When it is about test cricket, emotions are always there no matter which team is playing the red-ball cricket format. In the last one year, cricket has been badly affected due to a pandemic crisis in every form making the major leagues to be either postponed or cancelled due to security concerns. Test cricket is back once again with the two best sides in the world cricket locking horns against each other in the trickiest batting conditions of England (hosts) against Visitors (New Zealand) in 2-test matches just before the Test Championship Final where New Zealand lock horns with Men in blue on 14th June.
There it is and my favourite element of cricket is back, When New Zealand lock horns with England in the red-ball cricket network. #ENGvNZ
So it will be interesting to see will visitors end the drought of 22 years of not winning the series in England or hosts emerge out as victorious in the absence of regular players. The former England captain Michael Vaughan has said,
"Don't worry about six months' time, just try to win now, [England boss] Chris Silverwood just has to make the right call, and pick a team that can win. It was like a different game out in India, but when you are only seven Tests away from an Ashes you just have to get back to winning ways," Michael Vaughan said on the Tuffers and Vaughan podcast.
Talking about the England bowlers, Vaughan further added,
"I would personally go for [James] Anderson, [Stuart] Broad and [Mark] Wood this week, and Jack Leach - those are four bowlers I believe I can trust in all conditions. I've been very vocal in the last two years about not playing Anderson and Broad together and making sure that you are building. But I am at the stage now, with seven Tests to go, where the building should have been done and it is now about getting a team to play and win so they get down to Australia with that winning mentality," Michael Vaughan added
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said Devon Conway is ready to make his test debut in the upcoming series,
“A really exciting opportunity for Devon, being involved with the team over the last year in the white-ball formats and gone extremely well. He’s an experienced player as well who’s played a lot of first-class cricket and batted in all the different positions and gets his opportunity to make his debut at the home of cricket,” Williamson said.
New Zealand playing XI for first test match is yet to be declared as Kane Williamson has not disclosed who will be the part of playing XI,
“We’ve got a couple of all-rounders, de Grandhomme and Santner, and in recent games at home, we've opted for extra seamers so it’s just trying to find that balance after assessing the pitch. The weather has taken a pretty quick turn from cold and wet to pretty hot and dry so we’ll wait and see,” Williamson said.
