Big picture: The Basin revisited

Twenty-one months later, there's still so much to unpack from that last extraordinary contest between New Zealand and England at Wellington. A packed crowd at the Basin Reserve had been invited in for free to witness one of the most extraordinary finishes in Test history - one that left even the vanquished James Anderson smiling at the absurdity of it all, after he gloved another bumper from the indefatigable Neil Wagner to traipse off to a defeat by the barest of all margins.

It was the best of Bazball, but arguably the worst of Bazball too… utter commitment on the one hand to the cause of entertaining, engaging Test cricket, but - after enforcing a needless follow-on that loosened their grip on the game - the first example, too, of Brendon McCullum's charges going "too far" in their exploration of the limits of attacking cricket. "We look at the bigger picture of what everyone's enjoyed and seen here today," Ben Stokes said after that loss. "It's probably bigger than the disappointment at the moment."

Do they dare feel quite so flippant about Test setbacks anymore? That loss was followed soon afterwards by two further defeats from winning positions in the 2023 Ashes, and until their victory in last week's first Test at Christchurch, England had won seven, lost seven in 14 previous matches in 2024. Seeing as Stokes had launched that match with another apology to his team for losing his cool during their 2-1 series loss in Pakistan, it's clear that something has hardened in the interim. Now, he's reserving his rattiness for the ICC's over-rate adjudicators, which probably won't get him very far on the WTC front, but it might just be a more galvanising outlet for his frustrations.

And yet, what might have been had New Zealand held their chances in Christchurch? An extraordinary eight drops in England's first innings mean the teams are probably all-square in the generosity stakes now - and given that five of those came off the bat of the "jammy" Harry Brook, it's little wonder the rest of that match was one-way traffic.

Brook's 171 was a formidable knock in spite of the let-offs - and it hoisted his record in New Zealand to precisely 500 runs at 100.00. Now, however, he's back at the scene of, quite possibly, his most domineering knock of all. His first-innings 186 back in 2023 began, much like last week's effort, with England on the ropes, at 21 for 3 after Matt Henry and Tim Southee ripped out the top-order in the space of 40 balls. But for the rest of a truncated opening day, it was one-way traffic. Had the weather not lopped off 25 of the day's overs while he was sitting pretty on 184, Brook would surely have surged past his double-century there and then, and - who knows - maybe that Multan triple-century wouldn't have been his first either.

New Zealand bounced back then, as they can now - and Kane Williamson's ominous form on his return from a groin strain was hugely encouraging in that regard. But their flaws at Christchurch extended beyond their fielding lapses. Despite Devon Conway's important contributions to that epic series win in India, he is averaging 21.10 across the past 12 months, while Tom Blundell's form is of even greater concern. He's managed one fifty in 25 innings since that epic Wellington win, when his vital 90 was instrumental in turning the tide.

And then there's the question of Tim Southee, into the final approach of his magnificent Test career, but so visibly the weak link in Christchurch as Brook and Ben Duckett took turns to take him down. Nevertheless, he still had his moments, particularly in that window of opportunity, early in England's first innings, when the clouds had rolled over and the ball was talking loudly. England's flaws against the moving ball, be it spin in Asia or seam and swing elsewhere, have not been adequately disproved in their uneven displays this year. If there's a way back into the series for New Zealand, it's surely to be found on a good length, and nipping back through the gate.

Form guide

New Zealand LWWWL (last five Tests, most recent first)
England WLLWL

In the spotlight - Brydon Carse and Will O'Rourke

Brydon Carse's ten-wicket haul at Christchurch confirmed what we had already gleaned from his formidable displays in Pakistan: England have found themselves a real contender here. His pace and aggression was once again unstinting, while his accuracy was barely less of a factor in his penetrative displays across both innings. His match haul of 10 for 106 emulated that of Ryan Sidebottom at Hamilton in 2008, the last England seamer to claim ten wickets in an overseas Test, and caps a remarkable resurgence following the betting ban in the summer that prevented his debut from occurring any sooner. His three-month sidelining may have been a blessing in disguise, given that he's hit these winter tours with a freshness that Gus Atkinson is arguably lacking after his summer's exertions, but the challenge of backing up last week's efforts will be a significant one all the same.

