Category: Upcoming Test milestones

Pakistan v New Zealand Test Series Preview

With the T20 and ODI now series behind us, Pakistan host New Zealand for a three-Test series in their adopted desert home of the UAE. The first Test at Abu Dhabi starts on Friday, and is followed up by a second Test in Dubai before returning to Abu Dhabi for the final encounter.

Losing away from home has become the norm for most Test sides in recent years – leaving aside of course Zimbabwe winning the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet recently, and England likewise against Sri Lanka in Galle – victories so unusual that they made the cricketing world stand up and take notice. The BlackCaps, noting this trend, have developed a fool-proof method over the last two years of ensuring they don’t lose away from home – by simply not playing Test matches outside of New Zealand!

Their last eleven Tests have been played at home, and they haven’t ventured beyond the Shaky Isles wearing whites since October 2016. One could be tempted to call it “The land of the long white clothes drought”! The BlackCaps form in those home Tests has been great -winning series against England, Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakistan – and has seen them move up to fourth in the world Test rankings.

Pakistan for their part have had very indifferent form in the longest format over the same two-year period – winning just five of fifteen tests played, a run which has seen them drop to seventh in the rankings. Even so, they were too strong for New Zealand’s neighbours Australia, taking out the recent two match series in the UAE 1-0.

Familiarity of conditions will be a factor as it always is in the emirates. Added to New Zealand’s lack of recent experience anywhere overseas, Pakistan’s pedigree in the UAE is of course strong – having won 16 of their 32 Tests played in the country. The last series between the two sides there ended 1-1, and there is every chance that another close series will ensue this time around.

So plenty to keep us entertained and, as always, here is my run down of the potential individual milestones in reach for players of both sides as the series unfolds:

Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

Veteran Taylor has been in great form in the white-ball stuff, although the less said about his calling Mohammad Hafeez for chucking the better. Let’s all hope he returns to letting his bat do the talking – he needs just 139 runs to overtake Stephen Fleming’s 15,319 runs and become his country’s leading run scorer in international cricket, across all formats. That will be a remarkable achievement for a batsman that shows no signs of slowing down.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

BlackCaps skipper Williamson currently has 5.338 Test runs to his name, and 106 more will see him past New Zealand legend Martin Crowe into fourth place for his country.

Meanwhile, just 54 runs will see him to 12,000 runs in all formats.

Neil Wagner (New Zealand)

Neil Wagner has become one of new Zealand’s most feared bowlers in Tests of late and he needs just one wicket to bring up 150 for his country.

Trent Boult (New Zealand)

Fresh from taking a hattrick in the first ODI last week, in-form quick Boult has 215 Test wickets in his ledger – four more will see him overtake Chris Cairns’ 218 and move into fifth place for his country. Long time teammate Tim Southee is next on the list at 220.

Yasir Shah (Pakistan)

The Pakistani Lionel Messi has taken 173 Test wickets, which sees him as the eleventh highest wicket taker for Pakistan. He’ll be confident of rocketing up that particular chart – five wickets will see him break into the top-ten, overtaking Sarfraz Nawaz, one more past joint eighth-placed Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Akhtar, and thirteen will take him into seventh past Mushtaq Ahmed.

Asad Shafiq (Pakistan)

Middle order batsman Shafiq needs just 67 runs to bring up 4,000 career Test runs.

Sri Lanka v England – First Test Preview

Having already navigated their away around both the incessant rain and their opponents in the ODI and T20I legs of their tour of Sri Lanka, England now turn their attention to red ball cricket, when the first of three Test matches gets underway in the shadow of the famous Galle fort on Tuesday.

Above: The famous Galle Fort will play backdrop to the first Test from Tuesday.

The weather has been an ever-present issue on this tour, not surprising given it was scheduled in the middle of monsoon season for reasons known only to the people in charge of scheduling, and it has continued to be so in the run-up to the Tests. England’s final warm up was curtailed to just a 50-over a side affair thanks to yet another biblical downpour. That has not help their preparations one bit, and they still have several decisions to make before the first ball is bowled in Galle.

