Follow UsExactly a year ago, a star was born in the longest format, although on England’s opposite side. Devon Conway, in just his debut Test, showed the world his potential and cricketing abilities with a blistering double-century, joining the record book.
A year later, there are significant debuts awaiting us at the Lord’s. The three-match Test series will mark the beginning of several firsts for the hosts, the first Test for the new coach, Brendon McCullum, the first challenge for Ben Stokes as the captain and the first real opportunity for England to show their skills.
There is no perfect venue in the world than Lord’s to kick-start several firsts. It isn’t all about firsts though, the Lord’s Test also will see the comeback of the English bowling pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who were neglected for the West Indies tour earlier in the year.
New Zealand would want to keep the last year’s series as a reference, considering it was their first win in England since the start of the decade. But this time with a lot more at stake – points for the World Test Championship.
Pope and the test at No.3
Ollie Pope has played 23 Tests for England but never has he played more than two Tests higher than No.5. Thus far in his English career, Pope has been employed as the flamboyant player in the middle-order but the results have been not so satisfactory, with just the one Test century in his career. However, all of that will change when these two sides walk out on Thursday (June 2).
As former English star Mark Ramprakash wrote on his column for The Guardian, the decision to bat Pope at No.3 “defies logic”. Even at the First-Class stage, Pope has never batted higher than No.4, making it an extremely difficult challenge to conquer at the top of the order. For the longest time, the No.3 position has been a position that has been an open battle but yet brutally cursed.
Playing Pope at No.3 also shows the level of confidence that the English management have on the youngster with Dawid Malan, still centrally-contracted waiting on the sidelines. “And Ollie Pope is one of those that, if we can unlock him, which I think they can, there's a seriously good Test cricketer there,” said Rob Key, which makes this conversation extremely interesting.
But for results, we will have to wait and watch.
Nicholls, Conway and the Kiwi Test backbone
New Zealand’s batting success in England last year was down to some brilliance from Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls. Both of them play a vital role in this Kiwi setup. A year ago, it was Conway, who batted through the innings and scored a sensational double-hundred on Test debut. In short, a lot of New Zealand’s hopes this series rests on the shoulder of Conway, at the top of the order. While it isn't yet sure where he will bat, in the presence of Kane Williamson, Conway's presence will still be a huge factor.
No.5 is a difficult position to crack, at least in the longest format of the game. On most occasions, it would require the batter to save the Test for his side, batting alongside the lower-order batters and the bowlers. Nicholls hasn’t just adapted to the role but has perfected it. Since the start of 2020, the southpaw has scored 658 runs, averaging 41.13 with the bat with three 50s and two centuries.
Having said that, Nicholls is a big if for the Test match, considering that he is still recovering from his injury. So, if the left-hander isn’t fit in time to take his place, it could be a position that could be vital for New Zealand to fill.
The English Test revolution
"It (taking England to No 1) is what we are all aspiring to do. It will take a bit of time but we want to make sure by the Ashes next year we will be taking on the best teams in the world and are either beating them or are very difficult to beat,” England’s new Test head coach, Brendon McCullum said prior to the series.
For a side that has won just once in their last 17 Tests, it is quite a big statement to put out, considering that the challenges of the job are more than the perks. But McCullum knows all about revolutions, he transformed the way teams looked at white-ball cricket (in particular ODIs) with his uber-aggressive captaincy style. The same tone is going to drip into this Test team as well but will it work?
The first step of the rebuilding requires McCullum and skipper Stokes to get all the players to buy into the basic template of the longest format. And for that, there are multiple aspects that the Kiwi man should look into, starting from the opening pair, the role of the wicketkeeper and the bowling unit that could be called the future and not the present and past. For McCullum, who hasn’t coached a red-ball unit thus far in his career, coaching England might be the biggest challenge.
Team News and Playing XI
On Wednesday, ECB confirmed their playing XI, with Matthew Potts making his Test debut ahead of the all-rounder option in Craig Overton. After the exclusion in West Indies, the duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad return to the setup, as Jack Leach stays as the only spinner in the setup. Bairstow is slated to bat ahead of Stokes, with Ben Foakes taking on the gloves.
England XI: Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Matthew Potts, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach
New Zealand’s setup is straightforward. The only confusion here is the availability of both Henry Nicholls and Trent Boult. While both of them have been seen practising, it is highly doubtful that both of them would feature in the playing XI.
New Zealand XI: Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Will Young, Henry Nicholls*, Tom Blundell (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel
*Subject to fitness clearance*