Kane Williamson talking to his teammates in a huddle on the outfield at Lord's. Photosport
Kane Williamson talking to his teammates in a huddle on the outfield at Lord's. Photosport
By Andrew Alderson at Lord's
The three tests between England and New Zealand have already presented a cable-knit sweater of a series, given the number of story threads woven into the build-up.
To start, gravitas has officially been bestowed on the Black Caps' status as world champions. This is thefirst time three fixtures have been scheduled in England since 2008 after the two-match teases of 2013, 2015 and 2021.
Now knit in other elements of intrigue to tantalise fans.
New Zealand's inspirational former skipper Brendon McCullum will nestle into the home dressing room as coach. That appointment, combined with the rise of Ben Stokes to the captaincy, will inject England with renewed short-term purpose. Expect the tourists to face attack-is-the-best-form-of defence type aggression.
England have won one of their last 17 tests, but their squad remains packed with talent. The likes of Stokes, former skipper Joe Root and veteran pace bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad just need a catalyst to trigger new glories.
Cue McCullum.
New England men's test coach Brendon McCullum, right, stands with former captain Joe Root at a nets session at Lord's Cricket Ground. Photo / AP
Talk of him lacking coaching experience at test level is true, but he played 101 consecutive matches in the format and led in 31 of them. His man-management capabilities, focusing on the psychological more than the technical, are respected.
In contrast, New Zealand hold the world title but sit sixth in the current championship compared to England's ninth. A whiff of vulnerability prevails after losses in drawn home series to Bangladesh and South Africa. Since securing The Mace, Ross Taylor and B-J Watling have retired, and Trent Boult and Henry Nicholls are potentially unavailable due to respective Indian Premier League workload and calf injury issues.
In addition, talisman Kane Williamson missed the entire home summer with his elbow niggle and spinner Ajaz Patel did likewise, unable to convince the selectors he was worthy of a further call-up after becoming the third bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings at Mumbai during December.
However, coach Gary Stead says they have observed drier surfaces in the draw against Sussex at Hove and the alarming seven-wicket loss to the First-Class Counties XI at Chelmsford where the visitors' 19 for six in the second innings offered limited batting practice for the specialists. On the upside Patel took seven wickets, the most of any New Zealand bowler across the two matches.
Kyle Jamieson has struggled to emulate last year's man-of-the-match world championship-winning form, but could benefit from the status quo if Boult's ruled out. The 27-year-old has continued to take wickets, but will muster more venom if he can master the ability to angle the ball awkwardly up or down the famed slope. Matt Henry – who made his test debut at Lord's in 2015 – has put pressure on Jamieson's place with 14 wickets at 16.14 in the two games against South Africa at home in Christchurch.
At least New Zealand have myriad options. England's bowling arsenal is depleted by comparison. Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Fisher, Olly Stone, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson and Chris Woakes are all unavailable in various forms. 23-year-old right-armer Matthew Potts is poised to debut as a result, after taking 35 first-class wickets at 18.57 for Durham this season.
The Black Caps might also benefit from Will Young infiltrating the county championship ranks at Northamptonshire where he's scored 331 runs at an average of 55.17. Colin de Grandhomme's also been ensconced at Surrey where he scored a 66 and took a four-wicket bag across three matches.
Peripheral issues pervade elsewhere.
The lack of ticket sales for a match between revitalised hosts and world champion visitors has surprised. Thousands remain spare and pundits have voiced disapproval that many are over-priced at between 100 and 160 pounds per day during a cost-of-living crisis.
The Dukes balls have also come in for scrutiny due to their unprecedented softness in the early season. Company owner Dilip Jajodia has offered to personally select the best hand-stitched jewels for the series to ensure they perform as expected.
Rain has hampered the build-up, but the forecast for the contest is fine at this stage.