This is the first outing in white clothing since the retirement of legendary opening batman Alastair Cook in the summer, and the side continues to have a developmental feel to it. The camp has been further rocked by the ankle injury sustained by Jonny Bairstow playing football in training, which means they enter the match in Galle without their first choice keeper.

There are as many as four uncapped players in England’s squad. One of them, Surrey’s Rory Burns, is a shoe-in to replace Cook, and his county team-mate Ben Foakes could make his debut in place of Bairstow if the selectors are wary of placing too much responsibility on Jos Buttler. Joe Denly is also a potential starter in either the other opening slot (at the expense of Keaton Jennings), or at three depending on how England want to balance their side. The also need to decide whether or not to play two or three spinners – with jack Leach seemingly in contention with Stuart Broad for the final bowling slot.

Although ranked third in the world, England’s form in Tests can best be described as topsy-turvy of late. They are coming off a 4-1 series win over India, where the eventual scoreline flattered them, and prior to that drew at home with Pakistan and suffered series defeats to both Australia and New Zealand down under. Away from in particular is a worry – England have not won a Test outside of Great Britain for over two years, a run of 10 defeats and three draws in that time. Add to that an overall losing record in Sri Lanka and having never won in four attempts at Galle, and it does seem like an uphill effort for the visitors.

For the hosts, this match is likely going to be an emotional one, as it marks the last appearance of the seemingly ageless spinner Rangana Herath, who has announced he will retire at the end of the first Test, aged 40. Herath has become a much-loved legend over the last ten years, and his numbers are astonishing in that period, taking nearly 400 wickets since his 30^th birthday – a world record by a wide margin – and becoming the leading left-handed wicket taker in Test history. He will be sorely missed, and the home team will be pumped to give him a farewell win that he richly deserves.

Sri Lanka’s form over the last year or so in Tests is, perhaps surprisingly, quite good. Despite being ranked a lowly sixth, they have won their last three Tests, and indeed only lost two of their last twelve. In that period they have notched up series wins over South Africa at home, Bangladesh away and Pakistan in the UAE – the latter a feat not many teams can lay claim to in recent years. They are a very strong side in turning conditions, and will be a stern challenge for their visitors.

So, all in all, a fascinating Test awaits – let’s hope the rain stays away long enough to let it proceed as planned!

As always, here is my run-down of some personal milestones to keep an eye out for over the next week:

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

Where else to start but with the retiring Herath, who currently has 430 Test wickets to his name, enough for tenth place in the all-time list. Five more wickets in his final Test could see him leapfrog New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee (9^th, 431), England’s Stuart Broad (8^th, 433 -but see below!) and India’s Kapil Dev (7^th, 434) and ensure he keeps his spot in the top ten for a good few years ahead.

Stuart Broad (England)

Due to the spinning conditions, England’s second highest wicket-taker of all time is by no means guaranteed to keep his place in the XI, but if he does, he will also be looking to overtake Kapil Dev and move into 7^th place in the wicket takers list (and to keep the wily Rangana from overtaking him to boot!)

Adil Rashid (England)

Having broken back into the Test side at home over the summer, and a certainty to play in Galle, Rashid needs two wickets to bring up both 200 in all formats for his country, and 50 in Tests.

Ben Stokes (England)

All-rounder Stokes needs just 26 runs with the bat to bring up 5,000 across all formats for England.

Jimmy Anderson (England)

More famed of course for his record-breaking exploits with the ball, barring declarations and innings victories, Jimmy will make his 200^th appearance at the batting crease for England in Tests!

England v India Test Series Preview

England’s cricketers swap the white ball for the red and the red kit for the white, when they switch back from limited overs to Tests for the visit of India for a whopping five-match series. The first Test gets underway at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday.

England, so strong in ODIs, are a team in transition in the longer format, and are facing one of the most consistently strong teams of recent times, so it’s hard to predict whether home advantage will make them favourites or not. India certainly won’t think so.

Either way it promises to be a fascinating few weeks. Here is my quickfire stats preview of the series ahead!

