Historic cricket test starts today
For the third summer in a row, the Black Caps find themselves hosting a glamour test series in March, with the end of the cricket season just around the corner.
Two years ago, it was Australia, who won the series 2-0. A year ago, it was South Africa, who won 1-0, with rain denying the hosts when they had an excellent chance of drawing level on the final day of the third test in Hamilton.
This time, it’s England, first in a historic day-night fixture at Eden Park, starting today, then at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, from next Friday.
The two teams are evenly matched, which should make for a pulsating contest that could define the Black Caps’ summer, which has so far consisted of three acts.
They began with a hiss and a roar, winning 13 matches in a row – a mixture of tests, one-day internationals, and Twenty20s – against the West Indies and Pakistan, before stumbling, first in the shortest format against the men from the sub continent, then in a tri-series with England and Australia, winning just once in seven tries. Then came the ODI series with England which swung back and forth, but ultimately went the way of the visitors, 3-2.
The failures at the final hurdle in the past two summers are distant memories to Black Caps captain Kane Williamson, who was quick to point out how proud he was of his side’s performance in the final test against South Africa a year ago.
But those series losses meant the past two summers ultimately ended in disappointing fashion, and if the result is the same in two weeks’ time, two in a row will have become three.
Williamson’s assessment of the summer so far was that it had been ‘‘pretty good,’’ but he said it was hard to be reflective while still in the thick of things.
‘‘It’s quite difficult to reflect on so many games of cricket, it just feels like you move on to the next one and try to prepare as well as you can to play the best cricket you can,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s still a couple of big games to go, there will be time for reflection then.’’
When you compare the two teams, it feels like this series could be decided by which established figures perform the best, with the seam attacks literally in the limelight this week in Auckland, using the pink ball that is known to move about.
Williamson is mirrored by fellow skipper Joe Root; Ross Taylor is the old hand in the batting lineup like Alastair Cook; Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner are a pace attack on par with the English duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
The potential X factors are England’s allrounders – Ben Stokes, likely to play a full part after overcoming a back injury; Chris Woakes, whose presence means they have a decent batsman at No 9; and Moeen Ali, who will be their spinner and bat at eight.
Their counterparts are Colin de Grandhomme and Todd Astle, and if they can relatively unproven duo can make big contributions, the Black Caps should be in a good place.
One thing in the hosts’ favour is that England have been not found success as tourists in recent times, winning just three of their last 16 away matches, going back to Boxing Day 2015 when they were in South Africa.
‘‘It’s quite difficult to reflect on so many games of cricket . . . there’s still a couple of big games to go.’’
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson