The Black Caps begin their three test tour of England at Lord’s tomorrow, and for the first time the two sides will be playing for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, a new prize named after two of the most admired batsmen the countries have produced.
The opening test at the home of cricket runs from Thursday 4 June to Monday 8 June. It is the first of three tests, with the series moving on to The Oval from 17 June and finishing at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from 25 June. The matches form part of the World Test Championship 2025 to 2027 cycle, so points as well as pride are at stake for a New Zealand side trying to climb back into the running for a place in the next final.
The trophy itself carries real weight. It honours the late Martin Crowe, widely regarded as New Zealand’s finest batsman, and the late Graham Thorpe, one of England’s most reliable middle order players of his generation. The prize has been built from bats the pair used to score centuries against each other’s countries in the 1994 and 1997 series, a thoughtful nod to a rivalry that has often been closer and more respectful than the headline results suggest. The International Cricket Council confirmed the trophy ahead of this tour.
New Zealand arrive in good heart after an innings victory over Ireland in a one-off test in Belfast last week. That win gave coach Rob Walter the luxury of a settled batting order and a bowler with momentum. Nathan Smith took six wickets in the first innings in Belfast and looks set to slot in as a fourth seamer batting at number eight. Walter suggested Smith owns that spot for now, a strong endorsement for a player still building his test record.
The biggest selection news is the return of Mitchell Santner. The all-rounder hurt his shoulder while fielding for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in April and was expected to miss at least the start of this tour. He recovered faster than anyone predicted and has rejoined the squad, replacing Dean Foxcroft. Even so, Walter has not guaranteed Santner a place in the starting eleven. The Lord’s surface has traditionally rewarded seam bowling rather than spin, and the coach made clear he was simply pleased Santner had turned his fitness around so quickly rather than promising him a spot. Santner spoke to RNZ about the recovery.
The other encouraging news for New Zealand is that the first choice pace attack appears to be available. Matt Henry, who had been managing a hamstring issue, is in contention, as are Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke, both of whom had been working their way back from back trouble. If all three are passed fit, Walter will be able to field the bowling group he has wanted to unleash for months, a tall and hostile unit suited to English conditions and the slope at Lord’s.
The squad named for the tour is Tom Latham as captain, Tom Blundell as wicketkeeper, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson and Will Young. It blends experience in Williamson, Latham and Conway with the explosive talent of Ravindra and Phillips, two players capable of changing a session in the space of an hour.
A predicted top order has Latham opening with Conway, Williamson at three, Ravindra at four, Daryl Mitchell at five and Blundell keeping wicket at six, with Phillips, Smith, Jamieson, Henry and O’Rourke to follow. That is a batting line up with depth and a bowling attack with genuine pace, the kind of balance New Zealand have not always been able to take to England.
The hosts come into the series under coach Brendon McCullum, the former Black Caps captain whose aggressive approach has reshaped how England play test cricket. There is an extra layer of intrigue in watching a New Zealander try to beat his home country with a style he helped invent as a player. England have made changes of their own, dropping Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope after an inconsistent Ashes campaign and handing maiden test call ups to Emilio Gay, Sonny Baer and James Rew. The full tour schedule is on ESPNcricinfo.
New Zealand have history at Lord’s. They famously came within a whisker of a result there in the 2019 World Cup final, a match decided on a boundary count, and the ground holds a special place in the memory of New Zealand cricket fans for both glory and heartbreak. A test win at the home of cricket has been rarer, which makes the prospect of starting a series there with a full pace attack all the more enticing.
For Walter, the equation is simple enough. Win the toss reading on a fresh English surface, get the new ball into the right hands and give a batting order full of class the platform to post a competitive total. Do that and the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy could be heading south at the end of the month for the first time. Lose early wickets to England’s swing and the series could slip away before it really begins.
The first ball is bowled tomorrow. New Zealand will hope the names on the new trophy bring a little luck along with the inspiration.
Will the Black Caps take the inaugural Crowe-Thorpe Trophy back to New Zealand, or will England’s aggressive batting prove too much at Lord’s? Share your predictions in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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