England are approaching this series with exactly the right attitude after they only managed to draw in New Zealand recently. Forget the Ashes: the next 10 days’ cricket against these Kiwis is all that matters now.
National selector Geoff Miller’s comments the other day were revealing. He basically implied that England had been a little complacent during the three Tests in New Zealand.
The players will deny that, of course, but you get the sense they are totally focused now.
Hands on the prize: England will begin their international summer with a two-Test series against New Zealand
Iconic setting: England are looking for a strong showing at Lord's after a hard-fought 0-0 draw in March I expect England to be right on top of their game at Lord’s and Headingley. And I can’t remember so many players starting the summer in such good form.
In fact, I think this series will boil down to how New Zealand’s batsmen handle themselves against the swinging ball. They were clever against England in March. They fought hard on deliberately flat pitches, which nullified England’s seam and spin options.
It has always been their template. But they’ll be out of their comfort zone here — even under the innovative and aggressive captaincy of Brendon McCullum. They’ve lost five of their last six Tests in England, and in their last away series — in South Africa at the start of the year — they were bowled out for 45.
Quartet: England bowlers Tim Bresnan, James Anderson, Steven Finn and Stuart Broad warm upPractice: Nottinghamshire duo Swann and Broad both bowled at England's nets session on Wednesday
Underdogs: New Zealand's batsmen practiced in the nets on the Lord's Nursery Ground on Wednesday Tidying up: England players remove their chairs from the Lord's outfield after their team photograph
And however well they played to come within a wicket of beating England in Auckland, they are still ranked No 8 in the world. They’re a solid side with some good cricketers, but they’re vulnerable.
England have got a couple of key players back in their squad. Graeme Swann will add nous and feistiness, and Tim Bresnan is a fantastic cricketer, even if he doesn’t make the final XI.
But they do need to be careful for a couple of reasons. Without Kevin Pietersen available to up the tempo, and with a top three who favour solidity over flair, they will be reliant on the likes of Ian Bell and Jonny Bairstow to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Lean on me: Captain Alastair Cook and wicketkeeper Matt Prior perform a few stretchesMean business: New Zealand went close to forcing a surprise series win over England on home soil in March
And three of their top six — Bairstow, Nick Compton and Joe Root — have played only 17 Tests between them.
I’d also like to see Steven Finn address the issues he’s been having. It looks as if he’ll again come in off his long run, and it’s important he feels comfortable.
We always talk about his potential. Now is his chance to put a middling series in New Zealand behind him. If he does, the tourists could be in trouble.
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