Cricket: NZ looking to knock Sri Lankans off top spot

If New Zealand won both games this week, Sri Lanka could drop as low as No4. Photo / AFP

New Zealand are up against the world No1 T20 team twice this week, and if they're looking for a negative kind of positive, winning the series 2-0 would bump the Sri Lankans off their perch.

The tourists sit seventh on world rankings in the shortest form, 25 points adrift of the Sri Lankans, whom they've beaten five times in 11 T20 matches, while losing four.

However, there's much at stake in the series, notably the chance to continue preparation for the world T20 tournament next March-April, back in Bangladesh. After this series, there are just two T20s against the West Indies, early in January, before the world event.

If New Zealand won both games this week, Sri Lanka could drop as low as No4, depending on the outcome of the Pakistan-South Africa series in South Africa, starting on Thursday morning (NZT), and be replaced by India, Pakistan or South Africa, such is the tightness at the top of the ladder.

New Zealand's record over the past two years is a reasonable reflection of their short form game. They've won nine and lost 10 games in that time, and sit nine points behind sixth-placed England on the International Cricket Council rankings.

Neil Broom is likely to get a run in these two games. He travelled across specifically for this series.

Sri Lanka have brought in two faces familiar to those New Zealand players on the recent A tour of India and Sri Lanka, offspinning allrounder Ramith Rambukwella and legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna. Dinesh Chandimal takes over the captaincy.

Sri Lanka v New Zealand
First T20, Pallekele, from 2.30am tomorrow

Sri Lanka (from): Dinesh Chandimal (c), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ramith Rambukwella, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara.

New Zealand (from): Kyle Mills (c), Hamish Rutherford, Anton Devcich, Tom Latham, Rob Nicol, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi, Neil Broom, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan McCullum, Andrew Ellis, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne.