Black Caps v England: Indian Premier League commitments risk stars’ underpreparation for northern tests
While cricket tours to England are among the highlights of any player’s career, the changing face of the sport could leave the Black Caps short-changed when New Zealand head north later this month.
On Thursday, the Black Caps named an extended 19-man squad to head to Ireland and England for four tests starting at the end of May, as the first fixtures in a blockbuster 12 months of test cricket.
A 19-man group is bigger than would normally be selected. However, with the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled for June 1, and the Black Caps’ tour-opening test against Ireland beginning on May 27, the selectors have been forced to be pragmatic.
Five of the 19 – Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Zak Foulkes – will join after their IPL commitments have ended. Kane Williamson is also in India, albeit as a strategic adviser for Lucknow Super Giants, as opposed to playing.
Should their respective teams make the final, the earliest they could arrive in England would be June 2, two days before the start of the first test at Lord’s.
As a result, Michael Rae, Will Young and the uncapped Kristian Clarke have been named as cover for the Ireland test only.
As things stand, no Black Caps feature in the IPL’s top four teams, though Phillips’ Gujarat Titans and Henry and Foulkes’ Chennai Super Kings are within touching distance of a finals spot.
For the Black Caps, though, the scenario is just another challenge of navigating the modern game.
“In an ideal world, the guys would have been hitting red balls and bowling a vast number of red-ball overs in this period leading into the test series,” chief selector Gavin Larsen told the Herald.
“The reality of international cricket now, and modern-day scheduling, is that it just doesn’t happen. The players are becoming more and more proficient at transitioning between formats, looking after their bodies, getting their loads up.
“The fast bowlers have been doing a good job in getting red balls into their hands and getting their numbers up while playing in the IPL.
“It can be a tricky situation at times. It’s not ideal, I’ll be brutally honest about that. But it’s the nature of the beast.
“What I know, and what Rob [Walter] knows as head coach, is that these guys are incredibly professional. When they do transition across, whether it’s only with a few days to spare or with a couple of weeks out, they’ll click into test match mode pretty quickly.”
In comparison, just three of England’s best test XI are in India: batter Jacob Bethell and bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse.
Black Caps being late for England tours due to the IPL is nothing new, nor is it any kind of indicator that they won’t be ready.
The tournament’s first year in 2008 saw Brendon McCullum arrive late for the series-opening test against England at Lord’s, and make 97 off 97 balls in his first innings.
However, the positives of the IPL – players getting to learn with and from some of the best in the world, as well as the huge financial rewards – far outweigh the negatives.
Nonetheless, 18 years on, teams are still having to compromise about touring England at this time of year.
As arguably the Black Caps’ most important all-format batter, Ravindra will likely arrive for test duties without playing a game in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders, and having not played any cricket since the T20 World Cup final defeat to India.
The same can be said for Foulkes at Chennai, while the rest of the Black Caps have struggled to make an impact in the tournament.
Phillips has played just six games for Gujarat, and scored just 67 runs at an average of 16.75. Henry has managed only three games, taking two wickets at 65, with an economy rate of 13 runs an over, while Jamieson’s two wickets have cost him 45 runs apiece, at an economy of 12.85.
The Black Caps’ most successful player in this year’s tournament has been Jacob Duffy, with six wickets at 23. But he won’t be on the plane to Ireland and England, instead heading home to welcome his first child.
Black Caps squad for England and Ireland: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young
Schedule
Test v Ireland, May 27-30, Stormont, Belfast
First test v England, June 4-8, Lord’s, London
Second test v England, June 17-21, The Kia Oval, London
Third test v England, June 25-29, Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.