March 27, 2005 - Sri Lanka’s fast bowler Chaminda Vaas looms as the key to his team’s success in New Zealand.

With both New Zealand and Sri Lankan bowling attacks seriously depleted ahead of the two-test series beginning next week, Sri Lankan coach John Dyson knows Vaas will be pivotal.

"Vaasy’s got a great record here as you know and he’s tremendous ... he’s just a world-class bowler.

"Sure, he’s the main man but we’ve got exciting youngsters coming through. It’s a big opportunity for our young blokes."

Spin king Muttiah Muralitharan was ruled out of the tour to allow his shoulder to recover fully following surgery last year and talented left-armer Nuwan Zoysa has also missed the trip.

Sri Lanka arrived in New Zealand on Good Friday and began their tour against a ‘Major Associations’ XI in Christchurch before heading to Napier for the first test beginning next week.

Dyson said nothing could be read into New Zealand being supposedly at a low ebb following the Australian series.

"They [Australia] demolish everyone," he said matter-of-factly. "New Zealand has some very good players."

Captain Marvan Atapattu admitted it was hard to switch back on to thinking about cricket.

"We tried coming back to cricket by conducting a provincial tournament," he said. "That was a good starting point for us."

The Sri Lankans will be up against a team with plenty to prove. Jamie How must have been close to edging out James Marshall for the second opener’s spot against Australia but Black Caps coach John Bracewell said the selectors held off on the Central Districts man after advice from his first-class coach Graham Barlow that he was two years away from international cricket. How gets a chance to prove his coach wrong here.

Peter Fulton is also knocking on the door after another prolific season where he leads the first-class aggregates with room to spare. Fulton joins the log-jam looking for spots in the middle order now that Stephen Fleming has dropped down.

For three players the Associations match, beginning on Easter Monday, is all about resurrection.

Craig McMillan has become such an enigma over the past two years he could take the field wearing a question mark rather than his normal No 10.

He should be playing against Australia at the moment - New Zealand can’t afford to have players of his experience and ability playing in secondary matches - so it is an indication of how far south his stocks have shifted that he finds himself at Christchurch, not Auckland.

Daryl Tuffey, injury permitting, has plenty of ground to make up, both on and off the field. Being in Christchurch, he might want to lock himself in his hotel room at night.

And Mathew Sinclair? If he was picked to play Sri Lanka, he’d probably score runs. But the selectors already know that. What Sinclair must prove is that he can score against the best when the blowtorch is applied.