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Match facts

February 3, 2016
Start time 1400 local (0100 GMT)3:07

Australia quicks look forward to NZ pitches

Big Picture

There was much fanfare around the announcement of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy back in May 2004. At simultaneous press conferences in Melbourne and Christchurch the boards of both countries set out their plans to compete for the trophy on an annual basis, strengthening the cricketing ties between the trans-Tasman neighbours. Walter Hadlee, then 88, was at the announcement in Christchurch, along with his son Dayle; Greg and Trevor Chappell attended in Melbourne. The New Zealand cricket chief executive of the time, Martin Snedden, declared: “I am confident that the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will become as eagerly anticipated as other great annual sporting events such as the Bledisloe Cup series.”Well, that didn’t quite happen, but plenty of memorable matches were nonetheless played under the Chappell-Hadlee name and the boards stuck to their plans to contest the trophy annually for the next six years. And then it was quietly shelved. At the 2011 World Cup in India, it was announced that since no other time had been found in the summer’s schedule for a bilateral series, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy would be on offer to the winner of the World Cup pool match between the two sides. After that it was forgotten, so much so that the boards neglected to even put the trophy up for grabs when they met at the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. They remembered again for their pool match at last year’s World Cup, but it has now been nearly six years since the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy was contested in a series of its own.At last, it is back. The two teams who competed in the World Cup final at the MCG last March get the chance for a bilateral one-day series, a three-match contest that precedes a series of two Tests. It all begins on Wednesday in Auckland, the venue of New Zealand’s one-wicket win over Australia in that Chappell-Hadlee match last year, one of the most memorable games of the World Cup. Despite the short boundaries at Eden Park, swing was king, Australia managed only 151 and it wasn’t far off being a winning score. Nearly a year on and with New Zealand’s personnel largely the same and Australia’s changed significantly, both sides are coming off series wins at home, Australia over India and New Zealand against Pakistan. The World Cup might not be up for grabs this time, but the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy gets a well-deserved return to centre stage.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: WWWLW
Australia: LWWWW

In the spotlight

Brendon McCullum is now into the final month of his international career, and it is possible that he could finish by lifting both the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and the Trans-Tasman Trophy as captain. His first task is to provide runs at the top of the order, and having missed the past month with a back injury his return in the final ODI against Pakistan did not exactly go to plan: he was caught hooking for a golden duck.Usman Khawaja is Australia’s most in-form batsman but the selectors have stuck to their existing pecking order and gone with Shaun Marsh for the first match. Marsh scored half-centuries in two of his three ODI innings against India last month, which has earned him the first chance in New Zealand, but Khawaja has produced such piles of runs in the past few months that one failure from Marsh might be enough for the selectors to make the change for the second game.The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy has been pushed to the fringes in recent years, contested as an after-thought in World Cup games; New Zealand won it last year in Auckland•ICC

Team news

Legspinner Ish Sodhi has been added to the squad for this first match in Auckland, after the New Zealanders saw how much turn Pakistan’s part-timer Azhar Ali extracted from the Eden Park surface on Sunday.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (capt.), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner/Ish Sodhi, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent Boult.Australia confirmed their XI on match eve, with Shaun Marsh named to open the batting with David Warner in the absence of the injured Aaron Finch. That meant there was no place for Khawaja, who was added to the squad to cover for Finch, while fast bowler Scott Boland and legspinner Adam Zampa were the bowlers who missed out.Australia 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith (capt.), 4 George Bailey, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 John Hastings, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Pitch and conditions

The drop-in pitch is usually good for batting at Eden Park, though there could be some swing in the air. The forecast is for a sunny day and a top temperature of 27C.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won their past four bilateral ODI series at home against any opposition
• It has been so long since the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy has been contested outside of World Cups that only two Australians in the current squad – David Warner and Shaun Marsh – have experience in such series
• New Zealand currently hold the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after winning the World Cup group match in Auckland last year; it was not up for grabs in the World Cup final
• New Zealand could field as many as eight men who played in the World Cup final (Ross Taylor and Tim Southee are injured, and Daniel Vettori has retired); Australia will have only five

Quotes

“There’s obviously going to be a few nerves tomorrow when you’re playing in a big series and hopefully if we can settle early then we can resort back to that even temper that we’ve played with throughout this summer and last summer as well.”
“New Zealand are a very good one-day side; they have played particularly well here at home. I guess for us we’ve got quite a different side to the one who faced them in the World Cup final, so it is a big challenge for us but we’re really looking forward to it.”

