The year in cricket is coming to a close, but the sport has saved the very best match-up of 2014 for last. Powerhouse nations New Zealand and Sri Lanka begin the first of two test matches in Christchurch on Friday. The two also have a three-match ODI series looming on the horizon in 2015 as well.
Both teams are coming off impressive, hard-fought victories in their previous appearances. The New Zealand Black Caps survived a five-match series against Pakistan by a slim 3-2 margin; meanwhile, Sri Lanka bested England in an exciting, back-and-forth seven-game series.
Both teams will continue to experiment with lineups and look to build team chemistry and momentum as we head toward the Cricket World Cup next year.
If there's one player who will be a deciding factor in this showdown, it's the Kiwis' Kane Williamson. He was absolutely dominant against Pakistan, and has scored seven half-centuries in his last eight performances.
The first test match between Sri Lanka and England kicks off at 22:00 GMT. A live feed of the match is available for streaming RIGHT HERE.
Sri Lanka Squad (subject to change)
AD Mathews*, TM Dilshan, PLS Gamage, DPMD Jayawardene, RAS Lakmal, BAW Mendis, BMAJ Mendis, MDK Perera, MDKJ Perera, NLTC Perera, KTGD Prasad, SMA Priyanjan, PADLR Sandakan, KC Sangakkara†, SMSM Senanayake, HDRL Thirimanne
New Zealand Squad (subject to change)
KS Williamson*, CJ Anderson, DG Brownlie, AP Devcich, MJ Guptill, MJ Henry, TWM Latham, MJ McClenaghan, NL McCullum, KD Mills, AF Milne, JDS Neesham, L Ronchi, LRPL Taylor, DL Vettori
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