopping on as well.

So all round batsman have been a tad unlucky. Sangakkara has looked good after a shaky over or two against Boult. Bracewell and Southee haven't troubled him at all.

 

[Bahnz]

Ok, so when I went to bed the NZ score had progressed to just 100-2 and the ball was doing very little and Kane and Taylor were looking in control and set for a big partnership. So to then see a further 13 wickets fell in the day was quite a surprise. Did the SL attack finally find some consistency in their areas or was there some average NZ batting ? Also did the NZ attack find much more in the pitch when they bowled with the new ball than SL ?

Sri Lanka managed to get the ball changed at around the 30 over mark. I'm not sure if what happened next was actually due to the replacement ball or the psychological effect of getting rid of the old one, but suddenly the ball was nipping around (undoubtedly helped by SRL hitting better areas). McCullum and Neesham played terrible shots to get out, whilst Taylor and Williamson were a little guilty of playing at balls that should've been left alone. Once those 4 were gone it unsurprisingly came apart very quickly.

New Zealand's bowlers than definitely got a lot more swing than the Sri Lankans ever did. They were also helped by a couple of poor shots.

 

[YorksLanka]

it doesnt suprise me that NZ's bowlers got more swing than ours did as we have no experience in our bowling attack, they are all very fresh to top level cricket...I agree that we bowled tosh in the first session, then got better in the second session..went to bed myself just before tea so cant comment on our batting but will catch up with it at some stage today..Hopefully Chandiguns can stick with Sanga to get us somewhere close to the NZ score and then lets see what the second innings brings...

 

[Woodster]

Thanks for that guys! I thought the pitch may play a little more like it looks when NZ got to have a bowl on it also with the help of the overhead conditions. Could be one of those exciting low scoring Tests if the batsmen continue to gift their wickets away or if either attack gets it spot on. Without prompting a continuation of the Bracewell vs Wagner debate, I am a fan of big Dougie, at his best he does look like the kind of Tim Bresnan type (when he was at his best) that every side loves to have, so was pleased to see him snare a few.

 

[Woodster]

it doesnt suprise me that NZ's bowlers got more swing than ours did as we have no experience in our bowling attack, they are all very fresh to top level cricket...I agree that we bowled tosh in the first session, then got better in the second session..went to bed myself just before tea so cant comment on our batting but will catch up with it at some stage today..Hopefully Chandiguns can stick with Sanga to get us somewhere close to the NZ score and then lets see what the second innings brings...

Yes Sang and Chandimal absolute key in getting SL up to, and maybe in excess, of 200 which you think they are going to have to be in the region of.

 

[Howsie]

Wagner does get swing, he was swinging the newish ball in the last game.

Bracewell got a few to move, but most of his deliveries were gun barrel straight, the only thing you can say Bracewell generates that Wagner doesn't is more bounce from the pitch due to his into the wicket bowling style. I still think it was the wrong selection call, but I'm happy he's performing enough to give NZ a chance.

Bracewell also bowls an excellent length, something Wagner most certainly does not.

 

[fishyguy]

major releif after that really wierd batting display. But SL can still score over 200 as long as Sangamanga is still there

 

[hendrix]

It's strange that this is the first time for this team that the bowlers have got the batsmen out of trouble.

As good as our bowling has been, it's the batsmen who've set up the wins.

Maybe the 3rd innings in Hamilton vs the West Indies is the only other time that the bowlers have struck the first and decisive blow.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Expecting a Sanga 150 by the time I wake up.

 

[viriya]

Chandimal starting to show why the Dickwella selection was nonsense.

 

[YorksLanka]

to be fair tho the big Dick did score in the warm up games so cant really be too critical of his initial selection- i didnt agree with it either btw but just saying i can understand why he was picked.

 

[YorksLanka]

absolute corker of a ball from southee there...awesome..
edit- nice to hear the familiar sounds of the sri lankan papare band playing- rather than the incessant shouting of our sponsored fan who really grinds my gears..

 

[Blocky]

With the exception of one ball from Southee, batting has looked ridiculously easy.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Boult has been very tight to Sanga but he hasn't tempted the drive enough

 

[Blocky]

Sanga made the adjustments I was talking about in the last match against Boult - batting on off stump, leaving anything outside off and waiting for Boult to lose patience and put them on his pads so he can work it away. That's the reason it appears tight, Sanga has taken away some shot options to limit danger.

Boult's biggest problem as an international test cricketer is patience - he's constantly trying to bowl wicket taking balls, instead of simply putting pressure on the batsman