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A classic for good reason

If you're looking for a pair of soccer cleats but want something nostalgic and reliable, leather cleats are for you. There are tons of new options out there with the latest tech, but you just can't beat the old-fashioned look and the feel of a pair of leather cleats.

With hundreds on offer – including some that intertwine the modern features of cleats today with the classic leather cleat look – you can indulge in the best of modern tech and classic, durable leather.

Click here to skip ahead to our round-up of the best leather soccer cleats.

Our top three:

Best overall leather soccer cleats: adidas Copa Sense.2

Best budget leather soccer cleats: Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Club 

Best Firm Ground soccer cleats: adidas Copa Mundial 

FAQs:Are leather cleats better than synthetic ones?

It's hard to deny that leather cleats produce superior stability widely treasured by some of the game's leading players. Their leather uppers tend to be rigid in support and able to weather frequent usage. In contrast, their construction makes them heavier than the rest of their synthetic counterparts. Their well-honed construction, perfected over decades of cleat-making techniques, means that while some consider them old-fashioned, they stand the test of time.

What is the difference between leather cleats and others?

Several differences – some large, some subtle – exist between leather cleats and cleats designed from other materials. Studded soles, for example, are a non-starter for indoor courts. Leather cleats tend to be wrought with more obvious markings and may be marginally heavier than expected – but they will still deliver the same functionality and support found with other cleats, possibly even more so. 

How do I clean leather cleats?

Maintaining real leather or even sustainable, animal-free options, it's important to care for them properly in order to ensure that you increase their life, so you can enjoy them for longer. They also tend to be on the pricier side compared to synthetic cleats, so they're well worth maintaining on a regular basis. GOAL have put together an 8-step detailed step-by-step guide and the products you will need to make sure they stay in brilliant condition for a long time.

You won't get much better than the adidas' Copa Sense+ range which has been a staple silhouette for leather cleat options. They deliver superb comfort and ball control, balancing stability and softness for a top-drawer molded finish that takes the breath away.

Worn by the likes of Paulo Dybala, the soft leather upper delivers the quality material touch you'd demand. At the same time, TOUCHPODS on the medial side of each boot absorbs any extra impact energy off the ball.

For less than $50, these cleats from the Nike Tiempo range are a bargain and add a modern flair to the classic leather cleat look – with a new icy white and blue colorway from the Blast pack. The durable leather upper doesn't skip on quality either.

It also features a solid studded outsole for amazing traction on natural and artificial grass surfaces. These cleats are Nike's lightest Tiempo's to date with an offensive low profile, making it the perfect option for attackers.

The Copa Mundial, made famous on the stages of Spain in 1982, is still a superb leather cleat all these years later. The fact that it has stood the test of time is a testament to the quality infused throughout its design. The premium, soft K-leather upper boldly features adidas' iconic three stripes, while the signature tongue covers the top of the laces, and the inner is lined with nylon.

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For the indoor court, these brand-new Nike React Legend 9 Pros are an excellent option for leather cleats. They feature a refined leather upper that helps you with ball control while looking fantastic with an iridescent maroon colorway.

The upper also has soft foam pods to help you with dribbling and passing, while a subtle raised texture is excellent for grip. The React foam cushioning on the interior finishes it all off, giving you a snug fit and comfortability all game long.

The hosts have preferred to deploy players who were not regularly involved from the group stage to the knockout rounds

Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao has dropped Golden Boot prime candidates Karl Toko Ekambi and Vincent Aboubakar for the Africa Cup of Nations third-place game against Burkina Faso at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde on Saturday.

Backpagepix.Goalkeeper: Andre Onana

Onana has been handed a chance to book another clean sheet in the tournament for the hosts.

AdvertisementRight-back – Olivier Mbaizo

The Philadelphia Union defender features in the starting XI replacing fan favourite Collins Fai.

Backpagepix.Centre-back – Jerome Onguene

Onguene has benefited from the changes made as he replaces Jean-Charles Castelletto.

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Backpagepix.Centre-back – Harold Moukoudi

Moukoudi will feature in place of Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui who played from the group stages all through to the semis.

The league's two top goal-scorers feature in Goal's best XI for the 2020-21 campaign, which saw Chelsea retain their title

Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal dominate Goal's Women's Super League team of the season after once again locking out the top three spots in the league, all clinching Women's Champions League football for next season as a result.