Sri Lanka once again rallied behind Muttiah Muralitharan and rejected former Indian spin wizard Bishen Singh Bedi’s recent demands to ban the magician from international cricket.Bedi urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ban Muralitharan arguing that he chucks. But the team management dismissed charges as flimsy, baseless and far from reality with manager Chandra Schaffer saying it was an opinion of a disgruntled individual. “I don’t know how many people take Bishen Bedi seriously nowadays. I think he thrives on controversies, so I leave it to that,” Schaffer said.Schaffer said Muralitharan had been cleared once and for all but agreed that the spinner had not been given the licence to throw. “That can happen to anybody. Even Waqar Younis can be no-balled by the umpire tomorrow. That’s part of the game. But the bottomline is that Muralitharan’s action has been cleared and that’s the end of the story.”Muralitharan was no-balled seven times in an over by Darrel Hair in a 1995-96 Test in Australia. Fingers have pointed as Muralitharan since but has never been reported or called after Arjuna Ranatunga withdrew his team from the ground and later the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) threatened to take the ICC to the court. It was on BCCSL’s request the ICC did not post Hair in any of the 1999 World Cup matches involving Sri Lanka.Hair’s compatriot Daryl Harper is the ICC umpire in the Asian Test Championship final. But another Australian Dav Whatmore ruled out fears that Muralitharan might be called or reported again. “I don’t think Muralitharan is under scrutiny. There is no chance of being called or reported again. Frankly speaking, I am not expecting anything like that,” he said.He reiterated that Muralitharan’s action had been proven free of any guilt and urged the critics to forget the issue and move forward. “If it (Bedi’s views) were meant to disturb anyone, it has not worked because we are firmly behind Muralitharan and things haven’t changed really,” he added.Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lanka captain, said he was disturbed and disappointed to read Bedi’s observations and demands. “I think he has played enough cricket to say such a thing. Muralitharan has been cleared by everyone after it was proven medically that he doesn’t throw.”Pakistan captain Waqar Younis chided: “It’s too late to ban him now after he has taken 400 wickets and bamboozled best of the teams on every surface.” Bedi last month had argue that a blind man cannot be given permission to fly a plane and if Muralitharan had an abnormality with his bowling arm, it was just bad luck for him. Muralitharan has more than 400 Test wickets.

Lauren Cheatle and Naomi Stalenberg, who have both impressed with the Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash League, are in line to debut for Australia after being named in the squad to take on India in six matches over the next month.Australia’s selectors have named a squad of 15 for the matches, beginning with three T20s in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, followed by three ODIs in Canberra and Hobart. The three T20s will be broadcast by the Nine Network and have been scheduled as double-headers to correspond with the T20s being played by the Australia and India men.Cheatle, 17, a left-arm fast bowler, and Stalenberg, 21, a middle-order batsman, have been named in the T20 squad only, after their strong WBBL performances. Cheatle is equal second on the WBBL wicket tally with 17 victims at 15.76 and an economy rate of 6.38, while Stalenberg has proven herself one of the tournament’s quickest scorers, with 160 runs at a strike-rate of 150.94.”The T20 squad has been selected with an eye to the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in March and includes two new faces,” Shawn Flegler, the Women’s National Selection Panel chairman, said. “We have chosen the Sydney Thunder’s Lauren Cheatle and Naomi Stalenberg, after some very impressive recent performances in the WBBL and WNCL.”Cheatle is a 17-year-old left-arm quick who can swing the ball into right-handers and has shown great composure in her second and third spells during the WNCL. Naomi Stalenberg has been a real standout with her aggressive middle-order batting, displaying great power and a healthy strike rate.”Stalenberg and Cheatle will be replaced for the ODI portion of the series by legspinner Kristen Beams and top-order batsman Nicole Bolton. Beams is recovering from a dislocated thumb and her fitness will be monitored closer to the start of the one-day internationals.Australia squad Meg Lanning (capt), Alex Blackwell (vice-capt), Kristen Beams (ODI only), Nicole Bolton (ODI only), Lauren Cheatle (T20 only), Sarah Coyte, Rene Farrell, Holly Ferling, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Naomi Stalenberg (T20 only).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

In the four years since he last took five wickets in a Test innings,Jacques Kallis has cemented his position as one of the batting greats ofthe modern age, but it was an inspired eight-over spell on the thirdmorning at the National Stadium in Mirpur that went a long way towardsdestroying Bangladeshi hopes of an epochal victory.Kallis’ 5 for 30 triggered a collapse to 182 all out, and solid knocksfrom Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla got them to within 27 of the 205 neededbefore the victory push was halted by bad light. Shahadat Hossain, whostarred with 6 for 27 in the first innings, and Mohammad Rafique induced alate-afternoon wobble, but dour batting from Ashwell Prince and AB deVilliers shut the door in the final overs of the day.As ever, Kallis bowled a heavy ball and got just enough movement to worrybatsmen on a pitch that showed further signs of wear and tear. In thespace of four balls midway through the morning session, the complexion ofthe match turned utterly. Dale Steyn had probed away while Makhaya Ntinihad again been disappointing, and as the fifth-wicket partnership betweenJunaid Siddique and Aftab Ahmad swelled to 63, Smith was running out ofoptions.Instead of Mornè Morkel, he threw the ball to Kallis, and the breakthroughcame with the fifth ball he bowled. The line was perfect, and there wasjust enough deviation away to take the outside edge as Siddique sparreduncertainly. He had batted 184 balls to equal his previous highest of 74,and his exit was a serious blow to hopes of setting a big target.Three balls later, the innings was in disarray. Aftab had previouslysurvived a vociferous shout after padding up to Ntini, but when he did thesame to a Steyn delivery that darted back, the umpire wasn’t in charitablemood. Aftab had eschewed his attacking instincts during a sober innings,but like Mohammad Ashraful, his captain, he couldn’t quite carry on.Kallis struck in his second over as well, though Mushfiqur Rahim wasn’texactly thrilled when Steve Bucknor ruled him out after he appeared tomiss a glance down the leg side. Boucher took the catch and went up inappeal, and the raised finger gave him a record 417th dismissal, one ahead of therecently-retired Adam Gilchrist.Rafique came in and played the only way he knew. Two carves through theoff side off Kallis briefly enlivened the crowd, but a lazy waft then sawhis off stump knocked out. And on the stroke of lunch, Kallis wrappedthings up, having Mashrafe Mortaza graze one to slip and Shakib Al Hasanedge through to Boucher. The demolition job was complete, and it was leftto the batsmen to complete the task of getting the favourites out of jail.Neil McKenzie might have gone in Mortaza’s opening over, but an outsideedge didn’t carry to the slip cordon, and when he survived a massive shoutfor leg before soon after, you sensed it would be South Africa’s day. Heplayed a couple of gorgeous cover drives as the bowlers erred in line andlength, and Ashraful was soon calling for some left-arm spin from Rafique.

