New Zealand in England
With New Zealand arriving in England a couple of days ago, its time to have a look at what might happen in the upcoming series. The information below has been written exclusively for cricket-blog.co.uk so I hope you enjoy!
The performances of the New Zealand (”Blackcaps”) Test side on English soil have been nothing short of abysmal. Of 47 tests played, New Zealand has won just 4, with England winning 25 and 18 matches drawn. The Blackcaps have faired slightly better in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), winning 5 matches of the 15 played, England 9, with 1 no result. In the recent tour of New Zealand, England recovered from one down to win the Test series 2-1, though lost the series of 5 ODIs 3-1.
ENGLAND v. NEW ZEALAND – SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS
TEST MATCHES
First Test, Hamilton, 2008
New Zealand consigned England to one of their most ignominious defeats, winning the first Test by 189 runs. The Blackcaps declared on 177-9, leaving England needing 300 from 81 overs. Kyle Mills stunned the tourists with four wickets in twenty-four balls. At 36 for 4 at lunch, England`s batsmen attempted to salvage a draw, but were defeated by Chris Martin`s bowling, 3 for 33. England totalled a mere 110.
Ryan Sidebottom, 3rd Test, Napier, March 2008
Left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom led England to a commanding position with career-best figures. 15 wickets fell on the second day. At the close of play, England was 91-2, a lead of 176, Sidebottom`s figures being 7-47.
The Nottinghamshire bowler took his tally for the series to 23, the most by an England bowler in a series against New Zealand. Despite a stubborn fourth-innings performance by the hosts, the required total of 543 was beyond their grasp, England winning by 121 runs and the series 2-1.
Mike Atherton, 94 not out & 118, Christchurch 1997
Atherton “carried his bat” in a poor first innings of 228, trailing New Zealand by 118 runs. The bowlers got England back in the game, leaving them needing 305 to win. Atherton led the way with a match-winning century.
Dennis Amiss and Tony Greig, 1st Test, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, June 1973
All appeared well in the 1st Test, England amassing some 250 runs, and dismissing the tourists for 97.
However, in the 2nd innings, Geoff Boycott was dismissed after 2 balls, followed in quick succession by his high-order batting colleagues. This brought Tony Grieg to the wicket, joining opener Dennis Amiss. Grieg went on to score 139, whilst Amiss carried his bat for 138 no, England declaring at 325-8, a lead of 478. This was just as well, since New Zealand batted superbly in the fourth innings, with Congdon scoring 176 and Pollard 116. The tourists totalled 440, succumbing by a mere 38 runs.
ONE-DAY MATCHES
Memorable ODI performances in England / New Zealand one-day cricket include:
England Batting
David Gower, Brisbane 1982, 158
Bill Athey, Old Trafford, 1986, 142 no
Keith Fletcher, Trent Bridge, 131
England Bowling
Vic Marks, 5 for 20, Wellington Reserve, 1984
New Zealand Batting
Nathan Astle, Christchurch, 2002
Astle scored Test cricket`s fastest ever double century off 153 balls, with the second hundred coming off just 39 deliveries. He was eventually out for 222.
New Zealand Bowling
Most expensive: M.C. Snedden, The Oval, 1983, 12 overs, 105-2, 8.75 runs per over
Given New Zealand`s spectacular lack of success, England are overwhelming favourites for the 5 Test series, best-priced 2/7 with William Hill, New Zealand at 11/1 with totesport, and a drawn series at 5/1 with Stan James. The 5-match ODI betting is likely to be more open, though prices are not widely available.
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Sorry to p*** on your parade but its not a 5 test series it’s a 3 Test series!!! We do have to enter South Africa later in the summer!!!
I’m going to back England to produce the goods this summer…with victories against New Zealand AND South Africa. We have to build some momentum for ahead of the 2009 Ashes and I think this summer is the start of it. Bring it on I say.