NZ bowler has admitted that the side will not be treating the upcoming two-match Test series against England as a warm-up for the World Test Championship Final. The left-arm fast bowler stressed that the Kiwis want to go out and win Test matches for their country.
New Zealand have been pretty consistent in Test cricket in the last few years. Barring their 0-3 loss to Australia in Australia, the Kane Williamson-led side haven’t lost a Test series since April 2017.
In the World Test Championship, New Zealand won seven out of the 11 matches they played with three of those losses coming in Australia. With a points percentage of 70%, they finished at the second spot on the WTC points table and qualified for the WTC Final. The Kiwis will be up against Virat Kohli’s India at Southampton in the title clash, which is scheduled to start on the 18th of June.
Before that, New Zealand face England in a two-match Test series. They have already reached the United Kingdom and trained a bit with the Dukes ball at home before leaving for the tour. Thus, the Blackcaps will get the hang of the conditions and may well have a distant advantage over India.
However, ace fast bowler Neil Wagner said that the Test series against England will not be a warm-up for New Zealand. They pride themselves and want to win Test matches for their country.
“We’re not going to treat these two Test matches against England just as warm-ups [for the WTC final. I know for a fact we’re going to get out there and pride ourselves the way we’ve been playing Test cricket and we want to win Test matches for New Zealand,”
Wagner was quoted saying to the reporters at the Auckland airport before leaving for the tour.
The two-match Test series against England kicks off the international summer in England. The first Test will be played at Lord’s, which starts on the 2nd of June, while the second Test starts on the 10th of June at Edgbaston, Birmingham. New Zealand toured England for a Test series was back in 2015 and drew the series 1-1.