It was Hossain who provided the opening though. Despite having gone for 13in his previous over, Smith lacing two lovely fours in the V, Ashrafulkept the faith in his bowler and was rewarded when a McKenzie miscued a pull to Habibul Bashar at square leg. Smith, who had been struck a painful blowin the abdomen at the start of his innings, survived a strong shout for acatch behind soon after, but the sort of collapse that ruined the firstinnings never materialised.Hashim Amla got going with a tidy glance off Rafique and an on-driveoff Hossain and when Smith moved towards his half-century with a sweetshot down the ground off Mortaza, the crowd’s spirits sank further. Havingbeen in the ascendancy a day earlier, Bangladesh were once again staringat defeat inside three days.Amla played some fabulous strokes down the ground and through midwicket,while Smith was clinical in putting away anything overpitched or wide. Thepartnership was worth 73 when Smith tried to tuck Rafique through the legside only to miss it completely. The appeal was upheld and Kallis, thebowling hero, arrived at the crease.Amla’s elegant effort ended soon after, when an attempted cut off Rafiqueflew off the outside edge to Siddique at first slip. Though the speed atwhich it was travelling pushed him back, he managed to hold on. It wasconsolation too for Rafique, after Bucknor had ruled Kallis not out when athin edge ricocheted off Rahim to the man at slip.He didn’t stay long enough to capitalise on the good fortune though.Hossain tempted him with a short ball, and the pull arrowed into the handsof Mortaza at backward square leg. At 144 for 4, the dressing room wouldhave been jittery, but Prince and de Villiers opted for discretion ratherthan an early finish, sensing that the Bangladeshis had lifted their game.de Villiers was uncharacteristically subdued, and it was Prince thatwhittled away at the target, with a powerful cut off Mortaza and two meatypulls off Rafique. Barring a dramatic reversal of fortune on Monday, SouthAfrica will win this game, and leave Bangladesh to ponder just how theylet it get away.

South Africa’s existing franchises will remain in place for at least one more season after Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided to postpone an evaluation of the system. CSA had asked a committee to assess the franchise system in time to implement any changes before the 2008-09 season.However, the committee said it could not submit its full report until August, meaning any alterations would not take place until 2009-10. The six current franchises replaced the previous provincial teams in 2004-05, with the aim of strengthening the top tier of cricket in South Africa.The committee was to investigate several facets of the system, including whether the standard of domestic cricket in the country had improved. The interim report from the committee to CSA’s general council said the substantial presentations from various stakeholders meant more time was required to make a full assessment.”The committee decided, after hearing the presentations and studying the written submissions, that it would need more time for further consideration of the written and oral representations,” the report said. “It was also decided by the committee that to do justice to the submissions, it would be necessary to inspect some of the facilities.”

Leicestershire have signed Dillon du Preez, the South African quick bowler, as their second Kolpak acquisition in a week.du Preez was the highest wicket-taker in the Supersport Series with 55 wickets at 16 and Leicestershire coach Tim Boon says he will be a valuable addition to the attack.”He swings it away from the right hand batter, almost in the shape of Darren Gough,” he told . “He has a strong set of values, and he’s really keen to learn and fit in.”Leicestershire recently brought in Jermaine Lawson, the West Indies fast bowler, as another part of their bowling unit for the 2008 season. They need to fill the hole left by Stuart Broad who moved to Nottinghamshire.

Stumps Devon Conway brought up a double-century and pushed New Zealand into such a strong position in Mount Maunganui that they actually got carried away with it.With their fifth-highest Test total at home – 575 for 8 declared – on their back, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Michael Rae ran in expecting wickets to tumble. They bowled far too full and were taken for far too many and, as a result, both teams have now wasted the new ball on a green pitch.West Indies were flying – 88 in 15 overs – with 13 fours coming in that time. That’s not including ten wides. Brandon King and John Campbell did not bat like they had been weighed down by 155 overs in the field or the 500-plus deficit. They focused on playing late, playing straight and were still alert enough to punish an overly enthusiastic New Zealand attack.John Campbell scored quickly in a century opening stand with Brandon King•Getty Images

West Indies go into the third day still trailing by 465 but in games like these you can’t look at the scoreboard too much. You just put your head down and keep going. That’s what King and Campbell did to produce their first century partnership as an opening pair, and only the sixth in the last 11 years for West Indies. King even had time to bring up a fifty, his second in Test cricket.Such treats were on offer on day one too, only New Zealand were at the other end now. Twenty-four hours has produced a sea change with the visitors also finding their discipline with the ball. Justin Greaves set up Kane Williamson beautifully to dismiss one of the best batters in the world for just 31 and Roston Chase bowled 25 overs unchanged from morning drinks to cover for the loss of Kemar Roach to a hamstring injury. Shai Hope is of more pertinent concern because he spent the entire day at the hotel unwell and might not be allowed to bat at his usual No. 4 spot.Rachin Ravindra powers the ball away during his unbeaten half-century•AFP/Getty Images

