New Zealand captain Tom Latham looks set to have a full-strength seam attack available for the three-Test series against England, which starts at Lord’s.
The Kiwis have experienced a changing of the guard. Their trio of quicks – Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner – have all moved on. But in their place is some tall timber ready to take full advantage of the English conditions.
Kyle Jamieson, who stands 203cm, is on the cusp of a return after nearly two years on the sidelines. Then you have Will O’Rourke coming in at 193cm. Once described as a baby giraffe on roller skates by his coach, O’Rourke has honed his skill and earned a tidy average of 24.28 across his 11 Tests.
Veteran Matt Henry will lead the attack, complementing Nathan Smith, who has spent a season in County Cricket. Finally, Blair Tickner provides backup.
“You’ve got Henners and Nathan Smith that are able to move the ball in the air or off the surface, and then you’ve got the height of Jamieson, O’Rourke, Tickner,” listed Latham on ESPN.
“We’re certainly fortunate that we’ve had guys that do offer something slightly different than maybe what we’ve had in the past.
“For us, it’s always about trying to play what’s in front of us as best we can and being able to adapt to those conditions.”
In particular, Latham is looking forward to seeing how Henry fares in familiar conditions. The big quick has run out for three different county teams during his storied career and knows how to get the best out of the surface.
“He’s been fantastic for us,” reflected Latham
“He’s a strike weapon. He’s got a lot of great skills, and he leads the attack really well.”
All that said, Latham is wary of a wounded England Test team. The hosts have been abysmal in the red-ball arena, having won just three out of ten Tests to sit seventh on the World Test Championship table.
“There’s so much outside noise that comes with heading into a Test series, and we know they’ve come off a series where, obviously, they didn’t perform as well as they would have liked and they’ll be hungry,” he added.
“They’re always a competitive side, regardless of whether we play them at home or over here.”
