u/Eclectic95

>It is 1958. Brendon McCullum’s dad is only two years old. England has just lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia. New Zealand bowls England out for 221, collapses to 54/6, and loses the first Test.

>It is 1983. Brendon McCullum is only one. England has just lost the Ashes 2-1 in Australia. New Zealand bowls England out for 209, collapses to 41/5, and loses the first Test.

>It is 2022. The term BazBall means nothing yet. England has just lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia. New Zealand wins the toss at Lord’s, falls to 36/6, bowls England out for 141, and loses the first Test.

>It is 2026. The term BazBall is already on its 4th reset. England has just lost the Ashes 3-1 in Australia. New Zealand wins the toss at Lord’s, bowls England out for 140, falls to 30/6, and loses the first Test.

>It is 2089. MechaMcCullum is now England’s longest-serving coach. BazBall is on reset number 128. England has just lost the Ashes 5-0 in Australia. New Zealand wins the toss at Lord’s, falls to 28/6, bowls England out for 142, and loses the first Test.

My analysis of the first Test, and why I feel like I’ve seen that one before.

With the 4-Day Test in Ireland starting in a few hours, I've written a preview for our upcoming run of 14-Tests in just 9 months, including back-to-back-to-back series vs Eng, Ind, and Aus, which, as far as I've been able to tell is the equal-most packed run of Test cricket in our history:

>While 14 Tests in 9 months might not sound out of the ordinary for fans of some teams (England have played exactly 14 Tests in a calendar year 10 times, and more than 14 in a year a further eight times), by New Zealand standards, this is a veritable smorgasbord of Test cricket.

>If, like me, you’re a New Zealand Test cricket fan, life has quite literally never been so good. This is not hyperbole. The most Tests New Zealand have ever played in a calendar year is 14, in 2008. There have been a couple of rare instances where the Black Caps have enjoyed similarly packed Test schedules, but none that outright beat this upcoming run:

>- Between Boxing Day 1998 and 1999, the team played 14 Tests.
- From March 10, 2005, to March 26, 2006, they played 13 Tests.
- Most recently, from July 2016 to March 2017, the team also played 14 Tests, the closest match to this upcoming run.

Enjoy and go Black Caps!