Will NZ Test win against England inspire them to greatness?
New Zealand’s attempt to defend their World Test Championship title has not gone well as they are currently in eighth place out of nine teams with just one series remaining in the current cycle. But what has led to this drastic loss of form for the Kiwis in this cycle after winning it just two years ago?
One of the main reasons is the loss of form or the retirement of some key personnel that were instrumental in their title win. Ross Taylor is a huge loss in the middle order and the Kiwis haven’t been able to find a replacement for him, who has played more than 100 tests. Taylor averaged close to 50 in New Zealand’s home tests during the last cycle.
Kane Williamson has only played 7 of the 13 tests New Zealand have played in this cycle, while his personal form has been patchy, to say the least. Trent Boult denied a central contract in favour of the riches of franchise cricket and his representation has slowly declined.
The rest of the fast bowling group is not getting any younger. Tim Southee was handed the captaincy at 34 while Neil Wagner is 37 and is in the twilight of his career. The BlackCaps won the last championship on the back of a terrific record at home as they won seven of the eight tests they played.
During the current cycle, New Zealand has played six Tests at home, and their record stands at three wins and three losses. They have drawn a series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England. Meanwhile, they have fared even worse in overseas tests, not winning a single one yet. They came close in two Test matches in Pakistan but failed to close them out, while they were blanked 3-0 in England.
They will be going into their next series with some confidence after a thrilling 1-run win over England. England batted first, scored a good total and declared at 435/8 in hopes of forcing a result after two sessions were lost to rain. New Zealand were skittled out for just 209 in their 1st innings with Broad picking up 4 wickets.
Skipper Ben Stokes surprised everyone by enforcing the follow-on but the move backfired as New Zealand fought back in the 2nd innings. Williamson led the charge with a brilliant 132 as the Kiwis were bowled out for 483, setting a target of 258. England were on course at 200 for 5 but lost a heap of wickets in the end and with 2 required, James Anderson was caught down the leg-side.
New Zealand’s disappointing cycle will come to an end with a home series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled for March. The series will consist of two Test matches that will be played in Christchurch and Wellington. Although their chances of making it to the top two in the cycle are over, they can still improve their position in the table.
This series will be the final chance for the Blackcaps to salvage some pride. Sri Lanka will not pose as great a threat as England but with the WTC final on the line, they will fight hard. But after a tumultuous last couple of years, this New Zealand team is slowly taking shape.
Tom Latham is tipped to be the long-term successor to Williamson and many were surprised when he was not given the captaincy after Williamson stood down. Devon Conway has been a revelation since his debut and is averaging 50 after his first 15 tests.
Daryl Mitchell has carried the middle order during this WTC cycle, scoring over 1000 runs at 63.43, giving him a Test Match average now of around 59 runs per innings. Williamson has shown signs of returning to his old self in the last two series without having the burden of captaincy. Tom Blundell has been an able replacement for BJ Watling behind the stumps and has even bettered his predecessor with the bat.
Kyle Jamieson’s progress has been hampered by injuries of late but he is the future of the New Zealand bowling attack and has already established himself as one of the best young seamers in the world. Finding a young middle-order batsman to replace Ross Taylor and a quality spinner should be high on their agenda.
With Southee in the latter half of his career, there is also the question of who gets the captaincy. Although this WTC cycle hasn’t gone to plan for the Blackcaps, there is still a lot of hope for the future.
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