The Blues clinched the title for a second successive year, their fourth title overall, while City came second for the fifth time in six years – the only exception being the 2016 season, when they won the division.

Manchester United, who topped the table at Christmas but just missed out on the European spots in the end, are the only other club represented in this XI, telling of the 15-point gap between the top four and the rest of the league.

GettyGK | Ellie Roebuck

Only Ann-Katrin Berger kept more clean sheets this campaign than Man City's Ellie Roebuck, the 21-year-old having another excellent year after also making Goal's 2019-20 team of the season.

That Golden Glove award would have likely been shared too, had Roebuck not missed the final day of the season through injury.

She has a strong defence in front of her to help, but a save percentage of 68% – the fourth highest of any goalkeeper playing more than 10 WSL games – shows the England international more than plays her part, too.

“The sky's the limit for Ellie," head coach Gareth Taylor said earlier this season. “She’s a great girl to work with, really mature for her age, enjoys the challenge and gets the bit between her teeth."

AdvertisementGettyRB | Ona Batlle

After signing from Levante in the summer, Ona Batlle has quickly endeared herself to Manchester United fans this season with performances that typify the modern day full-back.

As well as being an excellent attacking threat, playing at times in an inverted full-back role that sees her really get at teams in the final third, the Spaniard has shown just what a brilliant one-v-one defender she can be.

Despite playing for a team that are one of the strongest in the league, she is among the top five when it comes to tackles won this year. At 21 years old, she will only get better, too.

GettyCB | Magdalena Eriksson

To understand how good Magdalena Eriksson is, and how important she is to her team, one only has to look at how Chelsea have performed without her this season.

The Blues' captain is the leader of this title-winning side and whole team looks more assured when she is on the pitch, such is her status as one of the best centre-backs in Europe and, arguably, the best in the WSL.

That Emma Hayes touted her as a future Chelsea manager earlier this season tells you everything you need to know about her character and footballing intelligence.

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GettyCB | Alex Greenwood

When Alex Greenwood returned to the WSL in the summer, most expected her to renew a competition for places that she is familiar with when playing for England, battling with Demi Stokes for the starting left-back spot at City.

As the season transpired, Greenwood instead spent most of it as a centre-back – and she has thrived, having the best individual season of her career to date.

Her composure in possession has been essential for the way City play, while her set-piece deliveries have been problematic for every team in the league. Arsenal's Katie McCabe was the only defender to create more chances all season.

Batsman KL Rahul and offspinning allrounder Parvez Rasool will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2016. The pair had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous two seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2016Batsman KL Rahul and offspinning allrounder Parvez Rasool will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2016. The pair had represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous two seasons.Rahul was picked up for Rs 100 lakhs ($166,000) while Rasool went for Rs 95 lakhs ($158,000) during the 2014 IPL auction. Rahul had an underwhelming 2015 season with Sunrisers, managing only 142 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 112.69. Rasool had got only two games that season.Rasool had earlier been part of Pune Warriors. He has also played a solitary ODI for India, taking two wickets against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2014. Rahul, who can also keep wickets, returns to Royal Challengers, having played for them in 2013. He, however, scored only 20 runs in five matches.Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers, welcomed Rahul back. “Given his multiple skills, KL Rahul has a lot to offer RCB in terms of batting and wicket keeping,” Mallya said. “It’s a good feeling to get a prominent local Karnataka boy back home and in the RCB fold again.”Rasool’s addition to the roster ensures that the spin department is well stocked with Iqbal Abdulla, Yuzvendra Chahal and Samuel Badree already in the mix.”Parvez offers us a spinning allrounder option that we were targeting to compliment Chahal and Iqbal,” Mallya said. “I hope to see him continue his good form in this forthcoming IPL season.”

