Tim Southee hopes New Zealand will end Sri Lanka’s dream of World Test Championship
Christchurch: New Zealand captain Tim Southee will be hoping to carry on the momentum of their thrilling win over England last month in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka. The Test series starts in Christchurch from Thursday between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
New Zealand beat England by one run in a thrilling second Test in Wellington last week and now the Kiwis will turn their attention to the series against Sri Lanka. The series is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship period (2021-23) and Sri Lanka still have a chance to make it to the decider in June. If the Sri Lankan team defeats New Zealand by 2-0, then they will qualify for the final by beating the Indian team.
Kiwi captain Southee is focussing on his team’s preparations and ensuring that they win the series against Sri Lanka. The number of people talking about Test cricket is great, it was great to see the Basin Reserve full for five days, said Southee. I think, in general, people enjoy watching exciting Test matches. England has played its part in this in the last one year. People still see Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game.
“The second Test against England is a match that will be talked about for a long time, now our focus will be on Sri Lanka,” he said. We are clearly out of the Test Championship, but Sri Lanka have a lot to lose in the next two weeks. New Zealand’s preparation for the series though has been challenging, with key pacer Kyle Jamieson being ruled out of the squad due to a back injury sustained in England last year.
At the same time, former captain Kane Williamson has also been absent from training in Christchurch this week. His grandmother has passed away and he is with family in Tauranga.
On behalf of the team, I think everyone is with Kane at the moment, said the Kiwi skipper. It’s a sad time for the Williamson family. We’re looking forward to Kane joining us. He’s been able to train with the Northern Districts guys in Tauranga so I’m sure he’ll hit a lot of balls and make sure he’s match ready.
