Williamson v Root and Latham v Burns... Key battles as New Zealand and England renew their rivalry

The series might not be part of the World Test Championship but there is still plenty to play for when the series gets underway at the Bay Oval

Lockie Ferguson v Jofra Archer

Two of the fastest bowlers in international cricket are braced to do battle. Both men gave the speed gun a going over during the World Cup and are ready to crank up the speed once again.

This is, of course, is Ferguson's first exposure to Test cricket - though he might be forced to wait for his debut having been omitted for the game in Tauranga. Much like Archer, he has a modest red-ball record, but it is his success in limited-overs cricket for his country which has thrust him into the fold.

The Aucklander regularly topped 90mph in England and conditions should be perfect to generate that kind of velocity once again. He has promised to cause the tourists "anxiety" - perhaps a poor choice of words given the current climate - an indication Ferguson will fight fire with fire, as Kiwi coach Gary Stead hoped.

Though the Black Caps have already faced Archer twice in 50-over matches this year, not least in the World Cup final when he bowled the super over which secured the trophy, it won't just be a case of surviving a 10-over allocation from Barbados seamer. He'll keep coming.

New Zealand will surely have watched on with concern as Archer peppered Australia during the Ashes, deliveries which included flooring Steve Smith. He has already put the hosts on notice following a spell which New Zealand A batsman Glenn Phillips admitted was "the quickest he has faced in his life" following the first warm-up game.

There are few better sights in Test cricket than watching champion fast bowlers throw everything at their opponent. Ferguson and Archer at their very best could be a real sight to behold.

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Kane Williamson v Joe Root

The battle of the skippers will be key to the outcome of the series. Both are calm and considered individuals, capable of brilliance with the bat. Yet their capacity to lead might be the difference.

Williamson has barely broken a sweat since the World Cup more than four months ago. He has only batted on four occasions since that fateful day and missed the T20 international series with a hip problem.

The Kiwi captain is the linchpin of the New Zealand batting order. He remains impossible to intimidate and the prized wicket for any attack. A career average above 50 tells you everything you need to know about one of the most humble men in global sport.

In the field, the 29-year-old is a calming presence, unwilling to be reactive or make knee-jerk decisions. Everything Williamson does on a cricket field is accompanied by a feeling he is firmly in control. Even as the World Cup final got away from New Zealand in July you never felt as though he was about to implode.

While Williamson is safely among the premier batsman in Test cricket, Root's reputation has taken a battering in recent years. Of players to score 10 centuries or more, now only five players have a worse conversion rate than the Yorkshireman.

Since the start of 2018 Root has averaged 35.30, a period during which he has more ducks than centuries. Perhaps more concerningly ahead of this series he has a poor record in New Zealand, with one hundred, five fifties and three noughts in 17 innings.

There will be an equal amount of scrutiny on Root's leadership skills, which came into question during the Ashes when the rotation of his bowlers and field-placings were often criticised. While England won't strike on an identity right away under Chris Silverwood, evidence they have a plan under his and Root's stewardship will be required ahead of the trip to South Africa

^{New Zealand and England are set to do battle in a third different format in 2019}

Tom Latham v Rory Burns

Red-ball cricket's toughest position could get a whole lot more difficult during this series, given the calibre of the bowling attacks on show. But in Latham and Burns there are two of the best around.

Latham had an unspectacular record in Test cricket prior to his last international summer. But he has reached three figures four times in his last eight innings, including his highest score of 264 not out against Sri Lanka in Wellington.

That run sees him ranked as the best Test opener on the planet by the ICC. He added to that reputation during the Plunket Shield in the build-up to this series by smashing 224 for Canterbury.

His record in the longest form suggests he is better suited to playing spin so with England possessing an attack with plenty of sting it will be fascinating to see how he copes.

Burns' technique mightn't have got the tongues wagging like Steve Smith's Michael Flattley routine at the crease, but it is similarly distinctive. That technique will be tested against this winter though conditions should suit him even if the ball might move around a bit.

The Surrey man appeared to solve one of England's greatest headaches by committing to batting time at the top of the order during the Ashes. He still has some convincing to do under pressure from the short ball and Tim Southee and Ferguson are likely to target that area from the outset.

Should Burns come through that expected barrage then he has all the tools to make big runs during the first part of the winter. And if he can forge a partnership with former teammate Dom Sibley at the top of the order he will truly start to become a mainstay of this England side.

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