Kolkata Knight Riders went top of the IPL table with a tense two-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy24-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:01

Cullinan: R Ashwin not bowling full quota is a concern

Before Sunday, Kolkata Knight Riders had won three games out of three while bowling first. On Sunday, they chased again, won again, and went top of the table in a tournament where chasing teams had won 17 out of 20 matches. Chasing 161, they were coasting at 111 for 3 before they slumped dramatically, losing five wickets in 30 balls, and only sealed victory when Umesh Yadav struck a meaty straight six with five runs needed off the last four balls.Knight Riders’ slump began in the 15th over, when Rajat Bhatia’s stump-to-stump line, and Yusuf Pathan’s across-the-line response, ended a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket with Suryakumar Yadav. That partnership, coming on the back of Suryakumar’s stands of 31 and 29 with Gautam Gambhir and Shakib Al Hasan, had taken Knight Riders to a position where they needed 50 off the last 34 balls, with six wickets in hand.But when M Ashwin struck in the next over, defeating Suryakumar with a ripping googly, and particularly when Andre Russell – who struck two big sixes off Ankit Sharma in the 17th over – holed out to a slower ball from Thisara Perera, a one-sided contest turned into a thriller. Knight Riders kept in touch with the required rate with a boundary whenever they needed it, but they also kept losing wickets. In the end, they had Nos. 9 and 10 at the crease when Umesh slogged Perera high over long-on.In his post-match interview, MS Dhoni said he was happy with Supergiants’ total of 160, and thought his spinners had given the match away by bowling too full on a slow pitch offering plenty of turn. There were six sixes hit off the Supergiants spinners, and all six came off balls that were in the slot for lofted hits.It was a definite contrast to the way the Knight Riders spinners had operated, largely bowling just short of a good length, and extracting generous turn that made it hard to hit down the ground or against the break.Ajinkya Rahane came into the match with two half-centuries in his last four innings, and demonstrated his silky form with an effortless flicked six off Morne Morkel in the third over of the Supergiants innings, and two fours off the next six balls he faced.The introduction of Shakib Al Hasan, in the fourth over, revealed the extent of turn available, as he straightened one from wide of the crease to clip Faf du Plessis’ off stump. With Shakib bowling three overs by the end of the eighth over, and Gambhir introducing Piyush Chawla early as well, Rahane and Steven Smith spent a fair amount of time negotiating balls turning away from them, and sharply at that. They were busy in this period, working the ball into gaps and running frantically, and had put on 56 in 8.2 overs when Smith was needlessly run out, backing up too far down the pitch.Dhoni sent in the left-handed Perera and Albie Morkel ahead of him, and they both made cameos, hitting three sixes between them to lift the run rate alongside Rahane, who hit a couple of sixes as well, off Chawla and Umesh in the 16th and 17th over.Rahane’s dismissal at the start of the 18th over brought in Dhoni, and the Supergiants captain punished a wayward Morne Morkel in the final over, pulling him for six and four either side of a whipped boundary manufactured off a leg-stump yorker. Supergiants had taken 17 off the last over, and 70 off the last six.Albie, playing his first match for Supergiants, showed he had a fair idea of how to bowl on this pitch when he struck with his first ball, a slower offcutter that clanged into Robin Uthappa’s front pad in front of off stump. But his brother Morne’s tendency to bowl short also rubbed off on him, and Gambhir and Suryakumar hit him for three fours over the remainder of an eventful first over.When Albie overcompensated and fed Suryakumar two overpitched balls in the third over, Knight Riders were racing along at 29 for 1. But they lost Gambhir against the run of play, when he turned for a non-existent second run, and Supergiants were back in the contest.With M Ashwin and Ankit forming an inexperienced two-thirds of Supergiants’ spin attack, Dhoni needed R Ashwin to be at his best. But it wasn’t his day. Introduced in the fourth over, he struggled to find the right line, length and pace to bowl on this pitch. He bowled three leg-side wides that spun from outside off stump, fed two balls in Suryakumar’s six-hitting slot, went around the wicket to try and change his luck, and did all of this in the space of two overs.Two overs was all he would bowl. Dhoni ignored opportunities to use him outside the Powerplay, perhaps unwilling to use him against a succession of right-handed Knight Riders batsmen, but it showed, not for the first time in recent months, a lack of trust in a proven, experienced spinner.