With a little more luck on his side, Will O'Rourke might have delivered figures to rival those of Carse. He's not quite as tall as the much-missed Kyle Jamieson, currently sidelined for a year with another stress fracture, but he used his 6ft4 frame to wonderful effect at Christchurch, generating speeds in excess of 145kph to hassle England's batters to a far greater extent than his match haul of 2 for 165 would suggest. Three of those eight first-innings catches went down off his bowling, and even with 104 to defend second-time around, he struck with his first ball to dislodge a rampant Ben Duckett, then came within a whisker of delivering Joe Root's first Test pair. No-one was ever entirely comfortable with his sharp pace and bounce, even when the runs were pouring in the victory charge. A blank slate and a fair wind at Wellington is the least he deserves.

Team news: Both sides unchanged

New Zealand have a few worries, and not simply their catching. A stronger all-round batting contribution, bolstered by big scores from Conway and/or Blundell wouldn't go a miss, nor would Southee getting fully into his groove. Nevertheless, the hosts have opted for an unchanged side for this second Test, in keeping with captain Tom Latham's assessment post-defeat in Christchurch that no major overhaul of their approach was required.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O'Rourke

Ollie Robinson (the Durham version) has arrived in New Zealand as a wicketkeeping replacement for Jordan Cox, but it looks like it will have been a futile search for a valid passport. England named an unchanged XI two days out from the toss, with Ollie Pope having proved more than adequate behind the stumps - just as he did in similarly emergency circumstances against Pakistan in 2022. Factor in his vital 77 from No.6, and Jacob Bethell's precocious debut at No.3, and England seem to found a handy balance in adversity. England have opted against rotating their seamers, while Stokes is expected to be fit to bowl after sustaining a mid-over back niggle in New Zealand's second innings.

England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (capt), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir

Pitch and conditions: Another run-fest in store?

England may be forewarned after the placid conditions they faced on day one in Christchurch, having won the toss and bowled on an apparent greentop. This Wellington deck "is green, but I'm not sure if it's as green as what last week was," said Chris Woakes, two days out from the Test. With a brown tinge in places, it looks set to dry out further and is likely to prove full of runs, if the events of England's last visit to Wellington are any guide. Speaking on match eve, Latham didn't expect the pitch to turn, based on first-class games played this year.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won 23 and lost 21 of their previous 68 Tests at the Basin Reserve, with 24 draws.

• Six of those wins, however, have come in their last eight Tests at the venue since 2017, with one draw against Sri Lanka in 2018, and a loss in their most recent outing against Australia in February.

• Tim Southee, who has a maximum of two Tests left in his career, needs five more sixes to reach 100 in Tests, having struck two in defeat in Christchurch.

• Southee also needs 13 wickets to reach 400 in Tests, although that is as many as he has claimed in nine Tests this year.

• The Test will feature four of the top-five batters in the ICC's rankings, with Joe Root and Harry Brook occupying positions 1 and 2, with Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell at 3 and 5.

Quotes

"Looking at the surface here, looking at the games that have been played here this year, we saw last year that the wicket took a little bit of spin which surprised us a little bit. Going by the games here, the Wellington first-class games, I think the balance that we've gone in with is the right balance for this wicket. We obviously have some spin options in that top seven anyway. We think it's the right fit and the guys are looking forward to the challenge."
Black Caps skipper Tom Latham

""I don't regret doing it. It ended up being a good game and we were only ever one run away from winning. It would be nice to be in that situation this time, and scratching my head wondering whether we enforce the follow on or not."
Ben Stokes, England's captain, on enforcing the follow-on, then and now.