After the chaos of the World Cup, Daryl Mitchell is looking forward to some calm time as New Zealand resumes Test cricket in Sylhet after an eight-month absence. In addition, it will be Bangladesh’s and New Zealand’s first Test in the World Test Championship’s third cycle. Mitchell is returning from a successful World Cup campaign in which he scored two hundreds, both against India.
“A bit more patience is required going from white ball to Test cricket,” Mitchell stated. “You can take a deep breath and unwind a little. The surfaces are shifting. We’ll continue to adjust. On day one, we’ll see what we receive.
“Playing in that event in front of millions of fans is always special. It’s also important to acknowledge the chance we have at this point in the World Test Championship. How much it means to have the silver fern on while wearing anything baggy.”
He added that rather than considering their ultimate objective of making it to the WTC final, New Zealand is concentrating on short-term objectives.
Mitchell remarked, “We obviously know it is the end goal.” “Every nation competing in the World Test Championship aspires to achieve that. For us, it’s about setting modest objectives. Making an effort to finish games as we go. We have to face Bangladesh first. In Bangladesh, the challenges are always formidable.
As Kiwis, these conditions are unfamiliar to us, so we must quickly adjust to these surfaces and get stuck in order to seize small opportunities. That is the subject of our conversation. We do not have a very long view. You wish to take part in those major games at the same time. You play Test cricket for that reason.”
Although both sets of players will be unfamiliar with the conditions, Sylhet has only staged one Test before. However, according to New Zealand coach Luke Ronchi, his team has honed their talents on the sub-continent. This is true even though New Zealand’s last Test match in Bangladesh took place in 2013.
Ronchi remarked, “Ten years is a long, long time.” “Ish Sodhi made his Test debut at that point. Given that some of the boys were young, their playing style would have been very different. In the subcontinent, cricket was a popular game among us. We have also visited Pakistan. The boys play throughout the world using their own strategies.
“Now, a lot more of the reverse-sweep is visible coming into it. It complicates things for bowlers. However, guys prefer to play that way. They must adjust to that surface in whichever way they believe will help them score.”
According to Ronchi, they are ready for the Test series in Bangladesh on comparable fields because they played the ODI World Cup in India on slow pitches. “It would have been a big change if we came from the green wickets of New Zealand straight to Bangladesh,” he stated. “However, most of the people in our group had participated in the World Cup. They have been honing their skills on more gradual and curved terrain in order to assist us with this test series.”
Mitchell, on the other hand, moved on from the World Cup even though he enjoyed being a part of the ICC team of the competition. “Getting recognized with a spot on the World Cup team of the competition is cool.” It indicates that you are making an effort to assist the team win games,” Mitchell remarked. There isn’t much time for introspection. We’re right into the Test cricket season. You want to be there for the Test team and prepared. And eight weeks in India, which was quite unique. Such recollections are enduring.”