Ahsan Malik starred for Netherlands with figures of 4 for 37 against Papua New Guinea as Netherlands completed an easy five-wicket in Rotterdam

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2015Ahsan Malik starred for Netherlands with figures of 4 for 37 against Papua New Guinea as Netherlands completed an easy five-wicket in Rotterdam. Rain dominated the first half of the day, but it finally relented for a 30-over contest. Netherlands chose to field and immediately put PNG under pressure with early wickets.Mudassar Bukhari dismissed the openers in consecutive overs, and Vani Morea fell in the fifth over for 1. Rain intervened again in the 12th over with the score 39 for 3 to reduce the match further to 24 overs each.Assad Vala, who led PNG to a historic win against Netherlands in the Intercontinental Cup last week with an unbeaten 124, and Mahuru Dai offered brief resistance with a 34-run stand. Vala fell in the 13th over for 29 as PNG’s innings never gained momentum. Netherlands picked up regular wickets – with Malik taking one each in the 18th, 20th, 22nd and 24th – ensuring that PNG could only muster 122 for 9 in 24 overs.In reply, the Netherlands openers – Michael Swart and Stephan Myburgh – started briskly. They added 53 off just 42 balls before Myburgh fell for 20. Any hopes of a comeback were quashed by the second-wicket stand of 39 between Swart (38) and Ben Cooper (37*). Legspinner Charles Amini picked up three wickets but it was not enough as Netherlands romped home with 35 balls to spare.

Jack Taylor lit up an otherwise cheerless day with his maiden first-class century to give Gloucestershire the upper hand over Derbyshire.

ECB/PA01-Jun-2015
ScorecardJack Taylor made his maiden first-class century to give Gloucestershire a third batting point•PA PhotosJack Taylor lit up an otherwise cheerless day with his maiden first-class century to give Gloucestershire the upper hand over Derbyshire. Taylor made 120 from 139 balls to take Gloucestershire to 329 before Derbyshire closed day two 252 behind, with rain prevented any play after tea.Mark Footitt took three of the four Gloucestershire wickets to fall to finish with 4 for 60 while Tom Taylor ended his namesake’s excellent innings to record figures of 4 for 89.Michael Klinger had started the day seven short of a century but he fell to the sixth ball of the morning when he edged Footitt into the gloves of Harvey Hosein. Craig Miles went in his next over, also caught behind as he tried to take his bat away from another rapid delivery to leave Gloucestershire on 255 for 8 but Taylor again counter-attacked well, driving Tony Palladino over the top to pass his previous highest score of 63 and then pulling the seamer for six.After a brief interruption for bad light, Taylor and David Payne continued to frustrate Derbyshire with Taylor launching Tillakaratne Dilshan for six before the new ball was taken. Taylor reached his hundred off 122 balls before another short stoppage for rain and the ninth wicket pair took their stand to 74 before Taylor sliced a drive to third man.”It was important we got more than 300 and after Klinger was out it needed a mature innings,” Gloucestershire captain Geraint Jones said. “Jack batted in a mature way with controlled aggression. Credit to David Payne too for sticking with him and also credit to the bowlers for bowling tightly throughout.”Footitt had Liam Norwell caught behind in the next over following Taylor’s departure without scoring and batting became increasingly difficult when Derbyshire replied in gloomy conditions. Even with the floodlights on, the umpires took the players off for a third time before Ben Slater was taken low down at second slip off Norwell for 17.Chesney Hughes was missed by Jones at first slip on 5 but added only four before he edged a defensive push at Benny Howell and although Dilshan started by pulling Norwell for six; Godleman went 48 minutes without scoring a run. Both were grateful to get to tea but the rain set in during the interval and it was no surprise when play was abandoned shortly before 5pm leaving Godleman to reflect on a mixed day for Derbyshire.”We started very well and Footy bowled an excellent spell but I think in that situation you have to give credit to Jack Taylor, he chanced his arm very well and played some good cricket shots. But I would have liked us to execute our plans a little bit better.”

The England coach, was tentative in the defence of his position following his side’s calamitous World Cup exit after a 15-run defeat to Bangladesh.

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20152:07

‘We don’t have enough variations’ – Moores

Peter Moores, the England coach, made a tentative defence of his position following his side’s calamitous World Cup exit after a 15-run defeat to Bangladesh.Moores was appointed only in April last year but England’s early departure from the World Cup following five months where one-day cricket was their sole focus will bring his future into question.Downton gives Moores backing

Paul Downton, England’s managing director, has spoken in support of the Peter Moores, saying it will “take time” to rebuild the team. England went out of the World Cup at the group stage to further extend a rocky period that began with the 2013-14 Ashes debacle in Australia.
“I have every faith in Peter Moores,” Downton told Sky Sports. “Part of the reason for appointing Peter Moores was he is a very experienced coach.
“Whoever took this job was going to have a really difficult job. We had a side that broke up in Australia, we had to introduce new players and part of dealing with it – which was obviously going to be pressurised – was that experience. We’re very early into an appointment. Much as we’d like to change things instantly, it takes time.
“Look at New Zealand and where they were with their one-day cricket two years ago – it takes time to bring things through. We had a very successful team between 2009 and 2013, we have to rebuild again. There are no shortcuts. We have to back our players, invest in them and in time we will be back there again.”