Fixtures

1^st Test – Wednesday 1^st August, Edbaston, Birmingham
2^nd Test – Thursday 9^th August, Lord’s, London
3^rd Test – Saturday 16^th August, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
4^th Test – Thursday 30^th August, Rose Bowl, Southampton
5^th Test – Saturday 7^th September, The Oval, London

Team & Player Rankings

India are ranked number one in the world in Tests, England fifth.
India’s skipper Virat Kohli is ranked the world’s second best Test batsman
England’s skipper Joe Root is ranked the world’s third best Test batsman
India’s Cheteshwar Pujara is ranked the world’s sixth best Test batsman
England’s Jimmy Anderson is ranked the world’s best Test bowler
India’s Ravindra Jadeja is ranked the world’s second best Test bowler, and second best Test allrounder
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin is ranked the world’s fifth best bowler and fourth best Test allrounder
England’s Ben Stokes is ranked the world’s sixth best allrounder.

Overall Test Records

England play their 1000^th Test Match in the first game of the series. They have won 357, lost 291 and drawn 345.
At home England have played 510 Tests – W213, L119, D178
India have played 522 Tests – W145, L160, D216 – and one tied Test!
Away from home, India have played 257 Tests –W46, L108, D103

Head to Head records

The sides have played 117 Tests against each other – England 43, India 25, Draw 49
In England, there have been 57 Tests – India winning just 6 to England’s 30, with 21 draws.

Personal Milestones/Records in sight

Alastair Cook (England)

Chef will make his 157^th Test appearance, moving him into outright seventh place in the all-time world rankings, and relegating Australian Allan Border to eighth.

Cook is currently 6^th in the all –time Test run-scorers list with 12,145 to his name. 256 more (a big ask in one Test admittedly, but certainly doable over the series) will see him move past Kumar Sangakkara into fifth.

Stuart Broad (England)

The Nottinghamshire man currently sits in twelfth place worldwide for Test wickets taken – with 417 scalps to his name. A five-for will see him move past the South Africa Pair of Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock (both on 421) and into the top ten.

With the bat, Broad has seemingly been on the edge of breaking 3,000 Test runs for an eternity, but now just needs 24 runs to bring up the mark.

Joe Root (England)

England’s skipper needs just 40 runs to bring up 6.000 in Tests.

Ben Stokes (England)

Durham all-rounder looking for two wickets to notch up 100 in Tests.

Murali Vijay (India)

India’s opening batsman needs just 93 runs to mark 4,000 in Tests.

Ajinka Rahane (India)

Rahane will be looking for 107 runs to move past the 3,000 Test runs marker.

Ishant Sharma (India)

Big quick Ishant currently has 238 Test wickets in his ledger, enough for eighth place among Indians. Five wickets will see him dislodge Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and move into seventh.

Sri Lanka v South Africa – Second Test Preview

South Africa face Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (“SSC”) ground later today, and so sound was their thrashing in the first game last week in Galle, that “test” seems like something of an understatement when describing the challenge that awaits them.

The Proteas scored only 199 runs across their two innings (less than Sri Lankan opener Dimuth Karunaratne scored by himself) and were annihilated by 278 runs within just two and a half days. Rarely has a number two ranked nation looked so all at sea, torn asunder by the triple Sri Lanka spin attack that took 17 of 20 wickets in a thoroughly one-sided affair.

Not that it ultimately mattered, but Sri Lanka’s own batting in that game, aside from the imperious Karunaratne of course, left much to be desired, so they cannot afford to rest on their laurels. But the islanders will be strong favourites at the SSC, despite their number six ranking in Tests.

They are likely to field an unchanged XI, with Suranga Lakmal continuing to deputise for suspended captain Dinesh Chandimal. The South Africans will need to decide whether to continue with Vernon Philander, who bowled only eleven overs in Galle, or strengthen the batting by bringing in Theunis De Bruyn.

