Cricket: CADDICK'S PITCH HITCH; Patient paceman spins winter tale.

ANDREW Caddick is preparing himself for another tour of frustration on Sri Lanka's slow pitches knowing the soaring reputation of England's attack could be their biggest weapon in the forthcoming Test series.

He is expecting more of the same when they face Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on February 22, confident that England can out-bowl their opponents should they take the unusual step of providing fast and bouncy surfaces.

Although the first half of the winter was not the most productive for him personally, he believes the seam bowlers' efforts in ripping through the West Indies last summer followed by the batting line-up's success against Pakistan's spinners will unsettle Sri Lanka.

'I would expect them to produce a good wicket,' he said.

'I don't think they will forget what our spin did to Pakistan and I don't think they can allow our batsmen to dominate theirs.

'Scared'

'Pakistan were scared of our attack and they thought we'd be scared of their spin attack and that didn't work - we've got a good pace attack now and we're just developing a good spin attack.

'Sri Lanka would be silly not to be scared of our attack. We have got pace, bounce and movement and I think it will be an interesting series and the pressure is on them as the home side just like it was for Pakistan.'

England will have to fend off Muttiah Muralitharan's spin and give greater help to Warwickshire's Ashley Giles, who claimed 17 Pakistani wickets.

Caddick said: 'It was a bit annoying not taking more wickets but that's Pakistan - some of the greatest bowlers have been there and not taken wickets so I expected that.

'I'm trying to be a bowler who shuts up one end which needs to be done on these sorts of wickets. My job is to maintain pressure from one end and if that means taking no wickets for 10 runs off six or seven overs then so be it. This winter's a spinner's winter and our job is to take the pressure off them by taking a couple of wickets.'

Russel Arnold's 78 not out, his second consecutive half-century, condemned New Zealand to a ninth defeat in 10 and gave Sri Lanka a 2-0 lead in the five-match one-day series.

Sri Lanka, deducted one over for a slow over-rate, overhauled New Zealand's 205 for eight with three balls remaining and three wickets in hand after a tense struggle on a sluggish pitch in Wellington.

New Zealand seemed on course for victory when Daniel Vettori had Aravinda de Silva (37) leg-before with the last ball of the 40th over. Earlier, Chris Harris scored 56 for the Kiwis.

SCOREBOARD

CAPTION(S):

WORKHORSE... England's Andrew Caddick expects a tiring series for pace bowlers