Do the Blackcaps Have Any Hope in The Tests?

As February draws to a close, the Blackcaps now must face their toughest challenge yet from the best touring English side in a long while. 

The Blackcaps have shown to be reasonably competent against the English when a cricket game is short and simple. However, they still fell short in key areas like being unable to build batting partnerships of some substance and being heavily reliant on the likes of Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill for runs. 

Blackcaps badly missed Mitch McClenaghan in the last 2 ODI games

It is a shame really as their bowling lineup actually looked pretty effective especially when Mitch McClenaghan was in full flow. McClenaghan was as aggressive as most of the English fast bowlers and his absence was keenly felt as the Blackcaps struggled to hold off the English chase which was always going to be hard under lights anyway. 

The Blackcaps won't have to worry about lights for the next three weeks now - just as well as they've already got plenty to think about on their plate as they seek to avoid a potential whitewash at home to the English for the first time in a long time. 

Moments like this have been rare for New Zealand cricket fans since the last time they beat England in 2008

For so long, England have been a mediocre side, one vulnerable overseas, a team that everyone loves to beat simply because they're England, inventors of the game. However, since 2010, England have become a very clinical cricket team, superb in all forms of the game. In fact, only South Africa is better than the Poms in the traditional form of the game currently. 

New Zealand certainly has conditions not unlike those at home in England which will delight their fast bowlers, possibly some of the best in the world, in the likes of Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Graham Onions and James Anderson. The signs were already there in the 50 over games - Finn was virtually unplayable when he bowled the right pace and length and only a cavalier attacking approach by Brendon McCullum would unsettle Finn. But such an approach is unlikely to work in the longer version of the game. 

Steve Finn has been phenomenal once he's kept his knee off the stumps

So is there any hope for the Blackcaps in the tests? As I said before, while our batting leaves much to be desired, our bowlers aren't actually too bad; in fact, I dare say they are amongst the best fast bowling attacks in the world. Our stocks probably haven't had it better with the likes of Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Trent Boult and the experienced Chris Martin available for selection. 

If the English bowlers can get as much juice as they can from the pitches seen so far, surely the New Zealand bowlers will be looking at that and thinking they have as much chance to cause damage to the English batting lineup as they will with ours?

Ultimately, the prediction will be that the lack of depth in our batting will ultimately be our undoing. England have far too many experienced campaigners in their batting lineup, including several of the world's best batsmen right now, e.g. captain Alastair Cook and the enigmatic Kevin Pietersen.

Whatever happens, expect to see our best ever crowds at test grounds with the large travelling contingent from England to make up most of the embankments in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland. Hopefully the weather and Blackcaps can deliver too as the best summer in years draws to a close.