The game in Colombo will be the 27th Test between the two sides, with South Africa leading fourteen to six in wins. In Sri Lanka however, the islanders’ record is much better, having won five of the thirteen Tests played to South Africa’s three. Their record at the SSC is even stronger – Sri Lanka have only lost once in five games against their African foes. The last time the two sides played at this ground was in 2014, with the game ending in a draw.

Aside from Sri Lanka looking to close out a series win, there are number of very significant personal milestones in reach for players of both sides:

Dale Steyn (South Africa)

The Proteas’ demon quick bowler needs just one wicket to surpass Shaun Pollock as his country’s all time leading Test wicket-taker. The pair are currently tied with 421 scalps each.

That is enough for joint tenth place in the world all time list, so should Steyn move past his countryman, he will also dislodge him from that top ten!

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

The ageless spinner Herath is one spot ahead of Steyn and Pollock in that wicket-takers list with 423 victims to his name. Richard Hadlee’s 431 is next in Rangana’s sights, eight wickets away. With a spin friendly wicket, and Herath’s record of having notched up nine 10-wicket hauls in his career, it’s a distinct possibility. Moving past Kapil Dev’s 434 into seventh place is not entirely beyond plausibility either!

If he does notch up 10 wickets, he will join Shane Warne in second place all time with ten such hauls. Only his countryman Murali has more – and who knows how many more wickets Herath may have ended up if he hadn’t had to play second-fiddle to him for the early part of his career!

Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Sitting on 8,997 runs, South Africa’s veteran batsman needs just three more runs to become just the third Protea after Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith to notch up 9,000.

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

Former skipper Mathews needs just eight runs to bring up 5.000 in Tests and become just the ninth Sri Lankan to the mark.

West Indies v Sri Lanka – Test Series Preview

Test cricket returns to the Caribbean this week, with the arrival of Sri Lanka for a intriguing series which pitches two inconsistent but improving sides together.

At the time of going to press, it is somewhat unclear whether this will be a two or three match series. Originally scheduled for three, with the final match slated to be a day/night affair at Bridgetown’s storied Kensington Oval, there has been much speculation that one Test may be shelved or converted into an ODI in a cost cutting measure aimed at helping the cash-strapped Cricket West Indies governing body.

For now, we’ll assume it stays as planned, with the first Test starting on Wednesday June 6th at Trinidad’s Queen’s Park Oval, and followed up by a visit to the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia before the pink ball match up in Barbados finishes things off.

Both sides have shown sparks of recovery in the longest format over the last 12 months or so. The hosts have been in the doldrums for many years in Test cricket, riven by player strikes and at best baffling management by the governing body, but in recent times they have won a series in Zimbabwe and won individual tests against both England and Pakistan away from home under the leadership of young all-rounder captain Jason Holder.

The visitors meanwhile have won series in Bangladesh and in the UAE against Pakistan, with a loss to India in between. The Sri Lankans are the higher-ranked side (6th to the Windies 9th) and may well find the slow wickets in the Caribbean to their taste.

The Sri Lankans have had injury worries ahead of the tour, with opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratane and fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera out injured. Their squad contains as many as four uncapped players as a result – bowlers Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha and Jeffrey Vandersay plus batsman Mahela Udawatte.

The hosts meanwhile have recalled Devon Smith after a Test absence of three years, and may hand a debut to 20yr old Anguillan keeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton.

From a personal player perspective there are a few milestones to watch out for as the series unfolds:

Kemar Roach (West Indies)

Fast bowler Roach is enjoyinga bit of a renaissance of late, and needs just three wickets to bring up 150 in Tests.

Kraigg Brathwaite (West Indies)

The opening batsman needs just 80 runs to mark 3,000 in Tests.

Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

Former captain Mathews currenty has 4,914 career Test runs in his ledger, needing 86 more to reach 5,000. If he can manage 190 runs in the series, he will move past Sri Lankan legend Arjuna Ranatunga into 8th place for his country.

Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

The ageless spinner Herath’s 415 Test wickets see him in 12th place in the world all-time – having been overhauled by England’s Stuart Broad this week. Broad and Harbajhan Singh share tenth place on 417, with South Africans Shaun Pollock and Dale Steyn in 8th and 9th on 421 and 419 respectively. Rangana will have all in his sights!

