Ahead of the two-match Test series between New Zealand and England, The Cricketer considers who would make a combined XI between the two sides
The highest-ranked opening batsman in world Test cricket, according to the ICC’s latest set of rankings. An average of 44.03 at the top of the order is no mean feat – even on the more placid wickets of New Zealand, where the Blackcaps have racked up some huge scores in recent years.
Latham has passed fifty on 25 occasions in 79 innings – a fine effort for anyone facing the new ball. His average innings on home soil has lasted 91.9 deliveries. He will be tested by Stuart Broad’s recent dominance against left-handers.
So much has happened since Rory Burns’ maiden Test hundred at Edgbaston that it would be easy to overlook its significance. The Surrey left-hander comes into this series as England’s man in possession at the top of the order; his Ashes displays gave evidence of a man capable of batting for long periods of time and soaking up pressure.
He will need all that experience as he fronts up against a fine bowling attack of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner – with the added possibility of a rampant Lockie Ferguson on Test debut. He has had limited experience of playing in New Zealand before, having spent the winter after leaving school in Wellington. He will have a new opening partner in Dom Sibley.
One of the finest players of his generation, dismissing him on four occasions will, perhaps, be England’s toughest task. An average of 59.04 in New Zealand, aligned with his finely chiseled technique – playing the ball as late as can be – makes him a totem figure in amongst an understated batting line-up built in his image.
In two innings against Bangladesh – Williamson’s last Test efforts on home soil, he made an unbeaten double-hundred and 74. Only once in Williamson’s entire Test career has he gone through a home series without passing 50 – that was in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in 2012.
Despite a comparatively lean patch – there has been just one century in Joe Root’s last 20 Test innings, he remains England’s best player. And now, with Joe Denly set to bat at three, the captain finds himself back in his favoured spot one position beneath him.
It is a big series for the Yorkshireman – a chance to set the tone for the Chris Silverwood regime and an opportunity to perform against Williamson, alongside whom he has for so long been mentioned but, in recent times, appears to have fallen behind. His Ashes series was by no means as poor as some made out – he still passed 50 on four occasions, but there was a lack of match-defining contributions.
Henry Nicholls is the sixth-ranked batsman in Test cricket
A crucial member of this fine New Zealand team and – behind Williamson – the top-ranked batsman in this series on either side, by the ICC’s updated Test list. The left-hander – picked in this composite group ahead of Ross Taylor – has become a key player in New Zealand’s middle order.
Last time these two sides met in New Zealand, he struck an unbeaten 145 – a knock that lasted 407 minutes. How England could do with such obduracy. Like Latham – and, indeed, Jeet Raval – he will be tested as a left-hander by Broad.
England’s cricketer of the summer has the chance to finish off an extraordinary year in style. A lack of runs in the practice match against New Zealand A will, one senses, be of very little concern to Stokes, who was caught behind as he attempted to leave a delivery from Jimmy Neesham. There is little left to say about Stokes on the back of all that has come before.
England wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler. With Jonny Bairstow left out of the squad, Buttler has the gloves and the opportunity to nail down a tangible position in this Test team. His has been a curious role for some time but clarity has now been added.
If England’s top six can lay a platform – and it is, of course a big ‘if’ – then he will have the opportunity to make hay on some true surfaces. A century in the warmup match does, at least, mean he enters the series in decent working order. He arrives in New Zealand on the back of a rare break, having been rested for the T20I series. His glovework will be key – chances in New Zealand are often few and far between.
A first overseas tour for Jofra Archer as an England player, he will be particularly crucial as England look to find a way of taking 20 wickets on New Zealand’s true surfaces. It was a struggle last time Joe Root’s side was on these shores; England’s bowlers took just 26 wickets – 19 shared between Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
New Zealand are preparing to fight Archer’s fire with a flamethrower of their own; Lockie Ferguson could make his Test debut – that would be an enticing head-to-head battle between two of the world’s premier white-ball quick men. How England utilise Archer will be a challenge in itself for Root and a source of constant intrigue; England saw the first risks of overusing their prize asset during the Ashes series.
Jofra Archer will be taking part in his first overseas tour with England
If Archer is likely to take on the role of England’s enforcer, then Neil Wagner has long been performing the same job for New Zealand. The left-armer is among the game’s most competitive figures – what you see is what you get.
His record in often docile conditions is superb; few run in with such repeated aggression as the 33-year-old. England, in the main, played him well at Auckland and Christchurch back in 2018. Earlier this year, he exposed Bangladesh’s frailties against the short ball, taking 16 wickets in two matches. Unpretentious he may be and rarely spoke of in the same breath as Tim Southee or Trent Boult, he is ranked eighth in the world by the ICC.
England’s senior bowler during the Ashes will be England’s senior bowler in New Zealand, as James Anderson’s return to fitness inches closer. The right-armer is just 33 wickets away from joining Anderson with 500 in Test cricket, which would be some effort.
With 30 wickets in New Zealand spread across seven games and 10 years, his record in the country is considerably better than that of some of his countrymen. He was superb at Christchurch in 2018, taking six wickets in New Zealand’s first innings, reducing the hosts to 36 for 5. His record when bowling to Ross Taylor is equally exceptional; he has dismissed him 10 times at an average of just 13.
He is also the only member of the touring party to have been involved in an England Test win in New Zealand – the last time that happened was in 2008. Tim Ambrose kept wicket, Michael Vaughan was captain and Ryan Sidebottom was man of the series.
A fine bowler with the skillset to seriously trouble Joe Root – especially early on in his innings, as Mitchell Starc has done for Australia. Only Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori have taken more Test wickets for New Zealand than the left-armer.
Boult’s record against England is terrific – as are his numbers on home soil; he averages 24.28 in New Zealand and 23.02 against England. Only three men – Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – have dismissed Root more often than Boult’s five. Two of those came in the 2018 series.
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