New Zealand will take on India in the World Test Championship final but they will not be treating the preceding two-Test series against England as ‘warm-ups�? Kiwi pacer Neil Wagner has said.

“We're not going to treat these two Test matches against England just as warm-ups," Wagner said. "I know for a fact we're going to get out there and pride ourselves the way we've been playing Test cricket and we want to win Test matches for New Zealand.�?/span>

Wagner practised with the Dukes ball in training camps in Lincoln, near Christchurch, before leaving for the UK. The Dukes is used in England as opposed to the Kookaburra in New Zealand and Wagner said it was good to be able to try and get used to the different ball instead of rushing into a tour under-prepared like in the past.

“It's been quite nice, it's obviously got different characteristics to the Kookaburra," the No 3-ranked Test bowler said. "The way we've been training for the last while is something we didn't always have in the past, having the facilities and having a marquee up and getting a number of trainings in before going to England.

“On tours in the past you rock up there and you've only got a couple of trainings and maybe one head-out with the Dukes ball before the first Test and with that you can find yourself a little bit behind.

"But having had those little bit of trainings leading into it has been quite beneficial, just because it's (Dukes) a little bit different, and obviously adapting to it. It's been really good preparation and everybody is excited bowling with it.�?/span>

At the same time, Wagner cautioned against getting too excited with the different ball and conditions. “Sometimes you have to control all that because there's a high expectation of the ball doing a lot and moving around but sometimes you can get there and it can be quite flat and slow as well.�?/span>

Wagner will soon be joining some of his teammates who are already in England, while those who played in the Indian T20 League are also on their way there.

Featured photo: AFP / Michael Bradley

New Zealand are sweating over the fitness of as many as three players ahead of their three-T20I and two-Test series against West Indies.

The Kiwis are already without bowler Matt Henry for the T20Is due to a broken thumb, and the likes of Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner and Ajaz Patel have joined the 28-year-old on the nursing table. The team now await the scan results before delivering an official statement.

West Indies are set to become the first team to tour two different countries amidst the ongoing global pandemic after travelling to England earlier this year to resume the action of international cricket following a brief halt. They are set to three T20Is starting from November 27 followed by two Test matches from December 3 to 15.

As for New Zealand, fast bowler Neil Wagner recovering from a groin injury and the team is hopeful that he will return for the Plunket Shield - a domestic tournament - which begins on November 14. The scan results however will come on November 5. Grandhomme and Patel, on their part, are recovering from a foot and a calf injury respectively and the extent will only be known after the scans.

"Injuries are always a concern and we’re certainly monitoring each case closely with our medical staff," Blackcaps head coach Gary Stead said.

"Wagner and de Grandhomme both have niggles and we are awaiting scan results on their respective injuries to ascertain the next steps. Likewise, Ajaz Patel had a scan on his left calf after suffering a setback."

Furthermore, Tim Southee and Henry Nicholls are also nursing their respective injuries but the team expect them to return during the Plunket Shield.

West Indies cleared to train in New Zealand

The touring West Indies squad has been cleared to train in New Zealand after testing negative for the global virus. The team will be allowed to train in small groups, but New Zealand Cricket has said that the touring players will undergo two more tests on day six and day 12 before they can be released from their mandatory 14-day isolation.

Most of the players as well as people from the West Indies supporting staff arrived in New Zealand last Friday and have been isolating in Christchurch. The players who are playing in the ongoing Indian T20 League, on the other hand, are expected to join the team sometime next week. West Indies coach Phil Simmons said that it is likely that those six players would be in isolation until the morning of the first T20I in Auckland on November 27.

New Zealand resumed their terrific home record with a win against the no.1 ranked Test side, India, at Wellington in the first Test of the series. The Black Caps were without Neil Wagner, their most successful bowler in Tests since the beginning of 2019, who was attending to his wife's delivery. 

6"8' tall Kyle Jamieson stepped up in Wagner's absence and dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Hanuma Vihari among his four wickets to grab headlines and then made a game-changing contribution with the bat. Such was Jamieson's impact that omitting him from the side for Christchurch does not even seem to be an option.

But Neil Wagner is returning and New Zealand have no place for their best ever pacer since 2019. Trent Boult and Tim Southee are legends in their own right, Jamieson is in form, Colin de Grandhomme adds value across disciplines and Ajaz Patel is the lone spinner in the side. So where does Wagner fit into the scheme of things?

