England vs. New Zealand 2nd Test: England Hoping to Repeat 2013
Almost exactly two years ago New Zealand arrived at Headingley 1-0 down in a two Test match series against England. They had lost the opener at Lord’s after the home side produced some irresistible cricket to blow them away.
Alastair Cook came out on top against Brendon McCullum. Joe Root led the run scoring, and Stuart Broad headed the bowling.
Kane Williamson prospered in the first innings but could not halt the slide toward defeat in the second. Trent Boult and Tim Southee swung the ball and claimed wickets, but it was not enough.
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Fast-forward to the present day, and although the situation may sound similar, there have been many changes. Eleven of the 22 players remain the same—five for England, and six for New Zealand—but the intervening years have witnessed great fluctuations.
England have been consistently rocked by instability. Personnel, leadership and management have been undone by varying degrees of farce, incompetence and poor on-field performances.
By contrast, New Zealand have been on an increasingly positive upward curve in the past few years. They have leapfrogged England in the ICC Test rankings—albeit by a narrow margin—by playing an aggressive, positive style of the game.
England’s win at Lord’s two years ago was expected. Their win on Monday held a lot more significance.
At the beginning of the summer, facing an opposition whose rise has coincided with their decline, victory was crucial. It heightened self-confidence, reassured fans and set a benchmark of the standards that should be aspired to.
A positive result was necessary, but the manner of victory made all the difference. In front of packed stands at the home of cricket, following a largely miserable 18 months, England produced high-quality, high-octane entertainment.
Facing a talented and ambitious opposition, they showed character, grit and fight to swing momentum and force the win. The experienced heads from two years earlier contributed, but it was the young, exciting players who inspired the long-missed buzz around the national team.
Mark Wood bowled with unrelenting enthusiasm and pace. Moeen Ali punched lower-order runs and held a difficult catch to win the match. Ben Stokes hit the fastest Test century in the history of Lord’s and ran in with determination to take two crucial wickets in the second innings.
The Headingley Test now represents an opportunity for England to maintain this new-found momentum, forget their recent disappointments and return to the successes of 2013.
At Headingley in 2013 against a Kiwi attack led by Southee and Boult, Cook and Root both scored centuries. James Anderson and Broad took wickets. Despite the rain, England won in four days.
New Zealand offer the perfect kind of opposition for England in this situation. The two sides are evenly matched in every aspect. The visitors will attack, pose questions and cause problems. They will not lie down or be blown away at Headingley. England will need to play their best cricket.
This Test match could represent another step in the right direction, a step toward regaining form and stability.
England have a good mix of experience and youth—those who have experienced past glories and those who are driven by creating their own. Both are united in their goals. A new coach is imminent and a fresh start awaits, but first they can build on what they began at Lord’s.
Two years ago, England won a two Test series against New Zealand 2-0. The positivity, self-assurance and stability engendered by the summer opener led to a 3-0 Ashes win.
England will be hoping the Headingley Test is another move in the footsteps of 2013.
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