The 2019 Cricket World Cup finalists will swap coloured kits for whites in a two-match Test series starting in Tauranga on Wednesday.
England and New Zealand played out the most thrilling and dramatic World Cup final in history at Lord’s in July, with the hosts emerging triumphant after a super over.
Having also been beaten by Eoin Morgan’s side in a recent Twenty20 series, the Black Caps will be determined to finally get one over England in the longest format of the game.
New Zealand v England Test schedule
First Test: Mount Maunganui, 21-25 Nov (22:00 GMT)
Second Test: Hamilton, 29 Nov-3 Dec (22:00 GMT)
What’s the situation?
For England, the brief Test tour of New Zealand marks the starts of a cycle they hope will culminate in an Ashes triumph in Australia in two years’ time.
While Joe Root’s side prevented Australia from winning the Ashes outright last summer – clinching the final Test at the Oval to draw the series 2-2 – they failed to reclaim the urn.
Following that series, Trevor Bayliss stepped down as head coach and his successor, the former Yorkshire bowler Chris Silverwood, has been tasked with making England a more consistent Test side while maintaining their dominance in one-day cricket.
Despite impressing on home soil, England have won just two of their last seven away Test series, an unsatisfactory return considering the resources at their disposal.
But immediate success for Silverwood is no guarantee, especially given New Zealand have lost only one of their last nine Test series and are currently ranked No. 2 in the world.
The Kiwis have beaten England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at home in the past two years and find themselves three places ahead of England in the newly-formed World Test Championship.
The last time England toured New Zealand, they were beaten 1-0 in a two-match series, having been bowled out for 58 on the first morning of the first Test.
The teams
Due to the eye-catching brilliance of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, Rory Burns’ contributions during the Ashes went slightly under the radar.
But the Surrey captain offered England invaluable resistance at the top of the order, scoring almost 400 runs in ten innings against one of the finest Australia pace attacks to have visited these shores.
Burns finished the Ashes opening alongside Joe Denly but Warwickshire’s Dom Sibley – who scored a century in his first England innings against a New Zealand XI last week – will almost certainly open for the tourists.
England have struggled to find long-term replacements for Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook but there is optimism that prolific county batsmen Burns and Sibley can establish a successful opening partnership over the next few years.
With Root opting to move back down to his favoured position at number four, one of Kent’s star batsmen Joe Denly or Zak Crawley will bat at number three.
Ben Stokes, on the back of his summer heroics, and Jos Buttler will hope to provide middle-order runs against a skilful New Zealand attack.
One of Sam Curran or Chris Woakes will also feature in the first Test, while Stuart Broad and Archer – who took 45 wickets between them during the Ashes – will lead the attack, with the dependable Jack Leach set to get the nod over highly-rated leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson.
It is not hard to see why New Zealand have enjoyed such consistent success in red-ball cricket over the past two years.
In Trent Boult and Tim Southee, they possess an experienced and deadly new-ball combination, with the pair sitting third and fourth respectively in the list of leading wicket-takers from New Zealand, behind only Sir Richard Hadlee and Daniel Vettori.
Boult has a particularly impressive record against England, taking 47 of his 254 Test wickets against the country at an average of just 23.
The top-class duo will be supported be seamers Lockie Ferugson and Colin de Grandhomme – who both impressed in last summer’s World Cup – and the energetic Neil Wagner.
Spinners William Somerville and Ajaz Patel both featured in Sri Lanka in August but only one will be selected in home conditions which tend to suit pace bowlers.
New Zealand’s batting unit is also strong.
Tom Latham is beginning to thrive at the top of the order, making ten hundreds in his 45 matches, and comes into this series having scored 154 in his preview Test innings against Sri Lanka, and 224 in his penultimate first-class knock.
Latham will likely open with Jeet Raval, who is yet to establish himself as an international player but did score a maiden Test century in the series against Bangladesh at the start of the year.
Much will be expected of New Zealand’s brilliant captain Kane Williamson, who has led his team superbly since 2016 and remains one of the best batsmen in the world.
He averages more than 50 in this format and has hit centuries against every opposition he has faced, including two against England.
At the age of 35, Ross Taylor remains a key player for New Zealand in all formats and can also enjoy a productive series, while highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling, who made a ton in his last Test appearance, rarely lets his country down.
New Zealand v England predictions
Top run-scorer: Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Leading wicket-taker: Jofra Archer (England)
Result: New Zealand 1-1 England
