22 Mar 2018

Black Caps don't want to over complicate pink ball test

10:05 am on 22 March 2018

The Black Caps need to avoid overthinking things when the first day night cricket to be played in the country starts in Auckland today.

The match is the first of two tests against England with the second in Christchurch next week.

It will be New Zealand's second day-night test, having been part of the first ever one two years ago against Australia in Adelaide while England have played the format twice before.

Mike Hesson and Kane Williamson.ponder the series loss to England.

There's plenty to ponder for the Black Caps ahead of the first day night test in New Zealand. Photo: Photosport

Despite plenty of discussion around how the pink ball will perform Black Caps captain Kane Williamson said his side would look to avoid the "danger of overcomplicating the pink ball game".

He added that batsman Ross Taylor would return, having missed the final game of the recent one-day series with a thigh injury.

"He's feeling good, good to go, that's great news for us," Williamson added.

Leg spinner Todd Astle will replace Mitchell Santner, who was recently ruled out for nine months with a knee injury, while recalled wicketkeeper BJ Watling will bat at number six in Santner's place.

Meanwhile Ben Stokes' return to England's Test cricket team is a "huge boost" said skipper Joe Root.

Stokes missed England's 4-0 Ashes loss after an incident outside a nightclub in September and appeared in court in February charged with affray.

The 26-year-old has not played for the Test team since September.

"He's so excited and you don't want to take that out of him," Root said.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes. Photo: Photosport

"It is really good to see players with that attitude and so desperate to come back in and prove a point and do well."

Stokes returned to England duty after a five-month absence last month in the one-day series against New Zealand.

The all-rounder scored 141 runs and took five wickets in the five-match series.

"You get three players with Ben, and certainly on his day probably the best three players within the side all in one," Root said.

"It is a huge boost to have him coming back into the team.

"We have to be quite careful and make sure he is absolutely ready and be quite flexible with how we use him, especially in the first Test."

The England batsman Joe Root celebrates scoring a century.

Joe Root. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The two-Test series is Root's side's first since their heavy Ashes defeat in Australia.

England have failed to win any of their past 11 Tests away from home, losing nine and drawing two in a run stretching back to October 2016, and have not won an away series since the 2015-16 tour of South Africa.

"It is a big series for us coming from a big defeat like the Ashes, so we need to make sure we put that right and come away with some success overseas - because it's not happened for a while," Root said.

"It has been a tough winter until now, but we have two Test matches to put a different stamp on it and change our momentum."

Root scored a century in England's second warm-up match and was the only England player to reach three figures in the two drawn matches against a New Zealand XI.

New Zealand squad: Jeet Raval, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (capt), Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling (wk), Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult.

England squad: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (capt), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Foakes (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Jack Leach.

-BBC