Can New Zealand finally end their subcontinent hoodoo as they set themselves to lock horns with Sri Lanka at Galle.
Can New Zealand put their demons of Asia behind them as they start a busy expedition starting with Sri Lanka.
Since New Zealand’s last tour of Sri Lanka, a lot has happened. In 2019 at the time, Covid-19 had not yet been made public. After Rangana Herath’s retirement, the Lankans were still getting over it. Now, with the pandemic well behind us, Herath is preparing to take on his role as New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach.
Having said that, there are many parallels with the last tour. One example is that Sri Lanka entered the match in 2024 fresh off a historic victory in a series in South Africa. In 2024 they concluded a gruelling tour with a consoling Test win in England. The 2019 series coincided with a presidential election, albeit one that was not quite as close as the one that was scheduled to postpone the opening Test by one day.
With a few retirements and a little more grey hair, this is still essentially the same New Zealand group. Additionally, in terms of where they could like to be in terms of readiness for their run at this WTC cycle, they are a little undercooked.
The last Test match New Zealand played was in March. They haven’t had a competitive match since the World Cup in June due to a washed-out Test against Afghanistan earlier this month.
Despite having three victories and three losses, they are currently in third place in the WTC rankings. However, they have a daunting challenge ahead of them. Two Tests in spin-friendly Galle, which they have never won, followed by three more in India.
Regarding Sri Lanka, the year has been quite unpredictable. An awful World Cup performance clouded early wins against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. That then followed a brilliant home victory in the ODI series against India. They were on the verge of humiliation in England as well. But a brilliant performance in the third Test made sure they would enter their home series with the winning momentum.
With four of their next six Tests at home, that recent victory could still be crucial in their quest for a spot in the WTC final. However, the weather is following the tourists from Greater Noida, India, as rain is predicted for the whole first Test.