England v Pakistan – Second Test – quickfire stats preview

England face Pakistan in the second and final Test of the series at Headingley, with Pakistan having won the first Test by a whopping nine wickets.

I previewed the series in detail here, but ahead of the second Test, keep an eye out for these stats and milestones:

Joe Root (England) – needs 85 runs to bring up 6,000 in Tests

Stuart Broad (England) – after a pair in the first Test, Broad still needs 26 runs to bring up 3,000 in Tests, and become the fifth player of all-time to reach that mark alongside taking 400 Test wickets

Alastair Cook (England) – will break Allan Border’s world record by appearing in his 154th consecutive Test match.

Ben Stokes (England) – needs 2 wickets to bring up 100 career Test wickets, although he faces a fitness battle to be included in the XI having had a scan on his hamstring.

England v Pakistan – Test Series Preview

Just one week after making history as Ireland’s first Test opponents at Malahide, Pakistan hop over the Irish Sea to do battle with England. The two Test series begins on Thursday 24th May at Lord’s, concluding at Headingley in Leeds in the first week of June.

Whilst Pakistan were eventually able to prevail against a spirited Irish side in Dublin, England return to the long form of the game after a bruising winter in whites which saw series defeats to both Australia and New Zealand.

England’s batting in particular was shown to be suspect on those tours, and many pundits expected significant changes to the line-up when new Head Selector Ed Smith revealed his first squad earlier this week. Only one change to the batting ranks eventually transpired with Hampshire’s James Vince feeling the axe in place of Jos Buttler, and Mark Stoneman perhaps surprisingly being given another chance to try and cement his place opening the innings alongside Alastair Cook.

The choice of Buttler raised some eyebrows as he has been picked as a specialist batsman (with Jonny Bairstow retaining the gloves) and has played precious little red-ball cricket over the past two seasons. Several other candidates that have been dutifully scoring runs in the County Championship, such as Middlesex’s Nick Gubbins and Worcestershire’s Joe Clarke were overlooked, as was Surrey’s keeper batsman Ben Foakes. Time will tell whether this proves to be an inspired decision.

(Maybe the ECB couldn’t cope with a six-seven-eight of the Stokes, Foakes and Woakes blokes – different strokes for different folks I guess!)

For the bowling ranks, England were dealt a blow on the eve of selection when incumbent spinner Jack Leach broke his thumb in training, but Somerset fans weren’t weeping for long with Leach’s Taunton teammate Dom Bess picked to make his debut as his replacement. The only matter left to be resolved is whether Chris Woakes or Mark Wood takes the final seamer’s spot in the XI alongside Broad and Anderson. With Woakes still in India warming the RCB bench and Wood having chosen country over franchise by returning early to Durham, the latter would appear favourite.

Pakistan are a team in transition. Missing from the team that tied 2-2 with England on their last visit in 2016 are the now-retired legends Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, whilst inspirational spinner Yasir Shah misses the tour through injury. Two players made their debuts against Ireland last week – allrounder Faheem Ashraf and batsman Imam-ul-Haq, nephew of Inzamam. Both scored fifties in their debut game, with the latter steadying Pakistan nerves on the final day and leading his side to victory. Prior to winning in Ireland, Pakistan’s last Test appearance was back in October 2017 when they lost at their “home” in the UAE to Sri Lanka.

It promises to be an intriguing series as both sides look to build for the future.

A few interesting stats and milestones to watch out for as the series unfolds:

Potential debutants

England confirmed on Wednesday that 20-year old Somerset offspinner Dom Bess will make his debut, becoming England Test Cap number 685.

For Pakistan, there are three uncapped batsman in the Test squad – Fakhar Zaman, Usman Salahuddin and Saad Ali who are waiting in the wings to make their debuts. Fakhar would appear the most likely.

Team, match-up, and venue stats

By contrast to Ireland playing their first Test last week, the games against Pakistan will be England’s 998^th and 999^th tests!

