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Big picture: Context or continuity?

The great gathering continues apace. First it was Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Brydon Carse – with Zak Crawley lurking on the fringes to soak up the vibes and sort the tee-off times. Then, by degrees, other key combatants have flown in, with New Zealand performing the role of an Orwellian airstrip, anchored ominously off the East Coast of Australia.Gus Atkinson has been in New Zealand for a week; Mark Wood and Josh Tongue arrived on Thursday, also in non-playing capacities. Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith are all in line for their first hits of the winter in this week’s ODIs, and Jofra Archer – at some stage – his first bowl. For yes, in theory, a bilateral series between England and New Zealand is about to get underway. In practice, the Ashes phoney-war-by-proxy is about to be ramped up another notch or three.The early-season conditions didn’t allow many conclusions to be drawn from 61.4 overs of T20I action, but there was purpose to the three matches just gone – coming as they do just months before the next T20 World Cup. When it comes to ODI cricket, however, it’s harder to pretend that it’s a massive priority for either team right now.Kane Williamson’s return provides the local intrigue and, as many of New Zealand’s players have been saying in recent days, the chance to play a Big Three opponent offers a degree of context in its own right. But let’s face it, if we thought Bethell’s 39 runs from 25 balls in the T20Is offered Ashes pointers, it’s nothing compared to the frenzied hot takes that Root and co. could find themselves generating this week.Of course, the spring rains may continue to dampen everyone’s enthusiasm. But England’s main focus across the past fortnight has very much been on mental preparation. There are longer-term issues that need to be addressed with the next ODI World Cup now two years away, and for the seam bowlers in particular, there’s a real opportunity to lay down a few markers. But overall, the squad’s relaxed vibe has befitted a laid-back location, and a sense that this week is a consequences-free chance to get some game-time and continue to build towards significantly more intense challenges.This was, after all, one of the rationales for McCullum taking on the white-ball coaching role back at start of the year. The unification of philosophies across squads means there are no competing agendas pulling the players one way or the other – just a collective sense of purpose at the start of a seminal winter, and a recognition that some big pictures are significantly bigger than others.

Form guide

New Zealand WWWLW (last five ODIs, most recent first)
England WLLWW

In the spotlight: Ben Duckett and Kane Williamson

It’s not so long ago that Ben Duckett was being touted as the most complete all-formats batter in the world. But then, the very fact of his ubiquity became too much of a burden. After an exhausting Test series against India, a grim run of form in the Hundred contributed to his absence from the T20Is against South Africa in which Jos Buttler and Phil Salt laid an insurmountable claim to the openers’ roles, and by the end of the ODI leg he was visibly shot to bits. Now he’s back after some much-needed R&R – newly married and hopefully rested up. Mount Maunganui and Perth are worlds apart, of course. But England will need him to rediscover that dynamism across formats as the Ashes draw nigh.Kane Williamson will turn out for New Zealand for the first time since the Champions Trophy final in March•ICC via Getty Images

Kane Williamson is not the most demonstrative of blokes at the best of times. But he knows a career inflection point when he sees one. It’s been nearly eight months since his last match for New Zealand – their loss to India in the Champions Trophy final – and, at the age of 35, he’s conscious of the march of time, as he returns to a set-up with a new coach in Rob Walter, and with the next ODI World Cup still a full two years away. With a young family to consider, and lucrative offers such as this year’s London Spirit/Middlesex tie-in very much on the table for the autumn of his career, these three games may go some way to determining his continued hunger after 15 years as a Black Cap.

Team news

Kyle Jamieson has been ruled out of the series after suffering stiffness in his side, but New Zealand welcome back a core of senior players who have not featured in the ODI set-up since the Champions Trophy – the captain Santner, Tom Latham and Williamson among them.New Zealand (possible): 1 Will Young, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Latham (wk), 7 Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Zak Foulkes, 10 Jacob Duffy, 11 Matt Henry.Smith, Duckett and Root return to action for the first time this winter, with one eye very much on the first Test at Perth in less than a month’s time. Sam Curran will get a chance to cement his allrounder role, while Luke Wood could get a run in the side with England’s 50-overs seam attack still very much a work in progress. Jofra Archer is fit but unavailable for the first match, as England look to manage his workload ahead of the Ashes. Will Jacks is still absent with a finger injury.England (possible): 1 Jamie Smith, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jacob Bethell, 5 Harry Brook (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Curran, 8 Jamie Overton/Sonny Baker, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Luke Wood.

Pitch and conditions

The weather warnings that wrecked the Auckland T20I have abated, although the strong winds remain a factor. The ground record is New Zealand’s hefty 371 for 7 against Sri Lanka in 2019, so if the conditions permit, runs will surely flow.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have played 11 ODIs at Bay Oval since 2014, winning six – including each of their last three – and losing five.
• However, England won these teams’ only previous meeting at the venue, by six wickets in 2018, despite a certain Mitchell Santner producing the day’s stand-out innings, 63 not out from 52 balls.
• Adil Rashid, who also played in that fixture, needs three more wickets to overtake Darren Gough (234) as England’s second-most prolific ODI bowler behind James Anderson (269).

