Cricket’s coming home... but are you ready?

Selection intrigue, depth of talent and a test series snub are set to keep fans entertained, enthused and possibly enraged. Ian Anderson analyses the summer ahead.

Today’s white-ball contest against Bangladesh kicks off the Black Caps home summer after the White Ferns made a ho-hum start to their season against Pakistan. The Black Caps will play two tests apiece against South Africa and Australia, following the limited overs matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The White Ferns have just one game remaining versus visitors Pakistan – who pulled off a shock T20 series win – but face a far tougher challenge when England arrive at the end of summer.

Here’s a look at what’s likely to keep fans entertained, enthused and possibly enraged over the coming months:

Will Rachin Ravindra make the test team?

The World Cup star is likely to remain the biggest item of interest until February.

After three centuries at the tournament in India, fans were clamouring for the left-handed batter and left-arm spinner to be recalled to the red-ball side for the two matches against Bangladesh.

However, the selection group opted to stay with their regular top-six batters, and used Glenn Phillips as the third spin option, with the offspinner performing well with the ball and starring with the bat.

New Black Caps selection manager Sam Wells said Ravindra is seen primarily as a top-five batting option, which means the test spot most likely for him would be as a middle-order replacement for Henry Nicholls – or as an opener, with Devon Conway shuffling to No 4. There aren’t any first-class games on the domestic schedule before the home tests for Ravindra to make his case, so how he and Nicholls fare in other formats – starting with today’s ODI series opener versus Bangladesh in Dunedin – will be closely watched.

Weakened South Africa should mean first series win for NZ

New Zealand will never get a better chance to break a 91-year drought against the Proteas.

In 17 series between the two sides since 1932, South Africa have won 13, with the rest drawn. The Black Caps looked set to finally break through last year, when they won the first match of the two-test series by a whopping innings and 276 runs at Hagley Oval, with the tourists being dismissed for 95 and 111. However, South Africa responded with a victory by 198 runs at the same venue just a week later.

In February, the Proteas will arrive for games in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton without most of their test stars, as they’ll be competing instead in the South African domestic T20 competition.

That’s set to mean the visitors will be without the likes of pace bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, spinners Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, captain Temba Bavuma and fellow batters Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Heinrich Klaasen and Rassie van der Dussen.

White Ferns desperate for improvement

After feeble performances in the first two T20s of the home summer which led to a shock series defeat to Pakistan, the opening game of the ODI series saw the hosts bounce back – before they almost threw away game two on Friday.

But the New Zealand women’s side can’t just rely on veterans Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine to set up victories with the bat. The White Ferns desperately need the likes of young talents Georgia Plimmer, wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze and pace bowler Molly Penfold to become regular contributors at international level.

After Pakistan depart, it’ll be a diet of domestic games for the country’s top players until England arrive in mid-March for five T20s and three ODIs, which will give coach Ben Sawyer’s troops a searching examination of their ability and depth, with the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in September/October on the horizon.

The true test for the Black Caps versus Australia

The trans-Tasman rivals will arrive here almost a month after their second test at home versus the Windies, fresh to seek to continue their dominance.

It’s been 30 years since New Zealand won a home test against our neighbours, and it will be eight years since a test series on these shores. The last clash was when Brendon McCullum hammered the fastest century in test history, but his troops still went down by seven wickets at Hagley Oval.

With World Test Championship points at stake, the defending champions are likely to be very close to full strength, featuring the likes of skipper Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon.

Will a new star emerge over summer?

Recent breakthrough standouts for the Black Caps have been in the senior category – Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell … even Kyle Jamieson was 25 when he debuted, while Ravindra made his debut in September 2021. You sense Ravindra’s time as a three-format player is coming, while big things are expected from 21-year-old legspinner Adithya Ashok and 22-year-old quick Will O’Rourke, who are part of the NZ squad for the ODIs versus Bangladesh, and pace bowler Ben Sears who got a late injury call-up. Matt Fisher, Kristian Clarke and Mohammad Abbas could be staking claims for higher honours too.

As mentioned, the White Ferns are hungry to see a young player or two break through to make them key performers.

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