New Zealand’s 3-0 Test series victory in India may not have been the best result in their country’s cricket history, but it was surely one of the best. Three deeply contrasting matches – in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai – were united by a single insatiable spirit, as Tom Latham’s men combined moments of virtuoso skill with bravery and tenacity, to find the right heroes at the right moments in each. and every contest.
Had England been watching from afar during a rare month of red-ball inactivity, they may well have felt a glimmer of envy at New Zealand’s exploits. Despite the amazing cricket they have produced in the last two-odd years, the Bazballers’ lack of such ruthlessness has cost them time and time again since the start of 2023 in particular, including on their last trip to these parts. about 20 months ago.
And so, as they come to the end of a calendar year in which they lost as many tests as they won, including two blows in Multan and Rawalpindi that left their Asian record only at a dismal P8 W2 P6, it feels like they have reached a tipping point in its evolution. The selection of Jacob Bethell at No.3 might imply the opposite, but with Ben Stokes once again apologizing on the eve of the Test for his bad mood on the tour of Pakistan, it’s clear that the fun factor isn’t quite what it was cracked up to be. been before the The beatings began to pile up.
As a result, Baz-ics may return to Bazball within the next month. It would be deeply disrespectful to describe this three-test stopover as a rest cure (New Zealand’s proud home record would have seen to that, even before taking into account last month’s astonishing feats), but there is arguably no place in the world where this particular England team would prefer to be right now.
From the conditions to the culture to the inevitable anonymity of a tour taking place on the other side of the world and then some, a series in New Zealand leans into the more permissive aspects of England’s current regime. It’s a chance to lead by example with fewer consequences than you might find elsewhere (especially in the backyard of those noisier TransTasman neighbors waiting in 12 months) and to revisit the principles that ruled the roost in 2022, when The stress of the international routine first invited us to believe that there must be a better way.
Stokes himself arrived early in Christchurch to join his extended family, having admitted the trip to Pakistan was one of the most difficult of his career, while Brendon McCullum is also back in his fiefdom – even his famously unflappable personality could benefit from a reboot. as he seeks to restore that serenity to the somewhat battered foundations of England.
The challenge ahead for England is big for their opponents – New Zealand’s seamers defeated India for 46 in Bengaluru last month – and if Hagley Oval performs as it did on South Africa’s visit in 2022, then playing bowling first could be another shortcut to dominance.
That said, England could and perhaps should have won 2-0 at a canter on their last trip; the imposition of an unnecessary continuation in Wellington and the subsequent display of Kane Williamson’s top form saw to that. But that result was one of many carefree moments that have left England trailing in the race to the World Test Championship final. By contrast, New Zealand, the inaugural champions in 2021, are definitely back in the fight. Another 3-0 series win would plunge them further into the mix. And if that, at first glance, may seem like a difficult task, it is nothing compared to the triumph they have just achieved.
forms guide
New Zealand WWLL (last five tests, most recent first) England LLWLW
In the spotlight: Jacob Bethell and Kane Williamson
We are getting used to England’s tendencies, with their rejection of conventional selection criteria in favor of a rotation of “high ceiling” players. And while nothing stands out better than Josh Hull’s Test debut against Sri Lanka, there’s still something extraordinarily original about Jacob Bethelat No. 3. He clearly made a strong impression on the white-ball tour of the West Indies, but with a first-class score of 93, he presumably wouldn’t be in New Zealand if it hadn’t been for Jamie Smith’s absence due to sickness. of paternity. Now, however, a broken thumb for Jordan Cox has turned England’s apple cart upside down and, true to form, the management has tried to make a virtue of chaos. Can the precocity of Bethell’s youth prevail? This debut could go either way, but they will certainly make you feel 10 feet tall before you step out to take guard.
Kane Williamson He doesn’t have a habit of making people seem inadequate… at least not deliberately. But if Bethell wants to feel a little giddy while taking guard, he need only consider his counterpart’s record on the first pitch. New Zealand’s leading run-scorer has batted at No. 3 in all but 20 of his 180 Test innings, making 8,263 runs at 57.38 in the process. He is back at the age of 34 after a long-term groin injury, and adds an extra layer of gravitas to a lineup that got down to business in earnest in their historic series win in India.
Team news: Williamson returns, Pope takes England gloves
Williamson’s return is a given, although his inclusion could spell bad luck for Will Young, player of the series in India, who could be affected by the “last in, first out” principle. Coach Gary Stead admitted that all this was causing a major headache for the team. On the plus side, Young at least made the team first, unlike the spinners who ensured that result forever. Ajaz Patel, the 11-wicket hero of New Zealand’s whitewash victory at Wankhede, is once again surplus to requirements in home conditions, while Mitchell Santner, who claimed 13 at Pune, is still feeling a side strain, meaning Glenn Phillips will carry the swing charge. Nathan Smith, the all-rounder, looks set to make his debut in the event, ahead of Jacob Duffy.
New Zealand: (possible) 1 Tom Latham (captain), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 William O’Rourke
Bethell’s debut leaves England speechless, but Ollie Pope’s renewed role is hardly less fascinating. After emerging from a dismal tour of Pakistan with 55 runs in five innings, even Pope’s most ardent supporters might have admitted that he is too skittish to be a full-time No.3. However, the timing of Cox’s thumb injury means he can now cloud the issue by returning to his part-time goalkeeping role. Remarkably, it has been five years since Pope first replaced Jos Buttler, also against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2019, while his emergency stint in Pakistan in 2022 was just as successful (with a quickfire century in England’s epic win in Rawalpindi). who kept the role for the second test despite Ben Foakes’ recovery from his illness. He averages 52.40 in three tests as a goalkeeper, compared to 33.74 in total. Stokes drops to No. 7, which feels unreasonably low even given his own fallow status in Pakistan, while seamers Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse will hope for more hospitable conditions than they encountered in their last departure as a trio. in Multan.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (week), 7 Ben Stokes (captain), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir
Step and conditions: Closers in the foreground
It looks like a wicked green at the moment, although New Zealand pitches tend to be tricky, and livid grass during pitching rarely lasts much beyond the first session. However, it has rained overnight in Christchurch to keep conditions cool, and neither side expects the twists to be a major factor.
Statistics and curiosities
New Zealand won nine and lost three of their previous 13 Tests at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, with a single draw coming in their only Test against England at that venue, in 2018.
Aside from their well-known weakness against Australia, whom they haven’t beaten on home soil since 1993, New Zealand’s home series record is formidable, with ten wins and three draws in 13 campaigns away from Australia since 2017.
This, however, is their first three-Test series at home since that 1-0 loss to South Africa in 2017.
England have not won a Test series in New Zealand in four attempts since 2007-08, when the soon-to-retire Tim Southee made his debut in the third Test.
Southee needs a total of seven sixes in a maximum of three Tests to reach 100 in the format, a figure surpassed among New Zealanders only by Brendon McCullum.
Joe Root will play his 150th Test.
Quotes
“I think we know what we’re doing. There’s thought and there’s a process to get it done, even if it raises some questions. We’re not picking people just to convince them.” ben stokesEngland captain defends Bethell’s imminent Test debut despite his lack of first-class record
Andrew Miller is UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
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