Cricket Betting: New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Test Preview

Cricket returns to New Zealand as the Sri Lankan tour kicks off with the first Test match at Dunedin on Thursday, December 10th which we will be previewing in our latest cricket betting tips.

With just two matches in the Test series, it is difficult for the teams to come back after a defeat in the first match, so expect both teams to come out firing.
New Zealand come into the series after an historical series away in Australia. The score line of 2-0 doesn’t tell the entire story though. After losing the first Test to Australia heavily, the Kiwis showed great resilience in drawing the second and nearly pulling off a victory in the third.

The pioneers of pink ball Test cricket, New Zealand will have to quickly adapt back to the traditional red ball cricket. Also, the Kiwis will have to shed their tag of ‘slow starters’ if they harbour any hopes of winning the series.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor were brilliant with the bat in Australia while skipper Brendon McCullum was disappointing. Trent Boult struggled throughout with some injury concerns but showed signs of returning to form in the final Test. The home conditions should suit their quick bowlers. With cloud cover expected at Dunedin, lateral movement through the air will be available aplenty.

For the visitors, it’s a Test of baptism by fire. Their performance in the three-day warm up was very poor with concerns in both batting and bowling underling the huge task ahead of them. Troubles at the top of the order could see a debut for Udera Jayasundera after his gutsy display in the warm-up.

After the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena, Angelo Mathews will feel the burden of leading the batting unit. The bowling looks fairly threatening though, with the likes of Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep offering good pace. The loss of Dhammika Prasad would be a big blow for skipper Angelo Mathews who will look for some control from his spinners.

There isn’t much value in the market for a New Zealand win, but considering how poor travelers Sri Lanka traditionally are, backing New Zealand to win the First Test at $1.53 at CrownBet looks a sound play.