New Zealand vs England 2024/25, New Zealand vs England 2nd Test Match Preview

The big picture: basin review

Twenty-one months later, there is still much to be learned from that last extraordinary contest between New Zealand and England in Wellington. The packed crowd at Basin Reserve were invited free of charge to witness one of the most extraordinary finishes in Test history – which saw James Anderson beat James Anderson after getting another bumper from the tireless Neill. Left smiling at the absurd situation. Wagner faced defeat The lowest of all margins.

This was the best of buzzball, but also possibly the worst of buzzball… Complete commitment to entertaining, engaging Test cricket aside, but – after imposing an unnecessary follow-on that loosened their grip on the game – the first example also, of Brendon McCullum’s allegations are going “too far” In search of the limits of aggressive cricket. “We’re looking at the bigger picture of what everyone here enjoyed and saw today,” Ben Stokes said after that defeat. “This is probably even bigger than the disappointment of this time.”

Do they dare to feel so hesitant about test failures now? That defeat was immediately followed by two more defeats from a winning position in the 2023 Ashes, and until their victory in last week’s first Test in Christchurch, England had won seven, lost seven in their last 14 matches in 2024. As Stokes launched into another apology to his team for losing his cool during the 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan, it’s clear something has tightened up in the interim. Now, he is reserving his mettle for the ICC’s over-rated decision-makers, which probably won’t take him very far on the WTC front, but it could be a more inspiring outlet for his frustrations.

And yet, what might have happened if New Zealand had kept their chances in Christchurch? An extraordinary eight drops in England’s first innings means the teams are now perfectly tied in the generosity stakes – and given that five of them came off the bat of “Jammy” Harry Brook, it’s no surprise The rest of that match was one-way traffic.

Brook’s innings of 171 was a tremendous innings despite the setbacks – and it set his record of 500 runs at 100.00 in New Zealand. However, he is now back on the scene with perhaps his most powerful innings to date. Their first innings of 2023 began with 186, much like last week’s effort, when England were at 21 for 3 when Matt Henry and Tim Southee demolished the top order in the space of 40 balls. But for the rest of the brief opening day, it was one-way traffic. Had the weather not interrupted the day’s 25 overs, when he was on 184, Brook would surely have brought up his double century there, and – who knows – perhaps that triple century at Multan. Theirs doesn’t happen first either.

New Zealand bounced back then, as they might now – and their inauspicious form on Kane Williamson’s return from a groin strain was extremely encouraging in that respect. But his shortcomings in Christchurch were outweighed by his fielding lapses. Despite Devon Conway’s vital contribution in that epic series win in India, he averages 21.10 over the last 12 months, while Tom Blundell’s form is even more of a concern. He has scored one half-century in 25 innings since Wellington’s historic win, when his crucial 90 played a crucial role in turning the tide.

And then there is the question of Tim Southee, who is in the twilight of his illustrious Test career, but the weak links in Christchurch in the form of Brooks and Ben Duckett let him down through the innings. Nevertheless, he still had his moments, particularly in that window of opportunity, early in England’s first innings, when it was overcast and the ball was speaking loudly. England’s shortcomings against the moving ball, be it spin in Asia or seam and swing elsewhere, have not been adequately refuted in their uneven performances this year. If there is any way for New Zealand to bounce back in the series, it must surely be found at a good length, and back through the gate.

form guide

new zealand LWWWWL (Last five Tests, most recent first)
England wllwl

In the spotlight – Brayden Carse and Will O’Rourke

Braydon Carse’His ten wickets in Christchurch confirmed what we had already learned from his brilliant performance in Pakistan: England have found themselves a real contender here. His pace and aggression were once again unplayable, while his accuracy was barely a factor in his penultimate performance in both innings. His performance of taking 10 wickets for 106 runs in the match was an example of this. Ryan Sidebottom in Hamilton in 2008The last England fast bowler to take ten wickets in Tests on overseas soil, and a remarkable resurgence after the betting ban in the summer prevented his debut from happening sooner. His three months on the sidelines may have been a blessing in disguise, given that he entered these winter tours with a freshness that Gus Atkinson certainly lacked after the toil of the summer, but last The challenge of supporting the week’s efforts will be important to everyone. Same.

With a little more luck on his side, Will O’Rourke He may have presented figures rivaling Carse’s. He is not as tall as Kyle Jamieson, who is currently ruled out for a year due to another stress fracture, but he used his 6ft 4in tall frame to amazing effect in Christchurch, taking the England batsman by storm. A speed of over 145 kmph was generated to cause considerable upset. It would be suggested to take 2 wickets for 165 runs in their match. Three of the eight catches in the first innings were missed off his bowling, and even with 104 runs to defend in the second innings, he dismissed the aggressive Ben Duckett with his very first ball, then Joe Root’s first wicket. Came close to dismissing the Test pair. , No one was ever entirely comfortable with his fast pace and bounce, even when runs were pouring in quickly to win. A blank slate and a nice breeze are the least he deserves in Wellington.

Team News: Both sides unchanged

New Zealand have some concerns, and not just their catching. Big scores from Conway and/or Blundell will miss out on strong all-round batting contributions, nor will Southee be able to fully find his groove. Nevertheless, the hosts have chosen an unchanged team for this second Test, in keeping with captain Tom Latham’s assessment after the defeat in Christchurch that no major changes are required in their approach.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (captain), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’Brien Roarke

Ollie Robinson (Durham ed.) has arrived in New Zealand as Jordan Cox’s wicketkeeping replacement, but it looks like it will be a futile search for a valid passport. England declared an unchanged eleven two days before the toss. Ollie Pope Proved more than adequate behind the stumps – as he did in similar emergency circumstances against Pakistan in 2022. Factor in his crucial 77 runs from No. 6, and jacob bethelAn untimely debut at No. 3, and England have found an easy balance in adverse conditions. England have opted to rotate their fast bowlers, while Stokes is expected to be fit to bowl after suffering an injury mid-overs in New Zealand’s second innings.

England: 1 Jack Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethel, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (c), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir

Pitch and conditions: Is another run-fest in store?

England may have been warned after winning the toss and bowling on a clear greentop on the first day in Christchurch, given the calm conditions they faced. “This Wellington deck is green, but I’m not sure it’s as green as it was last week,” said Chris Woakes, two days away from the Test. With brown in place, it looks set to dry up further and is likely to prove rich in runs if events from England’s last trip to Wellington are any guide. Speaking on the eve of the match, Latham did not expect the pitch to turn, based on the number of first-class games played this year.

Statistics and General Knowledge

New Zealand has won 23 and lost 21 Of their last 68 Tests at Basin Reserve, 24 were drawn.

However, six of those wins have come to his Last eight Tests at the venue Since 2017, there has been a draw against Sri Lanka in 2018 and a defeat in their most recent match against Australia in February.

Tim SoutheeHe, who has a maximum of two Tests left in his career, needs five more sixes to reach 100 in Tests, having hit two sixes during the defeat in Christchurch.

there will be testing facilities Four of the top five batsmen In the ICC rankings, Joe Root and Harry Brook are at 1 and 2 positions, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell are at 3 and 5 positions.

Citation

“Looking at the surface here, looking at the games played here this year, we saw last year that the wicket was taking a bit of spin which surprised us a bit. Looking at the games here, the Wellington first-class games, I think The balance we have gone with is the right balance for this wicket. We obviously have some spin options in the top seven, we feel it is right and the guys are looking forward to the challenge.
black caps captain Tom Latham

“”I don’t regret doing it. It was a good game and we were just one run away from winning. It would be nice to be in that position this time, and I’m scratching my head wondering whether we’ll enforce the follow-on.”
ben stokesThe England captain, on enforcing follow-on, then and now.

Andrew Miller is the UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

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