New Zealand out to complete hat-trick over Sri Lanka

After Test and one-day international series wins, New Zealand will be looking to complete a hat-trick of victories over Sri Lanka in their upcoming Twenty20 internationals.

Published : Jan 06, 2016 15:33 IST

Kane Williamson has been the star for the home side.
Kane Williamson has been the star for the home side.
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Kane Williamson has been the star for the home side.

After Test and one-day international series wins, New Zealand will be looking to complete a hat-trick of victories over Sri Lanka in their upcoming Twenty20 internationals.

New Zealand secured comfortable victories in the Tests, winning by 122 runs in Dunedin and then by five wickets in Hamilton. The Black Caps were even more comprehensive in the first two ODIs, taking out the first game by seven wickets and then the following by 10 - with Martin Guptill (93 not out) stealing the show. 

Sri Lanka showed some fight in the third ODI - winning by eight wickets - and put up a battle in the fifth game after the fourth was a no result due to rain. New Zealand will be without paceman Tim Southee due to a foot injury, with Matt Henry chosen to replace the 27-year-old.

However, the home side have been boosted by the return of Corey Anderson after a seven-month lay-off, but the all-rounder looks set to be solely on batting duties.

"I can see myself playing as a batter only, but it's not something I want to bring forth at any stage yet," Anderson said.

"I'm still young, have got a lot of cricket to play and bowling-wise it helps the balance of our team. Brendon [McCullum] and Hess [coach Mike Hesson] have always wanted balance in that team, whether it's myself or Mitch [Mitchell Santner] or Neesh [Jimmy Neesham] doing that all-rounder role."

Sri Lanka, buoyed by their performances in the final ODIs, are ranked number one in T20 cricket and will provide a tougher test than in previous encounters against the Black Caps.

The first T20 will take place at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Thursday.

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