SL v NZ | New Zealand can better adapt to Lankan conditions after Galle loss, says Tim Southee

In their six-wicket defeat in the Galle Test, a margin that might suggest that the game wasn't close although it was, the visitors have learned a lot about how to adapt to the Lankan conditions, according to pace bowler Tim Southee.

The reason for New Zealand’s late acclimatization is that the only warm-up game, preceding the 1st Test, was badly affected by rain and the visitors went in a little underprepared.

Despite the loss, Southee believes that New Zealand were in the game for a major part of the game and the only thing that made the difference was the century-stand between captain Dimuth Karunaratne (122) and Lahiru Thirimanne (64) as they chased 268.

“We played some good cricket throughout the five days but Sri Lanka were just better in the back end of the game,” said Southee, who was confirmed on Tuesday as the captain for the Twenty20 series following the second test in Colombo, " said Southee, as quoted by the TOI.

“We showed glimpses throughout and the guys learned a lot from playing in these conditions. Hopefully, we can put in the hard work and turn out a performance over the next test match.”

Southee, who bowled just seven overs in the first innings and 12 in the second of the Galle Test, spoke about the importance of the spin trio- Ajaz Patel, Will Somerville and Mitchell Santner- in this series and insisted that the pacers- himself and Boult are just playing a supporting role.

“It’s a tough one because you know that you’re only going to get a short spell, so you walk a fine line of not trying too much and trying to keep it tight but still trying to take a wicket,” the 30-year-old added.

“I guess we’re doing more of a support role for the spinners who are more attacking in these conditions.”