The two sides have met 81 times in Tests since 1954 – England lead Pakistan 24-20 in wins, with 37 draws.

In England, there have been 51 matches between the hosts and Pakistan, with England leading 22-11, and 18 draws.

Pakistan have not played against England at Headingley since 2006, but did play (and win) a Test against Australia there in 2010 before settling on the UAE as their temporary home.

Stuart Broad (England)

Now established as England’s second highest wicket-taker in Tests behind teammate Jimmy Anderson, Broad has his sights set on a number of landmarks in this series.

With the bat, he needs just 26 runs to bring up 3,000 career Test runs, and in the process become just the fifth player in the history of the game to hit that milestone as well as take 400 Test wickets. He will join legends of the game Sir Richard Hadlee, Shane Warne, Kapil Dev and Shaun Pollock if he gets there.

Broad’s 116 Test appearances to date put him sixth on the list of England’s all-time appearance makers in Tests. If he plays both games as expected he will leapfrog David Gower in fifth on 117 and join Graham Gooch and Ian Bell in joint fourth on 118. Only Alec Stewart, Anderson and Alastair Cook will have played more for their country.

Finally, Broad’s 410 Test wickets currently see him in 14^th place in the history of the game. A successful series could see him rocket into the world top ten all-time however. Twelve scalps will see him overtake:

Wasim Akram (Pakistan, 414 wickets, 13th place);
Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka, 415, 12th place);
Harbhajan Singh (India, 417, 11th place) ;
Dale Steyn (South Africa, 419, 10th place); and
Shaun Pollock (South Africa, 421, 9th place)

Jimmy Anderson (England)

Jimmy has taken 818 wickets across all international formats for England. He needs 12 more to move past Pollock’s 829 and into sixth place worldwide.

Ben Stokes (England)

Making his first appearance for England in Tests since his well-publicized issues last summer, talismanic all-rounder Stokes needs just five wickets to bring up 100 for England with the red ball.

Jonny Bairstow (England)

Despite Buttler’s return to the squad, YJB has been confirmed as England’s gloveman, and needs just four dismissals to bring up 150 in Tests.

Joe Root (England)

England’s skipper will be looking for 157 runs to notch 6,000 in Tests, becoming the 15^th Englishman to the mark.

Azhar Ali (Pakistan)

Opener Azhar Ali struggled in Ireland failing in both innings, so is still looking for 88 runs to take him past Misbah’s 5,222 Test runs and into sixth place all-time for Pakistan.

Ireland v Pakistan – Stats preview

History will be made in a few hour’s time at the Village Ground in Malahide, Dublin, when Ireland’s men’s team make their Test debut against Pakistan.

Above: The Ireland squad ahead of today’s debut Test

Here are a few stats-based snippets and insights on the big game:

– Ireland will become the eleventh men’s Test team, and the second in Europe.

– Aside from England itself, Ireland will be come the first Test nation to make its debut against a team other than England or India. Six sides have debuted against England, and three against India. England debuted against Australia.

– If Ireland beats Pakistan, it will become only the second Test country to win their first Test, after Australia beat England in 1877.

– If Ireland draws or wins, they will become only the third Test country to not lose their debut Test, after Australia in 1877 and Zimbabwe who drew their first Test with India in 1992.

– If Boyd Rankin plays for Ireland, he will become the 15^th player to play Tests for two separate nations, having played one Test for England versus Australia in Sydney in January 2014.

– Rankin will become the first ever player to play in all three formats (Test, ODI and T20I) for tow international teams.

– Ireland’s Ed Joyce’s sister Isobel played in the Ireland Women’s side when they made their Test debut, also against Pakistan, in 2000.

– Ireland’s Tim Murtagh, with 712 First Class wickets to his name, will become the player with the most First Class wickets before making his Test debut for any team other than England.

