IIt’s easy to be seduced by the idea that Test cricket is delivered by England fans, whether they’re stocking up on Birmingham New Street or wearing colorful shirts and playing trumpet with the Barmy Army in Rajkot.
But Test cricket is more than capable of slipping off its sandals and falling into a deck chair away from the pressure of Jerusalem. The first Test between the New Zealand and Australian men’s teams starts on Thursday at the beautiful Wellington Basin Reserve and is sold out, with the venue for the second Test also expected to be tight at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Followed by.
The Australians have not tested on the Tasman Sea for some time. For some time, neither Mitchell Starc nor captain Pat Cummins had played a game. In fact, England have flown around the world for three tours of New Zealand since Australia last played a five-day Test on New Zealand soil in 2016. In the process, politics and profit add up to cold porridge – but that’s the bizarre conspiracy of the International Cricket Council for you.
Still, the New Zealand public, fresh from watching the Black Caps beat an understrength South Africa 2-0, were ready to take on the challenge of their noisy neighbors, albeit against the odds. Somehow, in a population of over 5 million, the majority of whom are addicted to rugby league, the New Zealand cricket team has not only won the 2021 World Test Championship, but is currently at the top of the table (England are eighth).
For all the brilliant, unexpected success of the New Zealand Test team, the Australian team is their brain fart, their Achilles heel, their recurring nightmare. Since 1993, the Black Caps have only beaten Australia in one Test match in Hobart in 2011. In the 21st century, they have lost nine of 10 home Test matches against Australia. They followed in the 10th and saved the game due to poor light and persistent rain rather than any memorable rearguard action.
“This team did amazing things,” said Winston Aldworth, sports editor of the New Zealand Herald, “but the one team they couldn’t beat in Tests was Australia. The greatest New Zealand team of all time failed to get a foot in the door at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test, which was a bit like the little cousin to the big cousin.
“New Zealanders are obsessed with hating David Warner and Steve Smith and they kind of buy into this unflattering story, which we always do, just like we hated Greg Matthews in the 1980s. We hate them because they’re so good.”
Beyond the pantomime of collective disgust, there’s something else that might draw people to the ground – after years behind paywalls, New Zealand cricket matches to be shown on free-to-air TV until 2026 Sports after streaming service Spark collapses of.
Aldworth said: “The period behind the paywall coincided with the greatest period of New Zealand cricket, when they were the number one team and full of all-time great players. When our golden While Generations were playing, many were deprived of watching a Test match by the penetration of televisions on the other side of the room.
“Now Ross Taylor is gone, he was the heart of New Zealand cricket. [Neil] Wagner is gone, Trent Boult and Tim Southee are on the decline – although clearly Kane [Williamson] goes on forever – so this feels like the last chance for New Zealanders to see this generation of great Test cricketers. “
The great enforcer Wagner announced his retirement on Tuesday after being told that he would not be selected for the series against Australia. Just a year ago, the big man smashed England with figures of 4 for 62 to help New Zealand win the Test in the Basin Reserves, becoming only the fourth team to win.
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He came to New Zealand from his native South Africa to further his cricket career – and it paid off. He retired in his early 27s with 260 Test wickets – among New Zealand bowlers, only Sir Richard Hadlee had a higher strike rate of 100 wickets. If the New Zealand public can’t get another shot at Smith, who took the wicket five times during New Zealand’s 2019-20 tour of Australia, they can always be bolstered by Wagner’s vision of batting at full strength. The anger in my heart.
Incidentally, the White Ferns’ wait for a Test continues – it’s been 20 years since they last donned the white jerseys in a drawn Test against England at Scarborough. Amelia Kerr recently said in an interview that she would very much like to play the five-day tournament, but it does not appear to be a priority for the authorities, despite the popularity of the men’s Test.
No matter how many glorious Test centuries Williamson can add to his collection, cricket will always take a back seat to the All Blacks without fanfare or fireworks. Aldworth tells the story of his wife running into Trent Bolt at a sandwich shop and asking to take a picture of her son. His best friend took a picture of her, and she didn’t really realize who her best friend was until she walked up to the counter and the clerk asked her why she didn’t include Williamson in her photo.
“The New Zealand public doesn’t like the All Blacks, they are fascinated by them,” he said. “But cricket fans have a real affection for these guys.”
