Is this New Zealand's greatest ever cricket team?

Trent Boult will look to continue his fine test form against England starting in Lord's tonight. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Black Caps begin a two-test series in England tonight looking to continue a fine run in all forms of the game over the past 18 months.

Herald sports reporters Dylan Cleaver and Wynne Gray argue over whether a series win would cement this current side as the best Black Caps team ever.

The Herald will have live updates of tonight's test from 10pm.

Dylan Cleaver: YES - There's one big tick missing from this team's resume and that's an overseas test series victory against one of world cricket's bully boys. Achieve that feat against an admittedly teetering England, and you can nudge this Black Capped side ahead of the 1985-87 and 1999-2001 teams. Just.

Brendon McCullum does not have a Richard Hadlee at his disposal, although the combination of Trent Boult and Tim Southee more than compensates. The other huge edge those mid-80s teams used to have was the brilliant Martin Crowe, but Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are poised to trump his record, if not his stature. There are 41 test centuries among the 11 who will take the field at Lord's, way more than the 80s' sides ever had.

McCullum's team does not possess a Chris Cairns, like Stephen Fleming's turn-of-the-Millennium side did, but in Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham he has quality allrounders with boundless potential.

Jeremy Coney and Fleming might have been more cerebral, considered leaders, but McCullum is a better follow-me captain and an under-rated tactician.

The impossible argument will continue, but for me, if this side wins in England then, at that moment in time, they will have surpassed the others. If they fall, then they're going to have to do something special in the home-and-away series against Australia next summer to challenge that mantle.

Wynne Gray: NO - Let's get one thing straight from the start.
None of the shiny talent in the NZ test side has reached the glittering skill and style Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe showed in the late 80's.

Add in the resolute mental edge John F Reid brought to the No 3 role with his batting average in the high 40's and the brilliance of wicketkeeper Ian Smith whose ability to stand up to medium pacers and keep to spin gave the side another world-class operator.

Lefthanders John Wright, in particular, and Bruce Edgar gave the side enough partnerships to work with at the top of the order while the current openers are an unproven quality.

Maybe it's an age thing, perhaps it's the chance to have a bit of perspective and to stand back and consider how they performed without the some of the immediate hysteria which seems to invade modern watchers.

Hadlee brought the rhythmical Rolls Royce action to the bowling crease and iced his victims with the deathly precision of a pathologist. Chatfield was his great foil, captain Jeremy Coney was an expert slip field who chipped in regularly in the middle order.

The current New Zealand side is recapturing the nation's interest in cricket with several fine players on the rise but until they do the business in the test arena, they'll not replace my verdict on the men from 30 years ago.