Cricket is back. More specifically, Test cricket is back and what place could be better than the Home of Cricket—Lord’s to kick off a fascinating season of sport that all its fans dearly waited for weeks and months.
When Joe Root and Kane Williamson will walk down to the middle past the Long room donning their nation’s blazer, deep down they would realise how badly they must have missed the game.
The context of the series is damp as it is taking place after the announcement of the World Test Championship final but the precedence it will set for coming months where superstars of the game will fight out with all their grit and determination is something that needs to be looked at.
For Kane Williamson, the leader of an always promising Blackcaps, it will be the first return after a heartbreaking loss at the hands of England in the final of ICC World Cup 2019. Two years can be a lot of time in the modern-day game but not necessarily in the world ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic and New Zealand players have all those memories fresh in their hearts and minds.
Players have talked about their memories from the game while they were under quarantine in Southampton and it also highlights the culture of the Blackcaps, who have not shrugged their shoulders away from a problem.
On the contrary, Joe Root will have a lot lesser monumental occasion during the first Test against New Zealand. However, there will be no shortage of desperation and desire to conquer the Blackcaps in order to redeem themselves after a tough tour of India and missing out on a berth in the WTC final.
From the outset, this series should be just another bilateral series between two top teams but the long hiatus of the longest format and being the stepping stone of a long English summer that is certain to witness some marquee clashes gives it a riveting context.
Pitch and weather
Pitches and the weather conditions during the Test matches in the early season in England gather a lot of attraction and it should be no different this time around.
Blackcaps coach Gary Stead has said that the pitch has 6mm of grass on it but also exulted confidence that the tourists are used to far greener surfaces than that.
The pitch, in all likelihood, should be slower in pace and also flatter in nature if the layer of grass will be lifted before the toss.
The weather in London during the Test match is likely to be on the hotter side and hence offering a flat pitch with no or less rain around the corner could produce a dull game which is the last thing both the sides and fans would be hoping for.
Team News
England
England will be without a lot of their superstars such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler but now an all-powerful coach Chris Silverwood has already indicated that England will be trying ‘new faces’ in the series in order to bolster the strength of the squad.
Ben Foakes who was certain to play his first game at home suffered a freakish injury in the Surrey dressing room which has all but opened the door of selection for an impressive James Bracey. Bracey has been touted as a top-order batsman who can also keep wickets in the absence of all of Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Foakes.
Foakes’ injury also allowed Haseeb Hameed a way back into the team after a gap of nearly five years albeit he is unlikely to make it into the playing XI.
England had to drop Rory Burns in the last Test of the series against India for a poor run of form and asked Zak Crawley to open the batting with Dom Sibley. However, the Surrey opener has regained form in the county championship and should get his place back at the top of the order with Crawley slotting back to his number three position.
Joe Root at the number four position will be followed by one among Ollie Pope, and Dan Lawrence with Bracey all set to debut at Lord’s because he also brings his wicketkeeping to the table.
The England team management will have their task cut out on selecting the bowling attack as their riddle will start with a perpetual question that should the iconic pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad play together in a Test match?
The selection headache will not end then and there as they will also have to assess if they need a spinner in the form of Jack Leach or they will unleash an all-pace bowling attack with the skipper Joe Root taking upon himself to roll his arm over whenever required.
Best XI
Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root(C), Ollie Pope, James Bracey(WK), Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jack Leach, Mark Wood
New Zealand
New Zealand, too, have many issues to resolve on their way to the first Test. Trent Boult did not arrive in the UK with the squad and is out of the whole series leaving the Blackcaps searching for Tim Southee’s new-ball partner.
The squad is rich with the likes of Kyle Jamieson and Neil Wagner but the Blackcaps management is aware of their limitations with the new ball and coach Stead has confirmed assessing the trio of Matt Henry, newcomer Jacob Tuffy and Doug Bracewell for the role with the new duke ball.
In the batting department, the tourists will have to take a call on who will be the batting partner of Tom Latham at the top of the order. Tom Blundell hasn't really failed for them in the longest format but the emergence of an x-factor in Devon Conway has provided them with an option to field an aggressive batting order led by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor.
Best XI
Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson(C), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling(WK), Colin De Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner.