New Zealand and Sri Lanka aim to make early Cricket World Cup impression

Saturday, 10 January 2015 04:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

New Zealand and Sri Lanka will be aiming to progress up the Reliance ICC ODI Team Rankings, when they go head to head in a seven-match ODI series, which starts in Christchurch on Sunday. Sunday’s opening clash of the series will be a dress rehearsal for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opener, which will start 33 days later at the same venue and between the same sides. While New Zealand will play all its pool stage matches on home turf, the forthcoming series will provide excellent opportunity to Sri Lanka to acclimatize as apart from the World Cup opener against New Zealand, it will also play Afghanistan and England at Dunedin and Wellington, respectively in the pool stage. There are several permutations that could emerge over the coming weeks as Australia, England and India are also set to face off in a tri-series in Australia. All of the competing sides have an opportunity to progress ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which commences on 14 February.

Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen, Sri Lanka batsmen Kumar Sangakarra is the highest-ranked batsman heading into the series and he lies in fourth place on 811 points, 17 points adrift of South Africa’s Hashim Amla. Sangakarra is joined by his team-mate Tillikaratne Dilshan who is in seventh place and holds a four-point lead over New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, who is in ninth position. His compatriot Ross Taylor is one place outside of the top 10 in 11th spot and will be aiming to reduce India skipper MS Dhoni’s 16-point advantage. Taylor holds a 34-point lead over Angelo Mathews, who is a further place behind. Amongst the other batsmen who are likely to feature in the series are Mahela Jayawardena (23rd), Martin Guptill (27th), Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum (33rd) and Lahiru Thirimanne (45th). On the Reliance ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, seventh-ranked Sri Lanka spinner Sachithra Senanayake will be looking to reduce James Anderson’s 22-point gap. Fourteenth-placed Rangana Herath is the other Sri Lanka bowler inside the top 20, while Kyle Mills is the hosts’ highest-ranked bowler in 22nd place. Veteran left-armer Daniel Vettori and Tim Southee are tied on 593 points in 26th position in the rankings. Meanwhile, there are two Sri Lanka players in the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI All-rounders, including Angelo Mathews who holds top spot on 409 points, six points clear of Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. Dilshan lies in a career high fourth place, nine points behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez. Forthcoming fixtures New Zealand v Sri Lanka 11 Jan – First ODI, Christchurch 15 Jan – Second ODI, Hamilton (d/n) 17 Jan – Third ODI, Auckland (d/n) 20 Jan – Fourth ODI, Nelson 23 Jan – Fifth ODI, Dunedin 25 Jan – Sixth ODI, Dunedin 29 Jan – Seventh ODI, Wellington (d/n)