Stuff Digital Edition

Dad’s Army Black Caps set to meet youthful Proteas

Ian.anderson@stuff.co.nz

Don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring! Lance Corporal Jones wasn’t someone you’d seek for a sound, measured take on anything possibly alarming.

So Black Caps’ fans shouldn’t be overly bothered by the fact that the current New Zealand test cricket XI has a Dad’s Army (kids, ask your grandparents) feel about them.

Kyle Jamieson is the only player in the side which beat Bangladesh in the second test in Christchurch this week under the age of 29. Neil Wagner is the most senior member at 35, now that Ross Taylor (37) has departed the test arena, and Jamieson’s three quick-bowling companions’ combined age brings up a century, which is much better for batters than bowlers.

While this may be accompanied by more aching muscles and creaking bones during the full five days of a test, it’s also been a formula which has led to New Zealand becoming world champions.

It’s not surprising to see that the world’s best test teams have a vastly experienced core.

India, beaten by New Zealand in last year’s World Test Championship final in Southampton, lost their justcompleted series in South Africa 2-1. The XI they played for the series decider contained just two players aged under 29 – wicketkeeper/batter Rishabh Pant (24) and pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah (28).

Australia went into the final test of their dominant Ashes

series romp over England with three players under 29 – and only 22-year-old Cameron Green could be called junior among him, Marnus Labuschagne and skipper Pat Cummins.

England had just two relative youngsters in the side which held on for a draw in the fourth test at the SCG – openers Habeeb Hameed (24) and Zak Crawley (23) – as the team sought desperately for a way to score runs bar skipper Joe Root.

The biggest outlier among current test sides in New Zealand’s next opponent, South Africa, who will contest a twogame series here next month.

In the team that stunned India were rookie pace bowler Marco Jansen (21) and fellow quicks Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, 26 and 25 respectively. Top-order batters Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen are 27 and 28, while Quinton de Kock’s replacement as wicketkeeper, Kyle Verreyne, is just 24.

So the Hagley Oval and Basin Reserve encounters may go some way towards working out if New Zealand have peaked.

The Black Caps lost their lengthy, proud unbeaten home record in the most surprising of circumstances at Bay Oval to begin the new year.

A convincing win followed, but now two wins versus the Proteas appear a must for

New Zealand to keep pace with the leading sides on the WTC points table.

Should captain Kane Williamson not be fit enough to play against South Africa, a new cap may be required and there’s no obvious choice.

One aspect seems certain – it won’t be a young player already ear-marked for great things.

Selectors Gary Stead and Gavin Larsen did give a test debut to all-rounder Rachin Ravindra late last year, just a week after his 22nd birthday. Yet the talented left-hander – who is expected to become a mainstay of the batting line-up for years to come – missed out on a place in the side at Hagley Oval, partly due to his poor performance in the first test, and partly because there was little need for spin in Christchurch.

The majority of recent additions to the New Zealand test team have been closer to 30 than Ravindra’s age – Will Young and

Daryl Mitchell were 28 on debut, Devon Conway 29.

Compare that to the quartet which has been at the heart of New Zealand’s rise in test cricket standings. Taylor was 23 when he made his test debut in 2007, and he was the oldest of the ‘golden group’ to make his first appearance, with Trent Boult 22, Williamson 20 and Tim Southee 19 when they first wore the black cap.

While Williamson’s elbow injury is a concern over his future, Wagner, Southee and Boult can draw encouragement from England’s ‘ageless’ pace duo of Stuart Broad (35) and James Anderson (39).

Taylor’s last two years were further proof that age eventually catches up with even the greats – just how quickly will that affect the Black Caps?

WORLD

en-nz

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281835762064810

Stuff Limited