Ojay Shields and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were carrying niggles as well so when Greaves had to step away for a bit in the second session, West Indies had no subs left and had to rope in local Tauranga boy, 19-year-old Sebastian Heath, who is also registered with the Denmark cricket team, to field for them.Given all these handicaps, the seven wickets West Indies took on Friday, the composure that followed with the bat, and the fact that they have all their run-scoring resources in hand for when the pitch flattens out were unlikely but hard-earned outcomes.Greaves may just have heralded that with his extraction of Williamson, where he beat the outside edge several times, the batter struggling to come to terms with the pace of his own home ground. With the pressure sufficiently built, Greaves dangled the bait wide outside off stump and Williamson couldn’t resist having a go. He threw his head back – but dared not look back – when he heard the nick go through to the keeper. This was what was missing from West Indies on day one when Conway and Tom Latham cruised to 323 for 0. The ability to hold a line and length and build up to a wicket.West Indies missed the services of Kemar Roach on the second day•MB Media/Getty Images

West Indies allowed only one man to score more than fifty runs on the second day – Rachin Ravindra making 72 not out. It was a much more appropriate outcome given the conditions. Balls on a good length continued to misbehave. Jayden Seales hitting more or less that area against Conway, batting on a double-century, had the batter recoiling as one kicked up alarmingly.The opening batter’s wicket – for 227 – was the result of another ball nipping in and keeping low to trap him lbw. There is still help for the bowlers out there, just that their margin of error is small. When they focus outside the 6m length, the pitch speeding up has made hitting through the line easy.Conway was tiring at the end of his 508-minute innings. West Indies’ bowlers were right there with him. Seales had roused himself to go one-on-one against Daryl Mitchell. He was emotional enough to curse so loud it was caught on the stump mic when Greaves put down a straightforward catch off Mitchell at second slip in the 127th over. He has six wickets at an average of 50.33 on this tour. He’s bowled better than that.Day three will bring different challenges. Chase’s offbreaks were already getting grip and turn and bounce. Ajaz Patel will have a lot to say and this match remains interestingly poised, not to mention one of a kind – the first in New Zealand history to include two century opening stands in the first innings.

David Hussey was in disbelief when he discovered he had earned his first Cricket Australia contract but the Victoria batsman knows there is still a long way to go before his dream of playing Test cricket is fulfilled. Hussey was one of 25 players to receive national deals, completing an exciting nine days after he was also named in the ODI squad to tour the West Indies in June.”It’s a stepping stone,” Hussey said of his new contract. “It’s one thing getting picked in the top 25 and another thing is playing. I desperately want an opportunity. It’s remarkable just one phone call gives you a lot of self-belief and self-confidence.”Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said Hussey had been “knocking on the contract door for the past few interstate seasons”, but it took his first thousand-run Pura Cup campaign in 2007-08 before he was finally included. However, with an established top six in the Test team and the record-breaking Simon Katich seemingly next in line, Hussey knows he must grab whatever one-day opportunities come his way.”There’s a lot of good batters floating around at the moment – Cam [White], Brad Hodge, Simon Katich, Shaun Marsh has been added,” he said. “For me it’s just basically making runs at the right time.”His Victoria team-mate White also held onto his contract despite not having played for Australia since February 2007. White considers himself primarily a batsman these days but he will be working hard on his legspin with no specialist one-day spinners in the squad.Stuart MacGill and Beau Casson, the only two frontline slow bowlers on the list, are not regular limited-overs players for New South Wales. White took a backseat to Victoria’s legspinner Bryce McGain in 2007-08, however he still averaged nearly eight overs a match in state one-dayers.”My bowling is probably going to be the avenue into more games for Australia, so that’s something I’ve got to do probably a little bit better,” White said. “I’ll probably get a bit more of an idea [of my role] when I get to the West Indies.”If White does find himself bowling more in ODIs – he averages only ten deliveries per game from his 16 appearances – he will be helping to fill the gap left by the newly retired Brad Hogg. Dan Cullen was one of the men Hogg tipped to take his one-day spot but the signs are not good for Cullen, who did not have his contract renewed despite a solid FR Cup season.”Of course it is a bit disappointing not to make the list this time round but I have great support at the Redbacks and there is still plenty of time left for me to play for Australia,” Cullen said. His South Australia team-mate, the legspinner Cullen Bailey, was also dropped from the national list after a disappointing year during which he was picked for only two Pura Cup games, taking one wicket.Bailey said: “2007-08 was a challenging season but I have learnt much across a range of fronts. My focus is now completely dedicated to what happens next. I am working hard to develop my game.”

