by Whether it’s rain or shine, New Zealand cricketers tend to have a smile on their faces. But this week, there is a palpable glow around the place, that remarkable sweep in India, coupled with the women’s team’s victory in the T20 World Cup, still fresh in the memory. Hagley Oval is a sell-out for the first Test against England, with people drawn to its welcoming grass banks.
By contrast, English cricket has been feeling a little less joyous, from the women’s team missing their last chance at a world title to the culture war continuing as the sale of Hundred teams is accelerating or the men’s Test team having lost in Pakistan to reopen the championship. debate over the merits of the so-called Bazball. Ben Stokes seemed to epitomize the mood in Pakistan, his return from a hamstring injury resulting in what he calls one of his toughest journeys. A home burglary added to the stress levels and almost forced an early flight home, only for his wife, Clare, to persuade him otherwise.
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But ahead of the first Test which begins on Thursday (10pm Wednesday in the UK), Stokes looked refreshed and re-energized. The break between tours followed by an early flight after the warm-up match in Queenstown to visit family in Christchurch, his hometown, offered him a period of introspection. The conclusion? He had been a bit selfish in Pakistan, had a narrow view of his rehabilitation and, for the first time in almost three years as Test captain, visibly frustrated on the field. This is something he admitted to his players during their regrouping last week.
“I can never venture into that kind of area again,” Stokes said. “It not only has an impact on myself, but also a huge impact on the team. There’s no doubt that my frustration showed when things didn’t really go our way and that certainly impacts not only the players around me, but the group and management as well.
“Everyone walks on eggshells around you, because they feel it. I won’t do that anymore. I cleared things up pretty early with the guys when they arrived in Queenstown.
Stokes figures he is now ‘as good as gold’ in terms of fitness and, as has been the case for a long time, that can only be good for the team. England’s seam attack is back to the fore after that spin-heavy series in Multan and Rawalpindi and looks decent, with Chris Woakes the experienced leader and Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse the two new propellers. But with Shoaib Bashir still a novice spinner, and in a country where that role will be a supporting one, Stokes needs to fulfill his dual role if they are to right the ship and challenge a New Zealand side who, thanks to Kane, Williamson’s likely return to replace India star Will Young is clearly strong.
It was England’s first half that was disrupted up front, with Jamie Smith’s paternity leave and a broken thumb suffered by his intended replacement, Jordan Cox, revealing what appeared to be an unbalanced team when they been appointed. As well as the three spinners, bizarrely there was no cover for a top three containing a player struggling for consistency in Ollie Pope. Given that he was also the back-up wicketkeeper, something that has been on since until Durham’s Ollie Robinson was able to get a new passport processed and fly over, it seems like an old oversight.
England decided, not unreasonably, that Pope could not bat at No. 3 and keep the wicket and so he slipped to No. 6, with the replacement batter, Jacob Bethell, now set for a baptism of fire in this role. Joe Root, about to play his 150th Test, was not even asked if he could step up, with Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum believing it would represent too many moving parts and particularly against an attack at home led by Canterbury king Matt Henry who has 30 wickets in his last four Test matches at Hagley Oval. Not that linking a 21-year-old with zero professional hundreds to his name is necessarily a source of confidence.
Choosing to satisfy public opinion leads nowhere, even if Stokes is aware that Bethell’s promotion will move into high gear in his country. “You have to be true to yourself,” he said. “We don’t choose players just to motivate people. During our tenure with Baz, we didn’t necessarily remember the statistics. We see more there. And we have a pretty good understanding and eye for selecting players who will fill a role if necessary. There is a thought and a process in this direction, even if it raises some eyebrows.
New Zealand (possible): Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (week), Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell (debut), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (week), Ben Stokes (captain), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir
An away series win would certainly change the narrative and, although Tom Latham’s hosts are favourites, they also have added motivation, being capable of qualifying for the World Test Championship final and keen to put the Admirable Tim Southee retires with a victory – Test cricket has thrown up quite a few surprises this year, including India’s shock defeat to the Black Caps at home.
But then India, inspired by the magical Jasprit Bumrah, just gave Australia an absolute hideout in Perth; an Australian team that crossed the Tasman Sea in March and swept New Zealand 2-0. The merry-go-round would simply continue if England won here. And to be honest, if a clear enough gap had been whistled at the end of the Wellington Test last year, England, for all their self-inflicted wounds in the match, would have won 2-0 rather than being forced to settle for a 1. -1 series draw.
Not that there was any acrimony, just like in the 2019 World Cup final, when rubbing the green benefited England and then some. The spirit of friendship between the two countries is as strong as ever and has been solidified by the creation of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy; a deserved tribute to two great players for a series which promises to be as enticing as these grass benches.
