Nottingham, June 24: New Zealand’s cricketers are no strangers to success in England. Ten members of the current tour party were also involved in their triumphant Test tour in 2021, when they not only sealed the spoils in their bilateral engagement, but also sauntered off home with the ICC mace after beating India in the maiden World Test Championship final.
But history of a more seismic variety feels within their grasp this week, as New Zealand head north from their exceptional series-leveller at The Oval on Sunday, and prepare to cross paths with an opposition in undisguised disarray. Back in 1999, New Zealand’s 2-1 series win caused England to plummet to the bottom of Wisden’s then-unofficial World Rankings, and yet it feels that an even worse fate awaits Ben Stokes and his chastened team if they cannot pull out of their tailspin over the coming five days.
Trent Bridge and New Zealand are synonymous with the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum regime. It was here, in the heady summer of 2022, that Jonny Bairstow went loco in a fifth-day sixes blitz, to power England to an incredible 299-run chase in exactly 50 overs and ignite the so-called Bazball era. How apposite it would be, then, if Trent Bridge also became the venue where the ethos was finally buried.
New Zealand are sitting pretty after a stunning series-leveller. From Henry Nicholls’ seamless return in place of the retired Kane Williamson, to Matt Henry’s masterful spells of fast-medium seam-up, they have hit upon a winning formula, and are likely make a couple of tweaks, one of them pre-planned. Kyle Jamieson is rested after playing two Tests on his return from a back-stress injury, with the lanky Blair Tickner in line for a recall to maintain that hit-the-deck option. Mitchell Santner is an obvious inclusion as a spin-bowling allrounder, especially given the weather conditions, and could edge out Nathan Smith. (Agencies)
