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New Zealand and Sri Lanka meet once again in the final Test of a two-game series just days after a thrilling two-wicket win for the hosts in Christchurch.
The Second Test gets underway at the Basin Reserve, Wellington on Thursday, March 16.
The First Test came down to the final ball of the final day, with Kane Williamson and Neil Wagner scampering a bye to win the contest by the barest of margins.
New Zealand middle order batter Daryl Mitchell took the Player of the Match award and Top Batter market with 183 runs across two innings. Tim Southee at 7/2 secured the top bowling figures of 7-121 across the two innings – in the process hitting the O4.5 match wickets line by some distance.
New Zealand are favoured to win their third successive Test match at 4/7, while Sri Lanka are priced at a barmy 8/1 given the relative closeness of the first meeting. Rain is expected on both the second and third days, which could shorten the Test and bring in the 12/5 option on the draw.
Williamson (3/1) is once again the bookies' favourite to claim the Top Batter honours – he recorded an unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test and has two centuries in the past two games including 132 at the Basin Reserve against England. The Kiwi star has four centuries and six 50s in 23 innings in Tests at Wellington, including a mammoth 242* against Sri Lanka in January 2015.
Mitchell (11/1) is another player in fine form for New Zealand. Mitchell has four centuries and five 50s in his past 15 innings with four Top Batter performances. However, his record at the venue is not pristine, with a solo 50 in three innings to his name at the Basin Reserve. Despite a poot First Test, Tom Blundell (18/1) should be considered – he has a century and a 50 in seven Test innings in Wellington.
There are also a number of options in the Sri Lanka batting line-up. Angelo Matthews (15/2) scored 162 runs in the First Test, while Dinesh Chandimal (12/1) has scored over 38 in seven of his last eight innings – with three 50s and a double century.
With the ball it was Southee (7/2) who did the damage in the First Test, and he's favoured once more in this one. The Kiwi paceman has 13 wickets across the past five innings, but his success at the Basin Reserve is questionable. He has hit the O5.5 match wickets at the venue just three times in 15 Tests, although those three occasions have been in his last five appearances.
Matt Henry (6/1) has taken 13 wickets in the past two Test matches including a 6-175 performance against England at the venue earlier this year.
For Sri Lanka, Asitha Fernando (13/2) enjoyed the conditions in Christchurch taking 7-148 – he has 20 wickets across his last seven innings. If the wicket is conducive to spin, Prabath Jayasuriya (11/2) has 32 wickets across his last eight innings.