March 7, 1987 remains an iconic date in Indian cricket and Rahul Dravid remembered it clearly. It was the day when Sunil Gavaskar late-cut an innocuous ball to third man to become the first batsman to get to 10,000 runs in Tests. For young Indian batsmen growing up, the figure was some sort of a holy grail.At the time, all Rahul Dravid dreamt of was to play for India and he admitted that by joining the elite club he had, in some way, exceeded his own expectations. “I can see that picture in my mind, watching it on television – Gavaskar late-cutting in Ahmedabad and raising his bat for his 10,000. I never had an ambition to do it, because I never believed.”As a young kid, to be honest, I didn’t have the self-belief I could do it. When I look back, I probably I exceeded my expectations with what I have done over the last 10-12 years. I can look back and reflect that I maximised my potential over these years.”What would be particularly heartening is that it comes on the back of probably his toughest year in Test cricket. Excluding matches against Bangladesh, he had gone 15 Tests without a century, a trot few would have envisaged during his glorious run between 2002 and 2004. He’s relinquished his captaincy and lost his one-day spot.”I pretty much coasted for the last five-six years through my career,” he said. “I had to work pretty hard from 9000 to 10,000. In some ways, it was a sign for me to learn to enjoy these things, learn to reflect on these moments. The last 1000 has been a learning curve for me.”It has been a tough year in some ways. I have been playing well in patches. I have been fighting through it. I felt at phases it was coming back and probably just breaking my finger in the last game in Adelaide [gave me a break]. I was completely off for six weeks. I picked up the bat two or three days before the Deodhar Trophy game. I got a couple of good scores – a hundred and a fifty. I came into this Test feeling really good.”This hundred won’t be remembered for its fluency, neither was it made in demanding conditions. In fact he took just six balls less to reach his hundred than Virender Sehwag had done to get three times as much. He wasn’t in too much trouble but he did get into phases where he was bogged down.Where would he place this innings among the 25 he’s made? “I place the ones higher when I end up winning those games. Even the 90 at Perth is a lot more significant for me than some hundreds I have got. The South Africans bowled well today – tighter lines and they also got the ball to reverse-swing. I think I just felt happy I was solid and in control right through the innings.”Dravid joined Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara as the only two players with 10,000 runs in both Tests and one-dayers. It’s a particularly significant achievement for Dravid, because of the number of challenges he needed to overcome in ODIs. He maintained the one-day milestone was special but was clear about valuing his Test runs more.”Test cricket is much tougher in the end. You look back on that and you recognise they are the toughest ones to get. You will always cherish you Test performances a bit more than the one-day ones. You know the 10,000 you got in Test cricket has probably been a bit tougher.”

Match facts

December 10-14, 2015
Start time 1030 local (2130 GMT)Kane Williamson will be looking to help New Zealand finish 2015 the way they started it, when he struck a career-best 242* in a 193-run win over Sri Lanka at the Basin Reserve•Getty Images

