Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum is hoping for a change of luck at the coin toss before tomorrow’s Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka.
Both sides would prefer to bowl first at Hagley Oval in Christchurch’s first test for 11 years.
It was a very relaxed Black Caps skipper today, after a busy start to his Christmas Day.
“The kids were up at 6am, bright and early start, [they were] very excited.”
The Black Caps are excited too to be home in familiar conditions after a long tour to the United Arab Emirates.
And while they’ll be favourites this series, McCullum says underestimating a largely new look Sri Lanka would be a mistake.
“Sri Lanka have a good team and travel better than they used to, they have played well against teams in conditions similar to this,” says McCullum. “They are not going to roll over for us.”
Winning the toss could give the Black Caps an early lead.
“Until we know what it’s like in the morning and take the covers it’s hard to make that call,” says McCullum. “But I guess we are leaning towards bowling first.”
The decision may not be his to make, of course.
“Normally I don’t win the toss in New Zealand.”
It’s the first Boxing Day Test in New Zealand since 2003 and on that occasion McCullum was at the centre of a controversy. When he was a wicket-keeper, he ran out Muttiah Muralitharan after he left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkarra on his century.
At the time it polarised opinion – even the skipper was torn.
“I still don’t know what the right thing to do there is,” says McCullum.
He went on to hit the winning runs.
In 2014 he’s been so successful that he is just 31 shy of becoming the first New Zealander to score 1000 test runs in a calendar year.
