For all the questions kiwis have had over the past few weeks with regards to Aotearoa's Test team, a splash of magic at the Basin Reserve has lightened the load. A year ago the Blackcaps had lost to Bangladesh at Bay Oval to start this wobbly run of Test results in Aotearoa and that was followed by Luteru Taylor taking the winning wicket against Bangladesh at Hagley Park. That was pure kiwi cricketing magic and at Aotearoa's home of cricketing worship, we were graced with another fabulous finish.

This has been a chaotic pocket of Blackcaps Test cricket as we have all highlighted issues with selection and performance. Some of those nuggets need to be stashed away for future reference, such as losing the last two Tests at Bay Oval and Jack Leach being the busiest bowler in this series as the only specialist spinner. Other complaints can be washed away for now as Blackcaps showcased their mana when it mattered most.

Some of this was on display during a gritty Test series in Pakistan, yet the manner in which Blackcaps crumbled at Bay Oval was far from ideal. Then again, England may be the best Test team in the world right now and they had four consecutive wins over Aotearoa by 5+ wickets or 200+ runs. Blackcaps had to find extra juice at the home of Test cricket in Aotearoa and bolstered by the return of Matt Henry, as well as kiwi legends dragging their team with them, they found the freshly squeezed juice.

A constant theme throughout this series, especially during Blackcaps woes, has been the age of this Test group. Everyone is over the age of 30 and folks are always looking for the snazzy new toy. Personally, I love this because it highlights how much domestic cricket mahi is required to reach the pinnacle of kiwi cricket. It was however, tricky to counter when Blackcaps are losing and these grizzly professionals weren’t quite at their best.

Never fear, youngsters get opportunities. Kyle Jamieson was the young phenom and he's usually injured now. Rachin Ravindra replaced Mitchell Santner and didn't quite snap his chance up, so Michael Bracewell replaced Ravindra. Finn Allen has a First-Class average of 19.59. Jacob Duffy, Henry Shipley, Ben Lister and Ben Sears have all been brewed through ODI/T20I tours around the world.

There is immense young talent in domestic cricket and Aotearoa's cricketing depth is perfectly fine. To win Tests, skipper Tim Southee and the leaders need players they can rely on to do a job. White Ferns have steadily prioritized potential over performance and don't win as many games as they could. Blackcaps do develop players through limited overs cricket but the Test team features experience, maturity and mana.

Others may be as skillful as these Test players, but will another bowler show up for their spell like Neil Wagner? Considering that very few Test bowlers can do what Wagner does, probably not. Wagner took 1w @ 5.66rpo in the first innings and finished the second innings with 4w @ 4rpo. Wagner's winning mahi is amplified by his four-game stint in the Super Smash, helping Northern win back to back championships.

Wagner took the most wickets of all bowlers in this series. While England's legendary duo took 10w each with far better averages than Wagner, this is part of the Wagner lore. Wagner was one of the most expensive bowlers in this series and found a way to impact winning when Aotearoa needed it.

Henry's return saw him take 6w in the Test, keeping a lid on England's first innings with 4w @ 4.51rpo and helping out in the last stanza. The series was a grind for Skipper Southee and he still managed to dismiss an England opener in three of four innings - that's a mediocre series for Southee.

Any young batter hunting Blackcaps Test opportunities needs to be able to average 40+ in Test cricket. That's the marker for Blackcaps batting right now and even though England's bowling unit cut through Aotearoa’s top-order fairly often, the group of five batters below all registered a 50+ score in this series. Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell and Devon Conway had two scores over 50.

Losing three of the best kiwi cricketers ever (Taylor, Watling, Boult) and a reliable trooper in Colin de Grandhomme has had an obvious impact on results. Jamieson also played in that WTC campaign and his injury niggle reflects how Blackcaps have paid the cricketing piper for WTC glory. Perhaps Blackcaps have settled on a recipe that can continue to improve and at least be a hard team to defeat.

We all want more wins, but sometimes one win will do. One win and a whole lot of Blackcaps mana.

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Peace and love.