After humiliating Sri Lanka in the Test and ODI series, New Zealand’s focus will now shift to the shortest format of the game. NZ move into the T20s with more confidence as they are in right momentum after clinching Test series 2-0 and ODI series 3-1.
Black Caps and Sri Lanka will play the first T20 at the Bay Oval on Thursday.
Kiwis have so far played brilliant cricket in the series and have lost just one game. They will be boosted by the return of allrounder Corey Anderson who was injured of late.
The beefy allrounder has been warming the bench since the first Test against England at Lord’s in May, when he was sidelined due to a back injury. But his superb form with the bat since returning for Northern Districts has given him a boost and he is relishing his return to the national team.
“Watching the guys on the couch has been pretty tough at times so it’s nice to be back in the environment. Pretty cool,” the 25-year-old told reporters ahead of the match.
The other good news for New Zealand is the return of Grant Elliott, who was out of action for the past couple of months with a wrist injury. In McCullum’s absence, Kane Williamson will lead the side and it will be interesting to see how one of the most prolific batsmen in cricket at the moment handles the leadership role, which he has donned in the past.
Sri Lanka too have a new T20 captain, but Dinesh Chandimal has been entrusted with responsibility once because Lasith Malinga, the regular skipper, is absent because of a recurring knee injury. Chandimal, who stepped down from T20 captaincy during the ICC World T20 2014, has been a picture of consistency with the bat over last few months.
New Zealand won the final match of the ODI series by 36 runs at the same venue with Matt Henry leading their bowling charge. However, current World T20 champions SL will be hoping to give home team run for the money.
