England return to the test cricket arena for the first time since they were well beaten in the Ashes by Australia, as they lost the series 4-0.
They now come back to face New Zealand in a two match series, starting next week in Christchurch and is a crucial series for Joe Root’s side.
There has to be a reaction after such a poor series where England never had a foothold in a game, and were completely dominated by the Aussies. England will hope to be boosted by the return of Ben Stokes to this series.
The top order batting will need to become much more consistent than in recent times if they are to gain anything from this series, as the Kiwis are usually strong in their own conditions.
With it being just a two match series it looks like being an interesting one between two decent sides.
Here is who we feel you should watch out for ahead of the series.
Top run scorer: Joe Root
It simply has to be Joe Root for me, as he is England’s best batsman and despite struggling in Australia I feel he will be back at his best in this series. He’ll be the Root that we all know and love!
Top wicket taker: Chris Woakes
I feel that Chris Woakes will take the most wickets in this series, I have been incredibly impressed with the all-rounder and feel that his bowling is far better suited to these conditions than anyone else in the England ranks.
Best comeback from the Ashes: Alastair Cook
Many of England’s players struggled throughout the Ashes and I feel that Cook will make the best comeback out of all of them, having had time to debrief the Ashes and look into what went wrong.
He has a great mental strength and I think that this will be clear for all to see when the series gets underway next week.
Biggest Surprise: James Vince
Vince is yet to convince since breaking into the side over the last couple of years, but I feel as though he will play a key role in his side’s performance this series.
He has briefly looked great in many innings to date but I feel that Vince will surprise a few in this series.
Biggest flop: Moeen Ali
Ali struggled throughout the Ashes and I wouldn’t be too surprised if he were to continue to find it difficult in this series again and expect the Kiwis to get after his bowling.
His batting has also struggled at times of late and I feel that the hosts will target him and he will come under real scrutiny over the next few weeks.