England set for Kiwi test

After their debacle in New Zealand, England are once again on the rise, and a good series at home would certainly boost the confidence of England.

England didn’t have a good tour of New Zealand. Alastair Cook has to take the blame for England’s s dismal show in New Zealand. They were unable to offer resistance to the swinging conditions. Although the wickets did not provide pace and bounce, the bowlers were getting a lot of lateral movement off the surface, which England found extremely difficult to handle. They were without two major players – Graeme Swann and Kevin Pietersen. And, Swann’s return for the home Series would certainly strengthen the spinning department.

England have a good chance of performing well against New Zealand as they are playing at home. They are firm favourites right at the outset. The batting department has been strengthened with the return of Jonny Bairstow. Jonny Bairstow has been performing for England on a consistent basis. He made a remarkable Test debut against West Indies, and also handled the South African pace-attack brilliantly. Bairstow, therefore, will fill up the vacancy in the middle order.

In the absence of Kevin Pietersen, England will be heavily reliant on Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott. Cook and Ian Bell have been consistent performers at the top of the order. They have to take responsibility and get the runs for England. The middle order comprises of Jonny Bairstow, Nick Compton and Joe Root. Jonny Bairstow has been the man in-form for England, but Nick Compton and Root’s performances are under scrutiny. Matt Prior will have a significant task at hand down the order in case Compton and Root fail to perform.

Also, in the recent past, England’s strength has been their spin-attack. They have quality spinners in the form of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Swann has returned from an injury and hence may not be upto the mark. So, Monty Panesar should have been picked for England against New Zealand. He is an orthodox spinner; has picked 164 wickets in 48 Test matches at an average of 33.78. This shows that he has the capability to perform against high-quality sides. Also, he can turn the ball even on flat surfaces. That could have posed problems for the Black Caps as they have lot of right-handers in their side.

England also have a promising pace-attack in the form of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Steve Finn has been the third seamer for England. The duos of Anderson and Broad have done their business at home. The conditions are ideal for them. Broad and Anderson will be a threat to Kiwis especially with the new-ball. Therefore, New Zealand openers will have to be watchful against England’s bowlers.

England have a formidable side that has done well at home. The top order has to make some runs in order to give their bowlers enough runs to defend. The bowling attack looks the one like that can take 20 wickets. It’s the batting that should click for England.