Taylor, Southee on verge of milestones
Two Black Caps are on the verge of bringing up important milestones, but one has more to do than the other when the first test against Pakistan starts today.
Ross Taylor simply has to make it to Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui in one piece to become the mostcapped Black Cap in history, with 438 international appearances to his name across all three formats.
As things stand, he is tied with Daniel Vettori, who has held that mantle since he took it off Stephen Fleming in 2011, on 437.
It doesn’t get handed down often – and it might very well never be handed down again.
Martin Guptill, now a white-ball specialist, has made 324 appearances over the years, while Kane Williamson will make his 295th on Boxing Day and Tim Southee his 294th. However, there’s less international cricket played now than there was in the early years of Taylor’s career, and it will take a hell of an effort for someone to catch him.
The obvious caveat is that we don’t know what the future of the game will look like. Many would never have foreseen Twenty20 becoming what it has and appearances records could fall in a flash if the Black Caps of 2050 find themselves playing multiple Five5 matches a day.
The other Black Cap nearing a
about the Black Caps’ series win over the West Indies, where they had to bat only twice and were able to have day five (and most of day four) to themselves in both tests after getting their work done early.
Ross Taylor would probably like some runs, in what will be a recordbreaking 438th appearance for New Zealand across all formats, as would Tom Blundell – they were the only batsmen to bat in both innings and not pass 40 – but for the most part this is a settled side at the top of their game.
Seamers Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner all had their moments against the West Indies and Southee enters this test needing four more wickets to join Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori as the third New Zealander in the 300-wicket club.
Bigger questions arise when you consider what Pakistan will be able to muster, without captain Babar Azam, batsman Imam-ul-Haq and all-rounder Shadab Khan, who are all sidelined with injury.
Azhar Ali will be the prize wicket and if he goes cheaply, so might his team.
There were moments when the West Indies had a chance to seize control in both their tests, especially on the first day in Wellington, where Henry Nicholls lived a charmed life, but they failed to grab them.
If those moments arise for Pakistan – and there’s no knowing whether they will – they can’t let them slip.
More than 5000 tickets are believed to have been snapped up for day one at Bay Oval, which is hosting its second test match – and its first starting on Boxing Day, at a time of year when holidaymakers flock to the region. Largely settled weather is forecast.
As the Black Caps pursue their third test win of the home summer and that ticket to Lord’s next June, they should have no shortage of support.
DYNAMIC DUO milestone is the second-longest serving member of the side, Southee, who finds himself four scalps short of claiming 300 test wickets.
Only Sir Richard Hadlee (431) and Vettori (361) have got there from New Zealand previously, though Trent Boult (272) will almost certainly join them in time.
Southee began the year watching on from the sidelines in Sydney, where he was rested amid concerns over his workload, a decision he personally described as ‘‘disappointing’’.
He has featured in every test since then, taking 4-49 and 5-61 then 2-38 and 3-36 against India at the end of last summer and claiming player of the series honours, then 4-35 and 1-62 and 5-32 and 2-96 against the West Indies – a total of 26 wickets in four matches.
Even if he goes without a wicket at the Mount, 2020 will be the most productive year of Southee’s test career – he has taken an average of 6.5 wickets per match and 3.25 wickets per innings, marks he hasn’t come close to previously.
The 32-year-old said the long break between matches over the winter due to the Covid-19 pandemic had proved helpful.
‘‘You try to look at the positives and I think it was quite nice to have that forced rest and let the body recover and freshen up, then to do some work over the winter to come back and fire into this season.’’