New Zealand vs England, 2nd Test - 'It hasn't been mentioned at all' - Wellington 2023 not on teams' minds

There has been much talk about the last time New Zealand entertained England in wellington Ahead of Friday’s second Test. And it’s fair to say that players are fed up with it.

“I’ve only talked about it with you guys [the media], ben stokes When the one-run thriller of 2023 came out on Thursday, it was said. This time, public entertainment is not the priority: “No one wins, in any way, shape or form.”

new zealand captain Tom Latham That’s how it felt, even if the feeling of that particular outcome needed to be evoked here and now. As it was then, New Zealand find themselves trailing the series 1-0, and are once again in an awkward position.

They were in a period of transition then and even after 22 months, they seem to be stuck in the same limbo. And yet the unchanged XI from the first Test that includes seven survivors of the Neil Wagner-inspired epic is not hopelessly romantic about the prospect of history repeating itself. Parity will have to be achieved in the series.

“It hasn’t been mentioned at all,” Latham said. “We know this is a completely different team, a completely different bowling attack used here, a different make-up for batting.”

defeat in christchurch That gives New Zealand an average record of five wins and five losses in ten Test matches so far in 2024. India’s success, professional and deserved, looks like a beautiful anomaly.

Maybe change should have been an inducement if it was all there was to gain. Will YoungPlayer of the Series, in the XI from that tour. New Zealand are in no position to drop in-form players, especially when out-of-form players can be dropped with minimal hassle.

the person most under the microscope Tom BlundellWho could have been replaced by Young by taking the gloves of Devon Conway or Latham. 17 runs in the first innings followed by a golden duck has reduced his calendar year average to 15.88. His only half-century came eight innings ago, during which he has returned five single-digit scores, including two zeroes.

Clarity between tests has been important. The players were informed more than 24 hours before Thursday’s start that they would get a chance to go again, with a chance to even the series. Blundell, who will play on his home ground where he averages 55.16 in six Test matches.

“He always knew he was playing,” Latham said when asked if the player had doubts about making the cut this week. “We fully support Tom in terms of his ability to score runs and do a good job behind the stumps. We know what a quality player he is.”

New Zealand’s training session on Wednesday and Thursday included catching sessions, which is not at all common, but certainly attracted more attention after their failed fielding effort at Hagley Oval. Eight catches were dropped in England’s first innings, the most serious being the first of five lives to Harry Brook for 18 before he departed for 171.

“We did some catching yesterday and today, as we normally do. We didn’t necessarily put extra focus on it. We always put the work behind the scenes into practice, even if things went our way. Or not. “

Latham is guarded at the best of times, but there is a broader sense that New Zealand are willing to take a more ruthless approach. Not necessarily towards the opposition, but towards oneself. The romanticism of Wellington 2023 is meaningless. Nor the first test of this series.

“Last week was the last week,” Latham said. “We’ve got another chance this week. We try to stay as level as possible. We’ve been in this situation before when things haven’t gone the way we wanted in the first game.”

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