New Zealand will not be pushovers for England

HUW TURBERVILL: It was 40 years ago this week that Richard Hadlee bowled the Kiwis to their first Test win over the English

Anybody who thinks England will have an easy time in New Zealand should recall that it will be 40 years ago on February 15 that they suffered their first Test defeat against them, in Wellington.

That sultan of swing and seam, Richard Hadlee, took 10 wickets in the match as England were bowled out for 64, chasing only 137.

Yes the first 50 years or so of New Zealand v England Test matches were mostly either dominated by the tourists, or ended in dull, often rain-affected draws. But since that match, the first of the 1977/78 series, New Zealand have often provided a stern test.

This current Kiwi side is a competitive beast, and Nasser Hussain warned in The Cricketer: “Anyone who thinks England will have it easy in New Zealand and there will be a drop-off in the bowling they will face can think again. Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Mitchell Santner is a decent attack. The crowds out there are just as tough as in Australia, as well, and the drop-in pitches can also be weird.”

^{New Zealand's attack will be a stern test for England's under pressure batsmen}

England won their first series in New Zealand 1-0 in 1929/30, and in subsequent years the battered and bruised tourists would go there seeking refuge after chastening Ashes defeats in Australia.

The sleepy series after Bodyline (0-0) was eminently forgettable, while Frank Tyson continued his sizzling form in the land of the long white cloud in the winter that was the exception, 1954/55 (2-0).

Bullied by Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee in Australia in 1974/75, Mike Denness’s men felt lucky to be alive as they flew to New Zealand, but England dished out fire of their own - their win in the first Test is recalled for when No.11 Ewen Chatfield – on debut – was hit on the temple by a Peter Lever bouncer.

Hadlee was the catalyst for the hosts’ improvement, however, although England did fight back to draw in 1977/78. One of the great after-dinner stories was inspired by events in the second Test at Christchurch.

England needed quick runs in the second innings, but captain Geoff Boycott was woefully out of nick. Ian Botham was promoted to No.4 by vice-captain Bob Willis, who told him to “go and run the bugger out”. Which he did.

“What have you done?” Boycott asked. Botham replied: “I’ve run you out, you c---”. Willis and Botham then went through the Kiwis with the ball to level the series.

^{Hadlee steams in}

New Zealand won their first series against England in 1983/84 (1-0). To make matters worse for the tourists, a newspaper accused members of Willis’s squad of smoking pot, although the team were cleared.

New Zealand hammered England inside 12 hours at Christchurch in the second Test, Hadlee scoring 99 and taking eight wickets as the tourists totalled 82 and 93. Tony Pigott postponed his wedding to play as a locum, but the England attack bowled too short on Botham’s instruction.

England also nearly came unstuck the last time they were there, in 2012/13. The first two Tests were hit by rain, and the tourists then faced a battle to save the third Test in Auckland after Peter Fulton’s back-to-back centuries (his only ones in Tests), but Matt Prior’s 73 and 110 not out helped them do just that.

So anybody who thinks England are going to New Zealand for a holiday should perhaps think again.