Big Picture

What’s Sri Lankan cricket without a little upheaval? Until the team landed in New Zealand, it had almost been a boring year. The usual board v players contract dispute failed to materialise in March. There have been no heated public exchanges involving administrators. Even the annual resignation of the head coach went off remarkably smoothly. Angelo Mathews had seemingly imparted some level-headed sense into the system. But really, is there any use Angelo? Chaos is Sri Lankan cricket’s default setting. To chaos it will always return.Now, ahead of an important tour, Sri Lanka are without their player of the year in Dhammika Prasad, and have been deprived of Kusal Perera, who kept wicket and brought balance to the XI. The repercussions of each absence are far-reaching. Dinesh Chandimal – of whom much was already expected with the bat – will also take up the wicketkeeping responsibilities. And the seam attack lacks a charismatic leader. With Dushmantha Chameera or Vishwa Fernando almost certain to play, the bowling appears nearly as inexperienced as the batting.New Zealand, meanwhile, have returned from Australia defeated but not deflated. There is, of course, a sense that the series could have been drawn if not for umpiring errors, but beyond that, the attack appears to be gathering momentum ahead of the home summer. Trent Boult, Tim Southee and company scythed through Sri Lanka’s top order last year. This time, the visiting opposition is without their greatest ever Test batsman, and is tending young, fragile careers.Maybe Australia did puncture holes in Brendon McCullum’s aggressive manifesto, but are any Sri Lanka batsmen capable of attacking New Zealand in the way that David Warner did? The visitors appear to be focusing on a far more conservative approach, perhaps in light of tougher pitches across the Tasman.Expect a lot of New Zealand slips in this Test, and maybe a few single-figure Sri Lankan scores as well. The series is far from a foregone conclusion though. The thing about chaos is that, sometimes, it can work in manic and miraculous ways.

Form guide

New Zealand: LDLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WWLLW

In the spotlight

Having led New Zealand to one of their best-ever Test years in 2014, Brendon McCullum has experienced a relative lull with the bat this year. In 11 Test innings so far, he has crossed fifty only twice. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have scored heavily to offset the absence of his runs, but at home now, and with a friendlier attack bowling to him, conditions seem good for a McCullum resurgence.Charged with managing a young side, there is also pressure on Angelo Mathews to ensure his own performances stay vibrant and strong. His team will look to him for stability in the middle order, but with Prasad out of the series, Mathews’ bowling will be required as well. He has hit three hundreds this year – but all have come in losing causes. If Sri Lanka are to spring a surprise in New Zealand, Mathews may have to do even more than he is already doing.In addition to his wicketkeeping responsibilities, Dinesh Chandimal will continue batting at No. 4, according to Angelo Mathews•AFP

Teams news

Kaushal Silva only flies into Dunedin on Wednesday, so he is unlikely to play, according to Mathews. Opener Udara Jayasundera will debut, after hitting a fifty in the warm-up match. Quick Dushmantha Chameera’s four wickets in that game will likely see him enter the XI as well. Dinesh Chandimal will take the gloves in Kusal Perera’s absence, but Mathews said Chandimal would continue batting at no. 4.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Udara Jayasundera, 3 Kithuruwan Vithanage, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Kusal Mendis, 7 Milinda Siriwardana, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Nuwan PradeepNew Zealand’s batting is settled, but they have one decision to make with their attack. Brendon McCullum said one of either Mark Craig or Neil Wagner would miss out. That decision is unlikely to be made until further assessment of the track, on Thursday morning.New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt.), 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Mark Craig/ Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The pitch has a thick green covering on the eve of the match, and as such, will probably be conducive to seam movement on the first two days. There is rain expected over the weekend, but that forecast is constantly changing. Sri Lanka are unlikely to enjoy the temperature, which is forecast to remain in the high teens and low twenties for the duration of the game.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won five of their last six Tests at home, and are unbeaten in the country since March 2012.
• Four of the six Tests played at University Oval have been draws – most of those rain-affected.
• Rangana Herath requires seven wickets to become the second left-arm spinner to 300 Test scalps, after Daniel Vettori.
• 2015 has been Kane Williamson’s best year yet by a distance. He averages 90.40 after 12 innings so far. Sri Lanka are also his favourite opponent. He has struck 559 runs at 93.16 against them – thanks in large part to the career-high 242* at the Basin Reserve in January.

Quotes

“Looking back over the last couple of years, the emergence and development of this team is something that we – as leaders within the group – can be pretty proud of. We’re by no means the finished product and we’ll have a few challenges over the next little while. But overall we’re starting to shape into a very good cricket team. The profile of this cricket team has picked up recently too.”
“Our premier fast-bowler in Dhammika, has taken a lot of wickets in the recent past, and we’re going to miss him so bad. Kusal’s news was shocking as well, to be honest.”