No. Big boys will expose lack of depth
It’s nice to beat up on the little guys sometimes. New Zealand started their international cricketing summer with domination against the West Indies, and for a while the same happened against Pakistan. But then reality started to bite. You see, Pakistan are a very good cricket team that struggles to travel. After some time to acclimatise, they found their way and proved their strength.
Since the start of the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, which was the moment New Zealand started playing the big guns this summer, things have been far from rosy.
From the moment their wonderful winning streak was ended by Pakistan, the Black Caps have won just three of 12 games against the big boys.
With just 25 per cent of matches going New Zealand’s way, it puts things in perspective for this Black Caps side which has been touted as worldbeaters.
Australia’s Big Bash all-0stars crushed New Zealand thrice and, while England took some time to come into things in New Zealand, they too have been much the better team in their encounters to date.
But for a pair of brilliant Ross Taylor performances in the ODI series, New Zealand could be coming off a 5-0 whitewash heading into the test series. And that’s the problem in a nutshell. Ross Taylor is world-class. Kane Williamson is world-class. Trent Boult is world-class. Happy days.
The drop-off from there, though, is steep. Those three are the Southern Alps, and the rest of the squad are the Canterbury plains.
England aren’t exactly in sparking red-ball form, but they have serious pedigree throughout their side and if we’re being honest, playing the Black Caps in Auckland isn’t like playing Australia in Melbourne.
Ben Stokes returns to add some serious punch to the England lineup, with bat and ball. He would have been a vital component of an English side in Australia and was sorely missed. He has the ability to swing games, and now he’s back and ready to make up for lost time.
It’s those all round spots which really take England over the top of New Zealand.
Stokes is a much better version of Colin de Grandhomme. Moeen Ali and Mitchell Santner may be well matched on current form, but Santner’s gone. Todd Astle lacks international experience and will be targeted by England.
The pressure is off the tourists. Now they can come out and enjoy a last hurrah before heading home.
For New Zealand, they have to fire in their last taste of international cricket for eight months. It could prove a very bitter taste if things pan out in the tourists’ favour.