Asked whether he could still make a difference, Moores said: “I think I can. I can’t say I’m making a difference having just been knocked out of a World Cup but I’m going to go away, it’s going to hurt like hell and I’ll look at what I could have done differently. People will ask questions but that comes with the territory.”Moores offered few excuses for England’s failure to beat Bangladesh and said he felt he had “let people down”. The defeat lengthened England’s miserable World Cup record; their last extended run in the tournament came back in 1992.”I thought 275 was chaseable after a decent start. I don’t think we bowled as well as we could have done in the middle but we started well and we finished well. I don’t think we’ve bowled as well as we wanted to and that’s been reflected in how it’s gone. Everyone has got to take their part in responsibility and you’ve just got to take it on the chin.”You’ve got to be able to take pressure as a good team if you want to win tournaments and we have to accept that we didn’t take it. We should have chased that down and we didn’t play well enough.”England jettisoned Alastair Cook as captain before Christmas, handing the job to Eoin Morgan and favouring a more dynamic top-order, only to bring in Gary Ballance at No. 3 at the start of the tournament. Ballance made a high score of 10 in four innings before Alex Hales, one of the most highly-rated one-day players in domestic cricket, was given another opportunity against Bangladesh.Show me the way home: Peter Moores’ England are out of the World Cup•Getty Images”We haven’t got a settled team and we lost two key players at the top of our order,” Moores said. “But we tried to find the best players to get in that team. Gary is a very good one-day player but he hasn’t played well enough here. There was no obvious team to pick because it’s such a young team, we’ve got nine guys here who have never been to a World Cup. You pick the side who we thought was the best team but we have to accept they didn’t play well enough.”We went for more explosive batters and we went for more firepower in the order. We also know historically that most experienced sides do well in World Cups so we were taking a risk.”Eoin’s more disappointed than anybody else. He started to play well actually. I thought he captained well on the field today. He’s new to it and it’s something to look at going forward but I don’t think he’s a bad captain just because we lost tonight.”Moores also denied England are over-reliant on statistical analysis: “We don’t do analysis as it’s talked about in the press, it’s not the way we do it. Players will look at footage as they always do, you can’t not look at other players in a tournament like this because it’s on TV all the time. Realistically a player has to decide what his strengths are and go and apply them and coaches have to help them try to do that. That’s not the issue here, we just haven’t played well enough.”The inquest into England’s shortcomings will include another look at the county game and Moores said there were “fundamental” issues to sort out.”We haven’t got a left-arm seamer here or a left-arm spinner and we haven’t got a bank of them at home either,” he said. “So if we had a lot of experienced one-day players that we weren’t selecting it would be different but we haven’t got that. We’re not overloaded with high-class one-day players.”

Half-centuries from David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan laid the platform for Sunrisers Hyderabad to cruise to a target of 167 and pick up their first win of the season

