PRE MATCH ANALYSIS
Follow Us“A watched pot never boils” - Science suggests time passes rather slowly when you are waiting for something eagerly. The anticipation of Test cricket in a month of little to no cricket made May appear to be longer than the whole 2020 itself. It has been 88 days already since we witnessed the last slice of Test match action between top nations. That is coming to an end on June 2 (Wednesday) when Joe Root’s England will walk down to take on an unusual tourist to their shore - New Zealand. Also, it will be the first Test match at Lord’s since August, 2019.
However, the series has been scheduled due to some non-cricketing reasons. These two Tests are neither a part of the World Test Championship cycle or ICC’s Future Tours Programme. For England, the series is an attempt to make up for the financial losses incurred last year due to the postponement of their flagship product - The Hundred and the belligerent amount spent to set up the bio-bubble. With this series, they are providing host venues and broadcasters an opportunity to show cricket. For New Zealand, there could be no better practice for the WTC final, their third shot at a prime ICC trophy.
Consequently, both sides have rested some of their star players. England are without the players who featured in IPL 2021, barring Sam Billings. This sees Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes not being a part of their 16-man squad while New Zealand allowed Trent Boult a family leave. He will be in England soon but the coach Gary Stead has all but confirmed that Boult won’t be taking part in the series.
England would want to get back on the winning ways in Test cricket. Their last Test series saw them lose 1-3 in gruelling conditions in India and returning home, they would like to impose themselves in familiar conditions.
For New Zealand, it could be a tricky trip to start with. They have been the best batting side in Test cricket of late, with their top six averaging 44.7 since 2018, 6 runs more than any other team. However, most of these runs have come at home where New Zealand have played 14 out of their 22 Tests.
Contrary to the general consensus, New Zealand has been one of the better batting tracks in Test cricket where the pitch becomes better as the game progresses.
New Zealand have batsmen who have toured England before but this will be their first Test in England in six years. How will Kane Williamson and Co. cope with the conditions in the toughest country to bat in Test cricket?
Williamson himself has a mediocre record in England. While his away average stands at 42.5, his average in England drops to 30.9. Williamson has revelled as a Test batsman since 2017 but since then, New Zealand have not had many opportunities to tour major Test playing nations. This series hands Williamson a great chance to correct his numbers.
No pace bowling all-rounder for England
England are excited about trying their bench strength but they are in a spot of bother with none amongst Stokes, Woakes and Curran available. The absence of a proven pace bowling all-rounder cuts them down to two possible combinations - six batsmen and five bowlers or seven batsmen and four bowlers.
The first leaves England thin on batting. On most occasions, they will have two of those aforementioned names to deepen their batting. The second combination takes away the leeway of an extra bowling option.
The last time England played a home Test without either of them was in 2014 and even then they had an all-round option in Moeen. Managing this situation will be the key but just like their relationship with English weather, there’s no problem trying.
Probable XIs
England
It will be interesting to see how the home side will tackle the lack of an all-round option. If they opt for four bowlers, will they pick Jack Leach or go in with four seamers. Who will be third seamer in case Leach plays? There are quite a few questions which will be answered only at the toss.
Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, James Bracey (wk), Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jack Leach/Mark Wood
New Zealand
The visitors also have a few spots to fill but have resources to choose from. “It's a luxurious position to be in a little bit when you've got some of the resources that we've got at the moment”, said Gary Stead.
They have Matt Henry ready to slot in for the unavailable Boult. Skipper Williamson confirmed a Test debut for Devon Conway which means Tom Blundell might have to sit out.
The last and an important toss-up would be between Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell for the all-rounder’s spot. De Grandhomme would be the ideal choice for the seaming conditions of England but his chances rest on his fitness. If his role as a bowler is bound to stay limited due to his return from an ankle injury, the Kiwis might well go with the better batting option in Mitchell. It will also hold De Grandhomme in better shape for the WTC final.
As Stead suggested, they will decide the XI on the morning of the match. One can still expect no spinners for the Kiwis.
Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee