HAMILTON: New Zealand will keep their winning combination for the second Test against Sri Lanka, batsman Kane Williamson said Thursday after an inspection of the pitch showed another green-top wicket.
With conditions ripe for seam and swing bowling, the possibility of bringing in an extra spinner was ruled out with New Zealand maintaining a four-pronged pace attack when the Test starts in Hamilton on Friday.
“We're playing the same [line-up] as the last match, with the look of the surface we will go in with that extra seamer,” Williamson said, indicating New Zealand would likely bowl first if they win the toss.
“It's green, Dunedin was green, and we just feel it might be more suited to seam bowling.
“It's more important to look at the conditions, horses for courses as they say, and go in with the team best suited.”
New Zealand won the first Test in Dunedin by 122 runs despite losing the toss and being forced to bat first.
Their cause was helped by the inexperienced Sri Lankan attack being unable to capitalise on the conditions, but Williamson does not expect New Zealand to get off so lightly this time.
“I'm sure they would have got a lot out of that surface and they had quite a new-look side over here as opposed to when we last played them here, so I'm sure they would have learned a lot and it should be a good game,” he said.