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:25

Agarkar: No standout bowler in RCB attack

Half-centuries from David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan laid the platform for Sunrisers Hyderabad to cruise to a target of 167 and pick up their first win of the season. They were aided by a dewy outfield, but Royal Challengers Bangalore would have known their total was never going to be good enough to test Sunrisers on a flat Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch.Having been sent in, Royal Challengers were 93 for 2 in the 12th over of their innings, with Virat Kohli batting on 41, when two wickets in two balls from Ravi Bopara precipitated a slide that saw them lose their last eight wickets for 73 runs.Royal Challengers were always going to struggle to defend 166, and a poor start from their seamers only made their task harder. The first ball of Sunrisers’ chase encapsulated the story that was about to unfold. Sean Abbott sent down a full-toss, and Warner simply met it with the full face of his bat to send it screaming away to the extra-cover boundary. By the end of the second over, Warner and Shikhar Dhawan had hit five more fours and a six, against Abbott and Harshal Patel’s assortment of hit-me balls, and Sunrisers had shaved 36 runs off their target.Warner was in a particularly punishing mood, and in the fifth over took two fours and a six off successive balls from Varun Aaron. The six was the shot of a man in the zone. Aaron saw Warner making room and dug it in short, getting the ball to rise over shoulder height, but Warner still managed to jump off the ground and uppercut the ball over the backward point boundary.Royal Challengers introduced spin in the eighth over, which began with Sunrisers 73 for 0. Warner muscled a short ball from Yuzvendra Chahal over the leg-side ropes, but the legspinner had his revenge three balls later, when he trapped Warner lbw as he failed to connect with a sweep.Williamson missed another sweep in Chahal’s next over and ended up dragging his back foot out of the crease. The twin strikes could have stalled some of Sunrisers’ momentum, but KL Rahul ensured that didn’t happen. He pulled Sammy for an authoritative four soon after walking in, and stepped out to Chahal and hit him fiercely to the straight boundary in the next over. By that point, Sunrisers had brought the equation down to 57 from 52 balls. With eight wickets in hand, Dhawan well set, and plenty of dew for the bowlers to contend with, there was only going to be one winner.Dhawan, who had been content to ride in both Warner and Rahul’s slipstreams, accelerated as he approached his fifty, hitting two massive sixes off Abu Nechim, a pull and a pick-up shot over backward square leg. Royal Challengers weren’t just beaten comfortably, with 16 balls remaining, they also suffered the anxiety of watching AB de Villiers hobble off the field with a twisted ankle, suffered while trying to stop a ball with his feet.Interviewed between innings, Ravi Bopara said the Sunrisers bowlers had struggled to grip the dew-soaked ball too. If so, they did a pretty good job to cope with it. They couldn’t control every ball, and gave away their share of boundaries to AB de Villiers and Sean Abbott, but bowled a lot of good balls towards the end of the Royal Challengers innings, usually targeting the base of the stumps. They took three wickets with yorkers in the last five overs, one from Ashish Reddy in the 16th over and two from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 20th.In between, Trent Boult took out de Villiers, who sliced a wide one straight into sweeper cover’s hands, and removed Abott and Harshal Patel in the same over, with well-directed short balls. In all, Royal Challengers lost their last six wickets for 41 runs, and their last five in the space of ten balls.The total of 166 was far less than what Royal Challengers seemed set for during a breezy first-wicket partnership between Chris Gayle and Kohli. With the ball coming on beautifully and the outfield lightning-quick, both batsmen were able to find the boundary by simply pushing the ball into gaps.Gayle fell in the sixth over, flicking Praveen Kumar straight to deep square leg, but Kohli was still batting fluently at the other end, and a spilled return catch from Karn Sharma in the ninth over may have raised Sunrisers’ worries of having to chase an outlandish target.But that wasn’t to happen. Karn got rid of Dinesh Karthik, who picked the wrong ball to try and slog-sweep, and Bopara rattled Kohli’s off stump when he tried to force him away through the off side. Next ball, Mandeep Singh looked to flick a legcutter and got a leading edge to off. There didn’t seem to be anyone in its way, until Warner flew to his right from short cover to pluck it one-handed. It wouldn’t be his last eye-catching contribution of the day.

The Christchurch Test was won on the back of stunning first-innings performances, but New Zealand are taking nothing for granted in Wellington

