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All roads lead to Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday as the Black Caps play their final test of the summer, and with much more than a test and series winning down the line against Pakistan.
Because of the way they have played in the previous three Tests this season, a dominant 2-0 win over the West Indies and a thrilling 101-run Test 1 win against Pakistan, their fourth and final Test (yes, incredibly try cricket for the summer ends just as the new year begins) has taken on greater importance.
They are still on the hunt for the World Trials Championship final at Lord’s in June. Without going into all the permutations (it’s complicated), the Black Caps simply need to beat Pakistan and then hand over their fate to other teams.
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Kane Williamson and New Zealand have a lot to play for in Test 2 against Pakistan.
More tangibly and immediately, and meaningfully in the eyes of most cricket fans, given that it is a reward for sustained performance over several years, New Zealand would officially rise to number 1 in the world test rankings for the first time. with a win (or a draw). this week.
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That record has been built in a series of 16 consecutive test matches without a loss at home, dating back to 2017, but also respectable form on the road, save for Australia’s 3-0 last summer.
Ranking No. 1 is not the only milestone on the periphery of this final test; a win would be their sixth in a row, a New Zealand record, and it would also be the first time they’ve completed a perfect season at home in a multi-touring summer.
“The team has come a long way in terms of bringing an element of coherence mainly to their behaviors, which I think has been really important, simple values that are important for our group and for the Kiwis, simple things that we want to commit to. day to day. in the day, ”Captain Kane Williamson said of his success.
“That is not always reflected in perfect performance, very rarely perfect, but it can certainly help a team grow, and has helped the team move in that direction.”
Yet in typical fashion, Williamson, himself newly named the number one test batsman in world cricket, was downplaying the focus on anything other than what they must do to win this test.
“Every game you play, every test you play, any chance to win a test you want to do, but to get to those positions naturally there is a lot of hard work, from the first period of play to maybe the end of the game, so for us that’s the focus.
“[Rankings] they are very difficult things to control: they move every day. There are so many things you cannot control that it is not worth trying. For me, it’s always been about making the greatest possible contribution to the team, and that’s where you get the most satisfaction and enjoyment. “
The big call for selection for the Black Caps Brain Trust is created by Neil Wagner’s absence, as a result of the two broken fingers he suffered in the first test.
Two from rhythm pitcher Matt Henry and off-roaders Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner will play.
At Hagley Oval, Henry is the best choice to take terrain from those three despite a modest test record of 30 terrains in 50.16 of his 12 trials.
New Zealand did not play a roulette wheel against India last summer, although the weather looks good this week, so the field could dry out a bit, which would be a tick on Santner’s spine.
And the Black Caps would be more than happy with Mitchell as the fourth closer option; operating as they have done many times before with Colin de Grandhomme playing that role.
Williamson keeps all options up for grabs, until he’s had one last look at the field on Sunday morning.
James Allan / Getty Images
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has missed every international tour match due to a broken thumb.
The captain will also wait until that point before committing to hitting or bowling first, although his opposite, Mohammad Rizwan, was more helpful, saying it would be a bowling ground first. To be sure, that has historically been the case, with no captain choosing to hit first in any of the seven events at Hagley Oval.
Pakistan got a huge boost ahead of the test, with regular captain Babar Azam missing the T20s and the first test due to a broken thumb, a good opportunity to play.
Rizwan said Azam, the only player in the world ranked in the top five in all three formats, hit “very well” at the net but wanted to hit more balls before making a final call, probably Sunday morning.
The impact the 26-year-old hitting star has on the team cannot be understated, Rizwan even suggested that his presence in the first tryout may have led to a different result.
Williamson said of his hitting counterpart Azam: “Look, he’s one of the best players in the world and a huge loss if he’s not on any team that he can potentially play for. If he’s there, he adds a lot, he’s a world-class player, but for us it’s just about focusing on what’s important in terms of how we operate.
Black Caps v Pakistan: Second Test at Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Black Caps Template: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Will Young.
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Yasir Shah, Naseem Shah, Zafar Gohar.
Referees: Chris Gaffaney and Chris Brown. Third referee: Wayne Knights. Fourth official: Shaun Haig.
TAB probabilities: NZ $ 1.32, Pakistan $ 6, tie $ 5.60.
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