Dambulla has been the only home for this tour so far. Much to both team’s pleasure, they will move to a new venue for the 2nd ODI and hope that the horrors from Dambulla do not follow them. Having squared the T20I series, Sri Lanka are 1-0 up in the ODI series thanks to the brilliant work of their batters and spinners who turned the rain-hit game into an opportunity to get on top of the visitors.
New Zealand had to chase a revised (see: lesser) target in 27 overs to win the game. By the looks of it, the rain seemed to have done the visitors a favor, but appearances really are deceiving. All of New Zealand’s hopes came tumbling down when Maheesh Theekshana triggered a collapse in the 14th over removing both the openers on the back of his tricky off-spin. In an instant, the Kiwis lost six wickets for 22 runs.
The pitch was getting slower and the moisture was only making it worse, but most of all Mitchell Santner’s boys have themselves to blame for crumbling like a house of cards. In their defense, it was a young side who was sent to be at the mercy of Sri Lankan spinners on a Dambulla pitch. This game is their chance to keep the series alive. They surely would not want an ODI series defeat when a mega-event lurks near. The pressure definitely would be palpable, and the stakes higher than ever but New Zealand would not want a defeat to cap off a sub-continent tour, where they accomplished the impossible.
Team Overview:
The Sri Lankan batting lineup has decided not to cease churning runs. It’s a sight for sore eyes to watch them bat the way they do. Kusal Mendis was who stood out of the chunk of amazing batsmen the Islanders unearthed from some unknown place. He and Avishka Fernando made batting look like a piece of cake. What’s more is that the team tends not to pin their hopes on a select few players, which has helped the batters be more confident when out in the middle. But nothing quite matches the way Charith Asalanka casually brings himself on to roll his arm over. In the previous game, he plucked two scalps with the nonchalance of someone who seems almost tired of excelling in their niche, so they decide to take a dip into another craft, just for the thrill of it.
Michael Bracewell was all praises for the way Sri Lanka tackled the pitch during batting. It was not an easy track to bat on but the Islanders managed to get past 300 nevertheless. What the Kiwis faltered at doing was accelerating when they were in the same harbor. The collapse only made things worse. However, fortunately for them, the team did not look like a hodge-podge of confused guys who gazed at the Sri Lankan bowlers with their mouths gaping. In fact, the openers Will Young and Tim Robinson looked very much settled just before the tragedy struck. Mitchell Santner would hope that Pallekele would be more welcoming for his team.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Sri Lanka and New Zealand have been up against each other 103 times in ODIs. Of these encounters, New Zealand has 52 wins to their name, while Sri Lanka outclassed them in 42. Eight games ended without any result, while one match between both sides was tied. The last time both teams crossed swords in an ODI at the Pallekele Stadium was back in 2012.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Pallekele has a two-paced surface and bowlers who know how to hoodwink with their pace will get the maximum reward from the surface. This means both pacers and spinners will have plenty to exploit and batting here would not be as easy.
There is good news though. Under the lights, batting becomes relatively easy, hence, the toss-winning captain would want to bowl first. However, there is equally bad news and that is Dambulla was the only venue that dwells in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Pallekele is already quite infamous for the rain it receives and this game will see nothing too different. The rain forecasts confirm that there are huge chances of rain, which could cause several delays.
Where to Watch:
Sri Lanka: Supreme TV, Ten Cricket, Dialog, IPTV, Sri Lanka Cricket’s YouTube Channel
New Zealand: Sky Sports
Pakistan: Tapmad, Ten Sports
India: Sony Sports Network, FanCode App
United Kingdom: TNT Sports
Asia: Sony Liv
MENA: Cricbuzz
Caribbean: RUSH
