Blackcaps In Africa: Second Test vs Zimbabwe Preview
The Blackcaps face Zimbabwe in the second Test starting tomorrow night and with everything else that is going on in the world of sport right now, you could be forgiven for not really giving a rat's backside. Heading into the Zim leg of this African tour, we knew that Zimbabwe wouldn't offer the kiwis a stern challenge of their cricketing ability and this was backed up by a dominant win in the first Test. Zimbabwe are a Test playing nation though and showed that they will never back down, which is exactly what you'd expect from a Test team and on what will likely be a flatter deck in Bulawayo, I suspect we'll see an improved performance from Zimbabwe.
That's where my intrigue for this second Test lies as we all want to see the Blackcaps wrap up the series 2-0 and move on to South Africa dripping with a confident swagger. However, I'm definitely not certain that we'll see it play out like that and it's going to take a splash of ruthlessness - more ruthlessness than we saw in the first Test - for the kiwi lads to emerge with a series sweep. The combination of Zim team who have a Test behind them now and a flatter pitch should make this a more challenging task for the Blackcaps.
Coach Mike Hesson and skipper Kane Williamson could select the same team for this game if everyone's healthy and give the same blokes the opportunity to display that ruthless touch. On the other hand, they could rotate a few blokes out with Matt Henry and Doug Bracewell lurking, along with Jeet Raval. There's no better time than this second Test to give Raval a chance as another Martin Guptill failure would result in Raval being thrown to the wolves against South Africa, then again Guppy could find form in this second Test.
Henry definitely deserves a run and I'd select him ahead of Bracewell if any change is to be made in the bowling attack. To further confuse matters, Tim Southee and Trent Boult simply need to bowl more with the red nut while Neil Wagner simply can't be dropped, especially when this pitch should offer the bowlers less as that's perfectly suited to Wagner. A niggling injury would be ideal as it would open the door for Henry to get a run.
Regardless of what team is selected, I'm going to be happy. They are coming off a win and there's competition for places, or there's enough depth that someone could be rested and game time given to someone who needs it. This is a great position for the Blackcaps to be in and we've simply gotta roll with whatever Hesson/Williamson decide.
Guptill and Henry Nicholls were the only batsmen to miss out on substantial runs, although the Blackcaps only batted once. I thought the first Test might be perfect for Guppy as he tends to make hay against weaker bowling attacks, so I'm going to slide that same theory over to the second Test. We're all walking alongside Guppy as he treads on top of thin ice, every innings in Test cricket that isn't at least a half-century only makes the ice thinner so if there's one bloke in this Blackcaps team that needs a score, it's Guppy.
Patience is a virtue up to a point with Guppy. With Nicholls, I'm happy to stick with him for as long as it takes for him to really suss out Test cricket. Nicholls is effectively competing with Corey Anderson for that middle order batting spot and although there's many youngsters who aren't too far off putting pressure on them, these two are our best options right now. Anderson isn't in Africa and is behind Mitchell Santner in the all-rounder pecking order. Nicholls is in no danger of losing his spot if he can't contribute with the willow in the second Test, it'll be great for his confidence and the strength of our middle order ahead of Test's against South Africa if he can get a decent score.
As kiwi cricket fans, we have to appreciate that we are working with two young spinners who are still learning their craft in Test cricket. This is a completely different beast to 4-day Plunket Shield cricket, ODI cricket and T20 cricket, a beast that will take time to truly tame even though there will be peaks while they suss it all out. I love the balance of Santner's lefties and Ish Sodhi's leg-spin, especially as it allows Williamson a few different options to attack batsmen when the swing-twins might not be as effective.
Sodhi was more expensive than Santner in the first Test and didn't do as well in the wicket column, yet I'm not as concerned by the figures of either bowler. With these two, I'm merely enjoying the journey of their development as they'll be key figures of the Test team for many years to come and seeing how they adjust in foreign conditions, from Test to Test will be fascinating. Against South Africa, they won't have the same margin for error so they'll need to really dig in and work hard to serve up six deliveries that build pressure, then a few overs that build pressure and lead to a wicket. Enjoy the ride with these two, especially in a Test like this that won't be as intense as those that follow it.
There's a lot of sport on at the moment and I don't expect y'all to tune into every over of this Test as you've simply got to sort out your priorities in moments of sporting abundance. The viewing priority for me in this second Test is our spinners; when we're bowling, I'll be watching. Our batsmen should score a few runs and if they don't? Well, it'll be a good reality check. Our seamers should take a few wickets but they'll likely be toiling away on a pitch that does them little favours.
Our two spinners in Santner and Sodhi are key weapons moving forward. There's scope in this Test for them to bowl plenty of overs and to really acquaint themselves with gritty, niggly Test cricket which is not only crucial in their development, it's crucial to the Blackcaps to win this Test and many more.