Looking skywards

Charlie Austin previews the second Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at Kandy which starts on Saturday, May 3 at 0430GMT

After an attritional drawn opening Test in Colombo, a dreary contest on a lifeless pitch, more frustration is in store for the second Test at Kandy. This time it is not the defensive mindset of the two teams that makes another draw seem likely, but the early onset of monsoon rains, which have poured down in the hill-country during the last two weeks.

Both sides' preparation has been severely hampered by the wet weather, washing out the Sri Lanka practice on Thursday afternoon. Sri Lanka and New Zealand were at least grateful for some time in the side nets on the eve of the game, but too much time has been spent lolling in the team hotel.

Should the rain - which has moved in each day in the early afternoon - stay away tonight then there is a chance that play could start on time. However, Sri Lanka's chief curator expects a late start and possibly no play at all on the first day. The pitch is bone dry and the 30-yard inner circle has been covered, protecting the run-ups, but the outfield is like a bog and the worms are having a field day.

The prospect of serious time being lost suggests a continuation of the first Test stalemate. With this being a two-Test series, both sides were reluctant to take risks, and this is unlikely to change, although New Zealand's captain, Stephen Fleming, noted the need for a more adventurous approach: "Both teams just looked a little apprehensive. Our team had better take some risks if we are going to push forward."

His counterpart, Hashan Tillakaratne, concurs, arguing that two-Test series encourage captains to be "over defensive". He believes that three matches should be a bare minimum: "The idea of a two-match series is bewildering - I see no logic in it. If this is washed out it will be very sad."

But the number of matches alone cannot explain the lack of positive intent displayed thus far. New Zealand's batsmen were understandably wary of Sri Lanka's spinners on the first day in Colombo, using that match to gather valuable experience and build confidence against Muttiah Muralitharan in particular. "We had a nervous first day, which put us behind in the game, but we really had to have a good look at the spinners," admitted Fleming. "We gained valuable experience and put to bed some of our demons against Murali."

Tillakaratne, meanwhile, a naturally defensive batsman and leader anyhow, is also under pressure. Appointed as a caretaker captain, apparently until such time as Marvan Atapattu is perceived ready to take over, he will be desperate to avoid defeat, a result that could conceivably end his tenure in charge.

For Sri Lanka there is the added worry of playing in Kandy, a venue where everything that can go wrong has gone wrong in the recent past. They have won their last two Tests here, against West Indies and Zimbabwe, but that has not fully healed the deep scars left by shock defeats against South Africa in 2000, England in 2001 and an injury-ravaged Indian side later that year. All three would have been won had the home side not succumbed to pressure and squandered winning positions.

New Zealand, who have noted this with some interest, will also hope that their pace attack will be able to exploit the likely overcast conditions on a pitch that has a reputation for assisting fast bowlers with extra bounce and seam movement.

However, this pitch - grassless and biscuit dry - does not look like a traditional Kandy surface. The Sri Lankans are convinced that it will offer more assistance to the spinners than the surface used in the first Test and they are not expected to alter the balance of their bowling attack.

"To be honest, looking at the pitch, I think it will turn more than the last game and I don't think the third seamer is going to come into play here," said Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka's interim coach. "The only issue to discuss with the selectors is the final make-up of the spin bowling attack."

New Zealand, too, are expected to play a similar side. Fleming and Mark Richardson, their two in-form batsmen, have recovered from niggling injuries sustained during the first Test.

New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (capt), Matthew Horne, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Robbie Hart, Ian Butler, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Paul Wiseman, Richard Jones, Ian Butler.

Sri Lanka (from) Hashan Tillakaratne (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Michael Vandort, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Prabath Nissanka, Dharshana Gamage.