And among openers who have played at least 50 Tests, who has the highest average?

Steven Lynch03-Dec-2024Jacob Bethell batted at No. 3 for England on his Test debut in New Zealand. When was the last time England had a debutant No. 3 who had not scored a first-class century? asked Nick Stephens from England
The 21-year-old Warwickshire left-hander Jacob Bethell made his Test debut at No. 3 against New Zealand in Christchurch last week – and hit the winning run as England won by eight wickets.Bethell was the first specialist batter to play a Test for England before scoring a first-class hundred since Mike Gatting in Pakistan in 1977-78. But Gatting (who eventually scored 94 first-class tons) went in at No. 5 then. It’s quite rare for an England debutant to bat at No. 3: as far as I can see, England have never before selected someone without a first-class century to his name to bat at No. 3 in their first Test. The use of nightwatchers means that occasionally the person who actually went in at No. 3 did not have a three-figure score at the time – fairly recent examples of this are Ian Salisbury in 1992 and Neil Williams (who never did reach three figures) in 1990 – but no specialists.For the full list of England debutants who batted at No. 3, click here. Several of them went in as nightwatchers, so were not selected to bat there.India won the Perth Test by 295 runs. Was that their biggest win away from home? asked Ricky Dooley from Scotland
India’s win in the first Test against Australia in Perth last month was their third-biggest by runs away from home: they beat West Indies by 318 runs in Antigua in August 2019, and walloped Sri Lanka by 304 in Galle in July 2017. Their previous biggest win in Australia was by 222 runs in Melbourne in 1977-78.India have also had 12 innings victories away from home, the biggest by an innings and 239 runs over Bangladesh in Mirpur in May 2007, while they beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 171 in Pallekele in August 2017. They have also won three away Tests by ten wickets.Kraigg Brathwaite played his 86th successive Test in Antigua. I think I heard that this was a record – who did he beat? asked Misha McKenzie from Barbados
The Barbadian opener Kraigg Brathwaite has been ever-present in the West Indies team since June 2014, and the second Test against Bangladesh in Kingston was his 86th in a row (he had played a few before this run started, so now has 96 in all). The record he broke was the most consecutive Tests for West Indies without missing one, previously held by an even more distinguished Barbadian, Garry Sobers, who did not miss any of their 85 Tests between April 1955 and April 1972. Desmond Haynes played 72 successive Tests for West Indies, and Brian Lara 64.Brathwaite has a long way to go to match the overall record: Alastair Cook played 159 successive Tests for England between May 2006 and his international retirement in September 2018. Five other men have played 100 or more consecutive Tests.Herbert Sutcliffe averaged 61.10 as an opener, the highest of all openers who have played at least 50 Tests•Getty ImagesOpening is considered to be the most difficult batting position, and having an average above 50 for a Test opener is rare. Who are the top openers from a minimum of 50 Tests? asked Nikhil Dugar from India
You’re right that it’s a difficult place to bat: only 28 men who opened in at least 50 Tests have an average of 40 or more when doing so. Top of the list is the England opener of the inter-war years, Herbert Sutcliffe, who averaged 61.10 from 54 matches. He’s ahead of two other England greats, Len Hutton (56.47) and Jack Hobbs (56.37). Of those who played in the current century the leader is Australia’s Matthew Hayden (50.73). Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag of India both also averaged over 50.I thought 50 Tests was rather a lot, so tried lowering the qualification to 20. Sutcliffe stays top on that list, but the obdurate South African Bruce Mitchell (56.90) pushes Hutton and Hobbs down a place. And the leading “modern” becomes Australia’s Usman Khawaja, who averaged 52.25 from 34 matches as opener before the second Test against India.Ivory Coast were bowled out for only seven by Nigeria in their T20 international the other day. Was this the lowest completed team total in any international? asked Madhav Gokhale from New Zealand
Ivory Coast made a reasonable start to their reply to Nigeria’s 271 in their recent match in Abuja – they had four runs on the board before the first wicket went down, but the rest managed only three between them. There were six ducks (and a 0 not out) in the final total of 7, which is a new low for men’s T20Is: there had previously been two cases of 10 all out, by Mongolia against Singapore two months previously, and the Isle of Man vs Spain in February 2023. The lowest by a Test-playing nation is West Indies’ 45 against England in St Kitts in March 2019.This was not, however, the lowest score in all international cricket. In women’s T20Is, Mali were skittled for 6 by Rwanda in Kigali in June 2019, and six months later Maldives matched that with 6 all out against Bangladesh during the South Asian Games in Pokhara (Nepal). As this list shows, Maldives were bowled out two days later for 8 by Nepal, while the Philippines were skittled for 9 by Thailand in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) in May 2023.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions