Wisden
Tour review

New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2015-16

Mark Geenty


New Zealand, with the series trophy after a 2-0 swep, New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Hamilton, 4th day, December 21, 2015
New Zealand whitewash Sri Lanka, 2-0 in the Test series © Getty Images
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By the time Sri Lanka's weary, wounded cricketers departed in mid-January, they had spent more than 100 days in New Zealand over the previous 13 months, across two tours and a World Cup. This was no ticket to success: in fact, familiarity very nearly bred contempt. A solitary victory from nine internationals was the tourists' lot on their latest visit, and by the final Twenty20 game in Auckland there was minimal resistance from a team who looked as if they couldn't wait for the plane home. Even without some key players, it was a highly disappointing tour.

It always looked a tough task against a New Zealand side which had not lost a home Test since March 2012, and had just been steeled by a tough series in Australia. The itinerary did Sri Lanka few favours either, after the initial oasis of a three-day warm-up in Queenstown. They moved to the antarctic climes of Dunedin in December for the First Test, and the players struggled to regain warmth in their hands for the rest of the trip.

The portents weren't good even before a ball was bowled in Dunedin. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kusal Perera was sent home after he tested positive for an unspecified banned substance, while seamer Dammika Prasad suffered a back injury in the warm-up and was ruled out of the tour. Cruelly, the Sri Lankans watched on television as their two best batsmen of recent years - Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene - strutted their stuff in Twenty20 franchise cricket.

How they could have done with them here. None of the visiting batsmen managed a century: their captain Angelo Mathews's 95 in the final one-day international was the highest individual innings. Many a promising fightback was undone by a flurry of loose shots. Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal (given the gloves in Perera's absence) all showed resistance at times, but not for long enough.

The one shining light was the wiry fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera who, but for a horror second-innings batting collapse, might have bowled Sri Lanka to a Test victory at Hamilton, where he took nine wickets. Chameera was fast, hostile and durable, but the others found success hard to come by. New Zealand's opener Martin Guptill was the standout figure, reaching 50 seven times in 11 innings, and averaging 63 in the Tests and 82 in the onedayers.

Then he blasted 121 off 59 deliveries in two Twenty20 innings, including a national-record 19-ball half-century at Auckland. That stood for barely 20 minutes before Colin Munro bettered it - or battered it - by five. Kane Williamson wasn't far behind. Following his match-winning century at Hamilton, he ate his Christmas dinner as the world's top-ranked Test batsman.

Life after Brendon McCullum also loomed into view. He led them to victory in both Tests, then confirmed he would be retiring after the home series against Australia in February. Shortly after that, he aggravated his old back injury, hurling himself across the rope and slamming into an advertising board at Hagley Oval. McCullum missed the last three ODIs and the Twenty20s, but New Zealand had plenty of firepower without him.

Match reports for

Tour match: New Zealand Board President's XI v Sri Lankans at Queenstown, Dec 3-5, 2015
Scorecard

1st Test: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Dunedin, Dec 10-14, 2015
Report | Scorecard

2nd Test: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton, Dec 18-21, 2015
Report | Scorecard

1st ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Dec 26, 2015
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2nd ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Christchurch, Dec 28, 2015
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3rd ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Nelson, Dec 31, 2015
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4th ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Nelson, Jan 2, 2016
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5th ODI: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Mount Maunganui, Jan 5, 2016
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1st T20I: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Mount Maunganui, Jan 7, 2016
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2nd T20I: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Auckland, Jan 10, 2016
Report | Scorecard

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