Read | The Cheteshwar Pujara no-show in New Zealand and the intent question

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead isn't certain about how the Black Caps will accommodate Wagner in their XI, but is sure that the left-arm seamer is a no-brainer in the team for the next Test.

"That's always good selection dilemmas to have," Stead had said on Tuesday. "Neil Wagner will come back and he's been a force in our team for a long time, and obviously Kyle Jamieson made the most of his debut, and the way he played, I thought, was outstanding as well, did a really good job for us. But I think Neil Wagner, it was pretty hard missing one Test let alone two Tests, so no, he'll be back with us without a doubt."

If Wagner returns, New Zealand will either have to go all-pace by dropping Ajaz Patel who bowled just six overs in the Wellington Test or sit out Jamieson or De Grandhomme. 

The second option isn't quite feasible considering Jamieson had a great performance on debut and de Grandhomme, despite taking just one wicket, was economical and contributes with the bat too. The next option is sitting out the spinner for the Christchurch Test.

Ajaz bowled just six overs at Wellington, but if India had survived for longer on day four, the left-arm spinner might have played a role as Stead pointed out.

Read | It's not us against you, Virat Kohli

"If the Test went the full distance, or even deep into the fourth day, you'd think that Ajaz would have taken a much bigger part than what he did, but it wasn't to be because our seam bowlers were so good in this Test match," Stead said.

But there's statistical evidence to suggest Patel can be sat out for Christchurch. Since 2019, spinners have taken just 15 wickets in New Zealand. Pace bowlers have 116 wickets in this time frame in the country. Since 2018, pacers have 222 wickets and spinners just 28. Of these 28 wickets, just seven are by New Zealand spinners. 

The Black Caps spinners average 68 in home Test matches and pick wickets every 160 balls in a Test match. Given the numbers, it is a decent suggestion to sit Ajaz out for Wagner at Christchurch.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Jeremy NG

South Africa's 2019 took a massive u-turn in the Boxing Day Test after they thumped England by 107 runs to go 1-0 up in the series. The Proteas had gone into the Test match after losing five consecutive Test matches, but they had a ragged, tired England facing them. 

Spurred by middle-order grit and polished bowling performance, South Africa sure ended the game on a high, but England's 2019 ended just as it had begun - extraordinary in ODIs and limited in Test cricket. The action shifts to New Year's Test on January 2 with England looking to salvage pride. 

Watch out for:

Joe Root - The England captain staved off illness to defy the Proteas in the second innings at Centurion for a while, but it did not last and England will be worried by yet another start that went nowhere from the skipper. The inability to consistently convert the 50s to 100s is a problem for Joe Root and his new year resolution should perhaps be to make those daddy tons. 

Read | Aiden Markram out of England series

Australia all the way

New Zealand have become a force in Test cricket of late but they have already lost the first series since early 2017 in their neighbouring country and there seem to be no leeway for redemption against a strong Aussie side that has won each of their last six home Test matches. 

At Melbourne in the second Test of the series, New Zealand were once again bullied by an Aussie side that increasingly looks well and truly back after their miseries in 2018. The third Test of the series at Sydney promises more action of a similar kind unless New Zealand can find ways to turn tables quickly.

Watch out for:

Neil Wagner - The left-arm seamer, Neil Wagner, was in red hot form at Perth and Melbourne and has dismissed Steven Smith four times in four innings with the two at MCG coming off bouncers despite Smith working against the same in the nets. Now, that's rare, but that's what Wagner does. His strike rate in Tests is the second-best for fast bowlers from New Zealand with Sir Richard Hadlee being first. 

Read | Trent Boult out of Sydney Test with fracture

India - Sri Lanka 

�?again

No, not again, but yes, yes again. India and Sri Lanka are back in action in another bilateral series. The three T20Is will mark the beginning of the shortest format games in the build-up to the T20 World Cup. For India, at least, preparations cannot have a more relaxed start than against the Lankans. Since the 2016 World T20, India and Sri Lanka have met six times with India winning five of those matches. Unlikely that record will change in early 2020 but Sri Lanka are on the back of whitewashing Pakistan in Pakistan, so who knows.

Watch out for:

KL Rahul - The Karnataka opener displaced Shikhar Dhawan from the T20I side last series, or so we thought. Rohit Sharma will take a break this series with Rahul and Dhawan in a proposed one-on-one showdown. Rahul has 356 runs in 9 T20Is in 2019 at an average of 44.5. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan averages 22.6 in 2019. Rahul's last four T20I innings are 52, 62, 11 and 91. That takes some beating. 

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