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando02-Jan-2015Match factsJanuary 3-7, 2015
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)Big PictureThe second innings of the Boxing Day Test is what both sides have kept in mind in the approach to the second Test. For Sri Lanka, the fightback is a source of self belief. “We can compete out here,” is the thought they have embraced. For the hosts, memories of that second innings have prevented them from “getting too far ahead of ourselves.” The Christchurch match was won on the back of stunning first-innings performances, but New Zealand are taking nothing for granted in Wellington.Having now had more time to acclimatise, Sri Lanka are expected to be a sterner opposition, but New Zealand still hold the aces. In a nine-month period in which Sri Lanka have already faced the England and South Africa attacks, Kaushal Silva said he has not ever seen swing as late and accurate as what Trent Boult and Tim Southee delivered. Many also thought Brendon McCullum would not top his 202 in Sharjah for a long time, but he did so on his very next outing, on a seaming deck. Add Kane Williamson’s form, and the general confidence surging through this side to the equation, and New Zealand appear among the most potent Test forces in the world at present.Sri Lanka’s path to parity is marked out by grit, and that is a quality they have possessed plenty of in the past year. They are outgunned man-for-man in these conditions, but feel they can hold their own as a team. Aggressive batsmen have been prepared to go slow. The lower order has made some runs. Angelo Mathews has held the whole operation together, making vital stands with the tail, and providing sparse but important breakthroughs with the ball. For this match they also have Rangana Herath, who has a track record of running through New Zealand, albeit on much more helpful surfaces.Form guideNew Zealand WWDLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWWDL
In the spotlightHamish Rutherford’s Test career so far has been an endeavour to make good on the promise of his 171 from 217 balls on debut against England in 2013, but in 25 completed innings since, he has crossed fifty only once. Known in domestic cricket for his positive approach – which should make him a good fit for this New Zealand side – Rutherford must make runs in Wellington or risk being cut loose again, as he was after the tour of the Caribbean last year.There is perhaps no harder worker in international cricket than Kumar Sangakkara, and visibly distraught at his match-aggregate of seven in Christchurch, he has virtually lived in the nets since. Perhaps he knows that this attack has laid him low before. In the last Test series against New Zealand, Sangakkara made only 21 runs in three innings – and that was in Sri Lanka. He has a sublime record against every team, and in every continent, and he will be desperate to prove himself once again, on what will probably be his final overseas Test.Teams newsTim Southee has suffered a minor ankle injury between Tests, and a decision about his availability has not yet been made. McCullum said Doug Bracewell would take Southee’s place, should he prove unfit. Corey Anderson has regained fitness, but with James Neesham having made runs in Christchurch, the hosts have suggested they will stick by him. Kane Williamson is also carrying a shoulder niggle, after landing awkwardly on it, but McCullum expected him to play.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Tom Latham, , 2 Hamish Rutherford, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5  Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 James Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mark Craig, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tim Southee/Doug Bracewell, 11 Trent BoultSri Lanka might have been tempted to play two spinners at the Basin, but the inch of grass seen on the pitch would probably have scuppered those thoughts. Herath, who was likely to be a straight swap for Tharindu Kaushal, is only 50-50 to play. “Herath must pass a fitness Test on Saturday morning before he is cleared to play,” Mathews said. Dinesh Chandimal may also come in for Niroshan Dickwella, and Dhammika Prasad’s place may be under threat from Nuwan Pradeep.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3  Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne,  5 Angelo Mathews (capt),  6 Dinesh Chandimal, 7 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8 Rangana Herath/Tharindu Kaushal, 9 Dhammika Prasad/Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Shaminda Eranga, 11 Suranga LakmalPitch and conditionsThis pitch looks even greener than the surface at Hagley Oval did in the approach to that Test, but locals say that does not necessarily mean it will be a seamers’ paradise throughout. The surface will be spicy on the first day, but then has a tendency to flatten out somewhat, though it is expected to retain the pace and bounce that will keep bowlers in the contest. The weather forecast is good for the first few days, but worsens towards the end of the Test. The wind, of course, always has a bearing on the match in Wellington.Stats and trivia New Zealand have gone unbeaten in 10 matches at home. The last side to defeat them was South Africa, in March 2012 Rangana Herath has 31 New Zealand wickets at an average of 19.58 – his best against any opposition. His three wickets in New Zealand, though, came at 40 runs apiece, in a Napier Test back in 2005 Brendon McCullum’s 1164 runs in 2014 came at a strike rate of over 72. This despite his rearguard 302 against India in Wellington having come off 559 ballsQuotes”Tim is incredibly honest with his assessment and most of the time he will play even if he’s not quite right. I think in this circumstance he’ll make a pretty astute judgement on whether he thinks he’s right or not and we’ve got trust in our support staff as well as in our physio and coach to make the right decision. We’ll see how it scrubs up in the morning, and if he is a risk that’s not worth taking, we won’t take it.”
“I look to score runs and try to be positive. That has always been the strength for me, regardless of the situation and conditions. I stick to that game plan and it has worked well.”
Angelo Mathews lays out the simple approach that has brought him success all over the world in the past year.