KEY POINTS:
England are favourites going into the test series because they're bringing in world-class test match specialists. Michael Vaughan, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar all bring proven match-winning qualities. The only question is whether they all find the sort of form that has proven them world class in the past.
Michael Vaughan is a quality batsman - 17 hundreds and an average of 43 suggests he's more than capable of making meaningful contributions with the bat. But his impact in this series is likely to be greater as captain. Vaughan is arguably the new Stephen Fleming. He's an astute leader and with a team that is more stable and holds statistically more ability than the current Black Cap team he should be able to steer that group of players towards positive results.
If he wasn't such a quality leader how then did he survive in the England one-day team for so long? It certainly wasn't volume of runs.
Every captain loves to have a spearhead on his hands and when he's in form you couldn't ask for a more potent weapon than Steve Harmison. The problem is an in-form Steve Harmison is a rare beast, especially when he's on tour. By all accounts he has been characteristically erratic during warm up matches, although in the last game against a New Zealand Invitation XI he got enough right to pick up five wickets in the first innings.
Every good bowling unit needs a support man. Matthew Hoggard is about as good as you get in that respect. In fact he's so good that on his day and with the right conditions he becomes a spearhead. Hoggard is a swing bowler so his biggest impact in terms of potency should come in the first test in Hamilton. The humidity in the City of the Future provides for swing and when last in New Zealand and then later in England, again when the ball swung, Hoggard enjoyed success against the Black Caps. The other two test venues, Wellington and Napier are not renowned for swing but Hoggard has been quite outstanding in such unfavourable conditions as simply the chap who does the donkey work.
It's probably a little premature to say Monty Panesar is world class but he is a bowler with an X-factor. At this time of year and in Wellington and Napier the wickets could be quite flat. Victory could depend on a direct bowl off between Daniel Vettori and Panesar. Panesar should be rearing to go, having missed the ODI series.
These are key players that should make a difference to this English side, which on paper looks stronger than the probable Black Cap test team. However we all know that quite often paper does not get realised.
