It’s been a contrasting summer of cricket so far for England and New Zealand.
While Ben Stokes’ side – and the captain himself – have faced adversity on and off the pitch, the Kiwis have taken to life on English soil with aplomb; winning the second test of their series by a whopping 253 runs.
In the runs at The Oval was Rachin Ravindra, who provided a timely reminder of his talents with a fantastic knock in the second innings.
The 26-year-old’s summer in the UK will continue after the test series is over; he’s been snapped up by the Welsh Fire to star in their bid for The Hundred title.
On Fire
Having never made a deep run to the business end of The Hundred in its five-year history, you can forgive Welsh Fire supporters for being pessimistic about their team’s chances.
In fact, they are the rank outsiders in the latest crypto betting odds for The Hundred, priced at 10/1 behind the likes of Trent Rockets, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds. The bookmakers’ favourites for the trophy are the artists formerly known as the Oval Invincibles, MI London, who have switched their name due to sponsorship reasons but will nevertheless be hoping for the same result as their 2025 triumph.
Ravindra will have familiar faces around him in Wales; not least Joe Root and Jordan Cook, with whom he has tangled in the test series between England and New Zealand.
The second test was perfectly poised with the Kiwis 107-4 in their first innings – Ravindra finding some touch in a knock of 33.
Glen Phillips’ brilliant century completely changed the complexion of the game, with New Zealand able to open up a 100-run lead after bowling out England for 291.
The Kiwis were somewhat in trouble at 28-2 in their reply, but forward stepped Henry Nicholls and Ravindra, whose third-wicket stand was worth 161 runs. The latter fell for 76, but the former pressed on to complete his ton and bat England completely out of the game.
Root top-scored for England in their second innings, while a late cameo from Cox caught the eye in what was, ultimately, a losing cause.
They’ll go from enemies to teammates later this summer at The Hundred.
Staying on for the Summer
Get used to seeing England and New Zealand’s test players on your TV screens… many of them will be involved in The Hundred.
In addition to Ravindra, Root and Cox, Matt Henry and Ben Duckett will renew acquaintances for the Trent Rockets.
Harry Brook will lead his sometime England colleagues Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence and Matt Potts at the Sunrisers Leeds, while Jofra Archer and Jamie Smith are two of the standout names in the Southern Brave squad.
Although not involved in the Test series, New Zealand icon Trent Boult will line up for a stacked MI London outfit that also includes Will Jacks, Rashid Khan and Nicholas Pooran, while England seamer Gus Atkinson will be hoping to work his magic for the Manchester Super Giants.
It’s going to be another fantastic summer of cricket in England and Wales… with New Zealanders amongst those expected to shine the brightest.
