Cricket: Five reasons why... the Black Caps-South Africa series will be worth the wait

Neil Wagner and the Black Caps will be firing up for another shot at South Africa. Photo / Getty

Kris Shannon runs through five reasons why the Black Caps-South Africa test series will be worth the wait.

1. Another first for the world champs?

Between the World Cup finals, the 10-wicket hauls and the big ol' maces, these Black Caps are accustomed to making history.

Here's some slightly less enjoyable history: New Zealand have never won a test series against South Africa.

In 16 battles with the Proteas, beginning in 1932, the best the Black Caps have managed is draws in 1961-62, 1964 and 2004, and I'm pretty sure they were called the Black Caps only one of those occasions.

There's a good reason New Zealand are still stuck on a duck - to win a test series a team generally need to win test matches. In 45 tests against the Proteas, however, this country boast only four victories.

That win rate of 8.88 per cent is New Zealand's worst against any opponent, edging England (11.21 per cent) and Australia (13.33 per cent).

All of which is to say, we were really bad at test cricket for a really long time. Not any more, of course, and the world champions now have a golden chance to again prove it.

2. Pressure on the Black Caps

It won't be easy, though. Not with 273 tests' worth of experience missing from the XI in the opener.

Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult being shorn from the side shows the downside of having a few all-time greats in the same generation: they retire, they get hurt, they start doing boring things like having families, and all of a sudden a quarter of the world champion team are absent at once.

But that does create a few openings. Will Young can further cement himself at the top of the order while Devon Conway continues at first drop. Henry Nicholls will be elevated to No 4 with Daryl Mitchell given a big opportunity - and even bigger responsibility - at No 5.

The return of Colin de Grandhomme may see him stake his claim for the all-rounder's spot, while Matt Henry will likely replace Boult.

None of those players is particularly young - not even the 29-year-old Young - so are well placed to cope with the pressure that comes with those big shoes they're filling.

Will Young is looking to further cement himself in the top order. Photo / Getty

3. Quality of the opposition

Touring teams at Hagley Oval would be forgiven for being beaten the day before a test starts.

Once they get a look at the state of the wicket and see the four outstanding seamers in the home side's attack, spirits must be low even before they see off Boult and Southee only to encounter Jamieson and Wagner.

This South African side, however, will not be overly concerned if they struggle to initially spy the pitch amid the outfield grass.

In fact, if the Proteas' quicks can adapt quickly to the conditions, the green seamer may suit the tourists more than a New Zealand attack missing Boult.

South Africa's bowling unit last month managed to get the better of an Indian side who had just eased to a series victory over the Black Caps, bouncing back from a first-test defeat at home by winning the next two.

The Proteas have brought six seamers to New Zealand, with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen likely to lead the line, and that trio will provide a stern examination for the hosts' reshuffled top order.

4. Because it's been an average summer…

In cricketing terms, at least. The weather's been great - the ocean temperature in the Coromandel, my goodness - but cricket has been conspicuous by its absence.

It feels impudent to complain, given Covid restricting cricket tours is hardly comparable to the sacrifices many have undertaken to protect our most vulnerable.

But something feels wrong about the best sport on our screens during February being staged on snow.

So at least this series is arriving while the sun is still shining. At least we can still watch some test cricket while wearing shorts and drinking hazy pale ales, instead of the pyjamas-and-coffee combo needed in June when the Black Caps next don the whites.

A two-test series against Bangladesh was never going to set the pulse racing - not even when the visitors stunned their hosts in the first match - and the Proteas always loomed as the main event.

Bangladesh stunned the Black Caps - but that series was a curtain raiser. Photo / Getty

5. …and we'll take what we can get in any code

Cricket has been far from alone among our codes being disrupted by that whole global pandemic thing.

Wollongong has replaced Wellington for the Phoenix, the Warriors have taken the unfortunate but necessary step of reminding Reece Walsh how much he likes Australia, and who really knows if there is in fact a rugby competition starting this weekend.

It's even more stark in international terms. The New Year wasn't the same without the ASB Classic while it's honestly tough to keep track of all the other events that have been postponed or cancelled, and I'm supposed to do this for a living.

With that backdrop, any international sport on these shores is a blessing - even limited-overs matches against the Netherlands.

A series between two of the top test nations in the world is as good as we're gonna get, so let's remember to appreciate it. And let's remember to not blame me for jinxing it when a Covid case in the South African support staff sees the whole thing called off.