– Malahide will become the 115^th ground to host Test cricket

– The Republic of Ireland will become the 22^nd country to host Test cricket (counting England and Wales as separate countries)

– Mohammad Amir needs 5 wickets to bring up 100 Test wickets for Pakistan

– Azhar Ali need 94 runs to move past Misbah-Ul-Haq’s 5,222 Test runs and into 6^th place all time for Pakistan

New Zealand v England – Test Series Preview

England swap their coloured clothing for whites this week, when a two-match Test series against New Zealand gets underway. The first match is a day/night affair under lights at Auckland’s Eden Park starting on Thursday, followed by a second match at Christchurch’s picturesque Hagley Oval the following week.

Trevor Bayliss’ men seem to have been on the road for months, this tour having started with the Ashes way back in November. The early part of this year has been taken up with ODI series wins against both Australia and New Zealand. Those series sandwiched a tri-series campaign against both, where England failed to reach the final. Whether they will be happy to see pink and red balls again is a matter for some conjecture -as for all England’s recent success in One Day cricket, their form in Tests has been as shaky as the ground underfoot in an earthquake-prone Land of the Long White Cloud.

England famously lost the Ashes 4-0, blown away by an Australian pace attack which highlighted significant weaknesses in the batting line up. If truth be told England’s troubles in Tests go back a lot further than that. Their last series win away from home was over two years ago, and wins over South Africa and West Indies at home over the 2017 summer will do little to paper over those cracks.

England’s squad is bolstered by the return of mercurial all-rounder Ben Stokes, missing from the Ashes due to legal reasons. Stokes will be looking forward to the second test in particular, given that it takes place in the city of his birth, Christchurch. Also added to the squad is uncapped Lancashire captain and middle order batsman Liam Livingtsone, who impressed in the second warm-up game with the red ball in Hamilton earlier this week. Two other potential debutants are in the England ranks, with Surrey keeper Ben Foakes reprising his Ashes drinks-carrying duty, and Somerset spinner Jack Leach a late call-up replacing an injured Mason Crane. Whether any of the three make their debut remains to be seen, but one senses that refreshing the team beaten so comprehensively in Australia might not be such a bad thing.

For their part, the hosts have played very little Test cricket of late, but what they have played has largely gone their way, and they are a force to be reckoned with in home conditions. In fact, the Blackcaps’ last four Test series have been at home over the last 18 months – bringing series wins against Pakistan, Bangladesh and the West Indies against a solitary loss to South Africa.

The Blackcaps welcome back keeper-batsman BJ Watling to the team, having recovered from the injury that kept him out of the West Indies season early in the Kiwi summer. His replacement in that series, Tom Blundell, can count himself slightly unlucky, but his time will likely come. The other selection of note is Todd Astle as the sole spinner in a squad shorn of the all-round talents of an injured Mitchell Santner. Astle is no mug with the bat either, a fact that probably gave him the nod over New Zealand’s white-ball spinner Ish Sodhi,

So an intriguing series for the teams awaits. Individually, there are a number of potential personal milestones for players of both teams to keep a watch out for over the next two weeks.

Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

A mainstay of the Blackcaps’ middle order for over a decade, Ross Taylor is just 72 runs shy of bringing up 15,000 for New Zealand in all formats.

He currently sits third in his country’s all-time Test run scorers list with 6,246 runs to his name. Former skipper Brendon McCullum is in his sights in second, 207 runs ahead on 6,453.

Taylor also has 17 Test centuries, which is the joint highest for his country alongside captain Kane Williamson and all-time Blackcaps legend, the late great Martin Crowe. Both Taylor and Williamson can claim top spot for themselves with a century in this series.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

As well as that century mark, skipper Williamson will be hoping to notch up the 121 runs he needs to overtake John Wright’s 5,334 career runs and move into fifth place all time for New Zealand. Crowe’s 5,444 in fourth is also within grasp.

Stuart Broad (England)

Quick bowler Broad currently has 399 Test wickets, and will be reasonably confident of becoming just the 14^th player in the history of the game to take 400 Test wickets. Seven wickets in the series will also see him overtake West Indies bowler Curtley Ambrose’s 405 wickets and move into 13^th place.

With the willow in hand, Broad has notched up 2,956 runs. 44 more will bring up his 3,000.

