Cricket Eng v NZ 1st Test
Today sees the real “first day of the summer” dawn over the nation’s capital. No, I’m not talking about the US Masters. I’m not talking about the Guineas or the Chester Cup. Not the boat race, the London Marathon or the French Open tennis.
For me the first day of summer was, and always will be, the Thursday of the first test of the summer at Lords.
Unfortunately this summer doesn’t see the arrival of the mighty South Africans. It’s not an Ashes tour (yet!). And it’s not even the once-dominant but now forlorn West Indies team (whose star players would rather hit thirty-ball hundreds and earn mega-bucks as mercenaries on the twenty-twenty circuit). No – it’s the gritty, well-coached, greater-then-the-sum-of-their-parts Black Caps who arrive to take on the best that England (and Wales) have to offer).
But for lovers of “proper cricket” it promises to be a delight.
Apart from the antics of KP (honest, razzing your captain by text to the oppo during the match???) this is a highly likeable England team.
The batting is solid. Cook promises to go down in history as one of the most prolific (if not the most artistic) batsmen of all time. Ian Bell remains criminally under-rated. Nick Compton already has a couple of hundreds against NZ to draw confidence from and Trott remains as greedy for runs as ever. This is also one of the waggiest tails ever to grace the game, with Prior and Swann genuinely world class down the order and only “Jimmy” and “Monty” true rabbits.
Broad and Anderson make an intimidating quick pair; Finn provides a different angle of attack; Monty looks like he’s put his mid-career swoon behind him and Swann insists he’s over his elbow injury and can’t wait to get stuck into the Black Caps (and Baggy Greens) during the summer.
As I said, NZ will never set the world alight, but they have strength in depth top to bottom and, remember, held England to three draws in the most recent test series. The retirement of Graeme Smith has left a void (both in terms or runs and leadership) but Brendan McCullum (he of the Dilscoop) brings the experience of 75 test matches as he assumes the mantle.
New kid Hamish Rutherford (24 years old) already seems a superstar in the making and this New Zealand team always seems to get more out of its men than the bare stats would suggest. It promises to be a fascinating clash between two very solid squads. One has to give the edge to England: they’re a better team and they have “home court advantage”, but don’t be surprised if the visitors put up more of a fight than the odds would suggest.
