Expectations return for England
Match facts
May 29-June 2, 2015
Start time 11am local (1000 GMT)
Big Picture
England's week couldn't have gone better at Lord's. It was was a major surprise to everybody that they turned things around in such dramatic fashion having slipped well behind in the game. It was reckoned to be their greatest victory since the India tour of 2012 and a style of cricket not seen since the great days of Michael Vaughan's captaincy. Suddenly people are giving the England cricket team a second glance.
England have a new man to empty the bars. The new Botham, the new Flintoff, the new Pietersen, whoever you reincarnate in Ben Stokes, his draw was on show to the wider British public for the first time. They may have slept through his hundred in Perth; probably didn't even realise a match was on when he hammered Notts in last season's Royal London Cup semi-final; but here was his ability displayed on the grandest stage (and in glorious high-definition in a limited number of living rooms).
They have even sat up and taken notice at Headingley. It has been the chilliest of Springs in northern England, hardly weather to encourage a big turnout, but Yorkshire have sold 5,000 tickets since Moeen Ali's springing catch brought England victory and, with almost 40,000 sold in all, have reason to join the Stokes fan base.
The challenge for England now is to keep entertaining. Will they continue to play aggressive cricket? Brendon McCullum wondered. His New Zealanders are committed to taking the game to the opposition, in any situation it would seem following some of the final afternoon dismissals at Lord's, but England may have stumbled across a strategy that paid off handsomely and largely thanks to one man.
McCullum said New Zealand themselves had to decide what brand of cricket they wanted to play when he took charge. His uber-positive style has seen them go undefeated in their last six Test series but now they need victory at Headingley to keep that run going. McCullum regards New Zealand as the "authentic" believers in aggressive cricket and pointedly wondered if England, traditionally more conservative, had just stumbled across such an approach. Under Headingley's tyrannical skies, there will be times when a spot of conservatism might not go amiss..
Form guide
(last five matches, most recent first)
England WLWDW
New Zealand LWWWD
In the spotlight
Lord's can be a difficult place for opening batsmen, particularly on debut, and Adam Lyth made just 7 and 12 in his first Test. He should feel more relaxed on his home ground and it was during this Test last summer that the man he replaced, Sam Robson, made a century. Unfortunately for Robson it could well be his only Test hundred. Lyth, more used to the demands caused by Headingley cloud cover, will hope a solid showing here will lead to bigger things.
Questions were asked of how well New Zealand's IPL contingent would cope with the quick turnaround to Test cricket and Tim Southee did not appear to have made the switch seamlessly, looking a little jaded having sent down 58 overs, taken three wickets, and conceded 266 runs at four-and-a-half an over. Will he have recuperated in time for a better showing at Headingley?
Teams news
England are likely to be unchanged from Lord's. James Anderson and Mark Wood were both reported to be a "bit sore" but are both anticipated to be fine.
England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Gary Ballance, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson
New Zealand have two injury worries. BJ Watling, who missed the second Test on the last tour, is still struggling with his knee that saw him not able to keep wicket for most of the Lord's Test. His exclusion would rob New Zealand of an influential player in their run of six undefeated Test series. Corey Anderson also has a back problem; if he plays he is likely not to bowl. His injury concerns will be felt at Somerset, where he has signed up for the NatWest Blast. Luke Ronchi, for his Test debut, and Doug Bracewell are in line to replace the injured pair.
New Zealand (possible) 1 Tom Latham, 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Luke Ronchi (wk), 7 Mark Craig, 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult
Pitch and conditions
Headingley generally comes up with a good Test wicket and the bigger influence on conditions will be the situation overhead. It has been a cold spring in Yorkshire and the weather is forecast to be unsettled throughout the match, particularly on Sunday. "We still scored over 730 runs and took 20 wickets at Lord's," McCullum reflected. "On most occasions when you out those sorts of numbers on the board you would probably say you'd win the Test match." It probably would be at Headingley.
Stats and trivia
- Alastair Cook needs 32 runs to surpass Graham Gooch as England's leading Test runscorer.
- James Anderson is just one wicket away from becoming the 12th bowler to take 400 Test wickets
- Brendon McCullum needs 88 more runs reach 6000 in Tests: he would be just the second New Zealander to reach the mark after Stephen Fleming
- New Zealand's first Test victory in England came at Headingley in 1983
Quotes
"It is a balancing act - maybe there have been times when I have been too conservative in the past."
England captain Alastair Cook responds to the query whether an adventurous young side can lead him into a more attacking style of captaincy.
"We went down the other day but I thought we played some pretty good cricket during that Test. I make no apologies for how we play. We need to play an aggressive and innovative form of cricket. It gives us our greatest opportunity."
Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand skipper, keeps his foot on the accelerator.
Alex Winter is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo He tweets here