If he brings up both marks, he will just the fifth player in history with the 400 wickets / 3,000 runs double -and will join an illustrious group consisting currently of Shane Warne, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee and Shaun Pollock.

Moeen Ali (England)

The “beard that’s feared” will likely play his 50^th Test for England.

Tim Southee (New Zealand)

Opening bowler Southee has taken 208 wickets in his Blackcaps Test career, enough for fifth place for his country. Eleven in the series will see him overtake Chris Cairns and move into fourth.

South Africa v Australia Test Series Preview

One of the closest match-ups in recent Test cricket history rejoins battle over the next five weeks, with South Africa hosting Australia for a four-match Test series. The first game takes place at Durban’s Kingsmead ground starting on Thursday 1st March – followed over the next 30 days by matches in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The Proteas are ranked second in the world in Tests, with Australia hot on their heels in third. Added to that, both are coming off series wins over major nations – South Africa winning 2-1 over India, and the Aussies smashing England to smithereens in a 4-0 Ashes thumping. So whilst both sides’ one-day form has been variable of late, they will be high on confidence with a red ball in hand.

Also of note is that whilst there has been a growing worldwide trend over recent times for home teams to dominate in Tests, the opposite seems to hold true with these particular combatants – the last three series being won by the away side, most recently by South Africa in Australia in 2017. The conditions in both southern hemisphere nations are very similar, with fast bouncy tracks to the fore. So players from both sides will feel comfortable, and an intriguing month awaits.

Both sides have named two potential debutants in their squads for the series – the Australians have named young quick Jhye Richardson alongside perpetual baggy=green-in-waiting Chadd Sayers in their bowling ranks, whilst South Africa find a place for all-rounder Willem Mulder and back up keeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen in their armoury.

There are plenty of individual milestones to keep an eye on as well as the series unfolds:

Morne Morkel (South Africa)

The in-form tall quick shocked everyone over the weekend by announcing his retirement from all international cricket at age 33 at the end of this series. Known affectionately as The Giraffe, Morkel has notched up 294 wickets in Tests so far, so will be looking for just six more to become only the 5th South African to join the 300-club. Ending his career in the company of Messrs Pollock, Steyn, Ntini and Donald would be a fitting way to sign off for the popular fast bowler.

Hashim Amla (South Africa)

One of South Africa’s all time great batsmen has a host of records and milestones in sight during a series in which he will turn 35.

Firstly, if he plays in all four games he will join former skipper Graeme Smith on 117 Test appearances for the Proteas, enough for third all-time behind only the legendary Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher.

Secondly, sitting on 8,786, he is 214 runs shy of joining the 9,000 Test runs club, and if he makes it will become the third South African to do so after Kallis and Smith.

And finally, his safe hands will be confident of taking the one more catch at slip he requires to bring up a century in that category.

Nathan Lyon (Australia)

Not far behind Morkel in the career wickets category is man the Aussies like to call the GOAT, spinner Nathan Lyon. His 290 Test wickets are enough for seventh place all-time for Australia, and two more scalps will see him overtake Craig McDermott into sixth.

Ten wickets over the series will see him become only the sixth Australian after Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Dennis Lillee, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee to achieve the 300.

Vernon Philander (South Africa)

The burly quick bowler will be looking for just 12 wickets of his own over the series to bring up 200 for his country.

Steve Smith (Australia)

Having scored 6,057 in Tests, 3,431 in ODIs and 431 in T20Is, Australia’s skipper has 9,919 international runs so far. Given his form and Test average of 60-plus, it seems a foregone conclusion that he will achieve 10,000 over the next few weeks!

Shaun and Mitchell Marsh (Australia)

The Marsh brothers each have a batting milestone in sight, with Shaun looking for 79 runs to bring up 2,000 and the younger sibling Mitchell just 6 runs to notch up his first 1,000 for his country.

Dean Elgar (South Africa)

Opener and one-time stand in captain Elgar currently has 2,861 Test runs to his name, so will be confident he can find the 139 he needs for 3,000.