England still have to show class

May 14 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

England are expected to beat New Zealand and beat them well, but the real test this summer will come against South Africa in August.

MUCH like their wine, New Zealand’s cricketers are bright, breezy and offer a refreshing change from the norm, but they do not have the same reputation for class and quality as, say, an Australian or a South African.

New Zealand have arrived in England to supposedly play a warm-up role as England gear up for a home series against the South Africans later this summer and then the return of Australia for the Ashes next year.

Having toured New Zealand at the start of this year, there will be few surprises for England’s players when they start their first domestic international of the summer. And considering that tour led to England’s first overseas series success since 2005, Michael Vaughan’s side will be the clear favourites to make it back-to-back victories.

However, unlike England’s disjointed winter tour preparations, New Zealand will be well-prepared for English conditions having arrived in the country a month ago to play two matches against County opposition and another warm-up game against the England Lions last week, which was drawn.

And the Kiwis, always proud to be given the chance to represent their country, will be desperate to cause an upset against an England side which still has much to prove to their critics.

Interestingly, while New Zealand cricket – never one of the richest Boards in the world – has struggled more than most to cope with the rise of Twenty20 cricket in India, they remain competitive on the international stage.

A large number of New Zealand cricketers have been lured to India by the riches on offer in the Indian Premier League.

And while that caused some of their star players – captain Daniel Vettori, all-rounder Jacob Oram and wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum – to miss the start of the tour, others such as star bowler Shane Bond have been banned for accepting an offer to play in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Yet, New Zealand still continue to hold their own, as they showed when they claimed a memorable victory in the First Test in Hamilton in February before England took the series 2-1.

Given that the Lions side supposedly contained those players – including Durham seamer Graham Onions – who are pushing hardest for a place in England’s Test side, the Black Caps are not going to be a pushover.

Indeed, while England may believe they hold the upper hand with home advantage and a Series win fresh under their belts, there are plenty of questions which need to be answered and places are still up for grabs.

With Steve Harmison still searching for form with Durham and Andrew Flintoff picking up a side strain playing for Lancashire against Durham last week, England are likely to start the First Test with the same attack which lead them to victory in Napier at the end of March.

But of that quartet, only Ryan Sidebottom – man of the series in New Zealand – and spinner Monty Panesar are secure.

Stuart Broad has bags of potential, but he has yet to do it consistently on the international stage and James Anderson still has the annoying knack of being a world beater one day and whipping boy the next.

Both Harmison and Yorkshire’s Matthew Hoggard, as well as Onions, will be looking for one of them to come up short against New Zealand as England’s bowling attack is not a closed shop at this stage.

As for the batsmen, the England selectors have shown admirable faith in the top order, despite a lack of runs to justify that faith.

Until the final Test of the winter in Napier only one English batsman had scored a century, Alastair Cook in a defeat in Sri Lanka. And although Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Andrew Strauss notched hundreds in Napier, it is the bowlers who have generally been the scapegoats.

Nevertheless, all of the batsmen will be under early pressure this summer, with Vaughan and Durham’s Paul Collingwood perhaps looking the most vulnerable if their personal fortunes do not improve.

Neither has managed a significant score for their counties so far this season, with Collingwood’s return of 31 runs from five matches a major cause for concern. The Shotley Bridge all-rounder has been hampered by a shoulder injury for the last six months, but this is more of a problem for his bowling than his batting.

As for Vaughan, the 33-year-old is an inspirational leader, but he still needs runs to justify his place. Clever strategy on the pitch can only save you for so long and he has not hit a century in 14 Test innings.

Strauss is another who has had his problems over the last couple of years, although a 177 in Napier justifies his place in the short term and the Middlesex man could be restored as an opener at Lord’s, with Vaughan dropping down to three.

New Zealand, though, will not be willing form-finder opponents and with next summer’s Ashes Series already starting to loom large, England’s players will be playing for more than just back-to-back Series wins at Lord’s tomorrow.