England look to improve on past mistakes against New Zealand

Hosts fired up ahead of opening Test at Lord’s today.


Agencies May 15, 2013
"You don’t just discard somebody because they have had a bad time as a unit,” said England chairman of selectors Geoff Miller. PHOTO: FILE

LONDON: England have been left in no doubt about what will be required of them in the first Test against New Zealand starting at Lord’s today.

The world’s second-ranked team struggled on their recent tour of New Zealand where they were outplayed in the three-Test series, salvaging a 0-0 draw only by stubbornly batting out a gripping final day of the third match in Auckland. With the five-match Ashes series against Australia starting in July, captain Alastair Cook and his teammates know they must focus fully on beating New Zealand under the enterprising leadership of Brendon McCullum.

“They under-performed in New Zealand but you don’t just discard somebody because they have had a bad time as a unit,” said England chairman of selectors Geoff Miller. “You say right, not good enough, improve. That’s the message they have been given. New Zealand are a good side but we didn’t play to the capabilities shown in the past. That has got to be rectified.”

Wasim Akram inspires New  Zealand’s Boult

New Zealand’s Trent Boult hopes to succeed where cricket hero Wasim Akram failed by getting his name on the Lord’s honours board.

Pakistan great Akram was the pre-eminent left-arm fast bowler of his generation, and arguably the best of all-time.



Yet for all the occasions he was too hot to handle for England’s batsmen with his blend of reverse swing and pure pace, he never managed a five-wicket innings haul, or 10 wickets in a Test, that would have put his name on the Lord’s honours board.

“Idolising Wasim Akram, it has always been with me that I want to be a swing bowler,” said Boult. “That’s what started me off. It doesn’t get much better than him, in regards to world-class bowlers and left-arm bowlers around the world.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2013.

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