BLACKCAPS’ wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling says the Test team is looking for redemption on the upcoming tour of England.
The last time New Zealand visited England in 2013 they were beaten 2-0 in the Test Series; they lost by 170 runs in the First Test at Lord’s and then went down by 247 runs at Headingley.
But that was two years ago. Since then, the BLACKCAPS have won a Test series away in the West Indies (2-1), drawn a Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (1-1) and more recently defeated Sri Lanka (2-0) in the home series.
The five Test wins during the 2014-15 season was a record for the BLACKCAPS.
“We are definitely up for this tour,” said Watling, who has played 29 Tests for New Zealand.
“The boys are pretty proud of what we have been able to achieve as a Test team in the past 18 months and we are looking to redeem ourselves after the last tour to England. We feel like we have come a long way as a side since that series and it would be nice to prove that.”
He says that the England Tour is one that all the BLACKCAPS want to be part of because “it is a great place to travel and play cricket”.
Many of this team played in that series in 2013 and Watling believes that they will be better for the experience.
“You have to adjust to the Duke Ball as it swings around a bit. There is also the slope of the pitch which you have to adjust to. [The Lord’s slope is located in the cricket pitch and runs from the north end of the ground to the south end with a drop of 2.5 m]. It will be a good challenge.”
Watling added that playing at the Home of Cricket is a different experience and one that can be quite overwhelming.
“It was full of people but at the same time it was really quiet. There was a constant quiet hush around the ground. It is obviously a very special place to play and I think being there before and experiencing it takes away some of that intimidation.”
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The 29-year-old from the Sky City Northern Knights will begin the tour with a new experience when he captains his country for the first time when the New Zealand XI play Somerset and Worcester in the warm up games.
“It is a huge honour for me to be named as the skipper,” he said. “Hopefully the experience of captaining the New Zealand A team on the tour to England last year will put me in good stead for that challenge and I can help with a successful build-up for the rest of the tour.”
Watling was a natural choice as stand-in skipper while the BLACKCAPS in the IPL complete their commitments. He has got better and better throughout his Test career and at the start of the year he brought up his fourth Test hundred when he hit his highest score of 142 not out.
That innings came in a partnership with Kane Williamson - where the Northern Knights pair put on an unbeaten 365 run stand to record the highest sixth wicket partnership in Test history for New Zealand.
Watling, who boasts an impressive average of 38 in Tests, said the individual milestones are good but he plays to be part of the team success.
“It is always great to contribute to the team performance. I have been happy with how I have been playing in the Tests in the past few years and the consistency I have been able to develop. I hope I can carry on that form in England.”
Watling, by his own admission, has had a “pretty disappointing” Plunket Shield for the Sky City Northern Knights and sees the warm up games as important to get familiar with the conditions and head into the Test series with confidence.
“I have plenty to work on with my batting at the moment,” he said.
He delivered for the BLACKCAPS in the lead up games two years ago. Watling was the high scorer for the visitors in the match against Derbyshire with unbeaten scores of 77 and 61 in the first and second innings respectively.
He went onto make 17 and 13 in the First Test before he was ruled out of the Second Test at Headingly with a knee injury.
Watling said it is an exciting time to be involved with the national side and was on the edge of his seat during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
He loved watching his good mates Williamson and Trent Boult finish the job at Eden Park against Australia, marvelled at Martin Guptill’s unbelievable innings in the quarterfinal against the West Indies, and the heroics of Grant Elliott in the semi-final against South Africa.
“The team has some good momentum after a successful World Cup campaign and the past couple of years the Test team has been building nicely as well. We know that we will have to be at our best over in England to be competitive. England is a tough team to beat on home soil. It is going to be great to reunite with the guys and see what we can achieve.”
