NZ vs WI, 2020: 2-match Test series – Statistical Preview

After a successful T20I series win, New Zealand looks forward to an interesting Test series against the visiting West Indies. The Blackcaps are boosted by the fact of not losing a home Test match against West Indies in more than two decades. It will be their first assignment for the Kiwis in the World Test Championship since defeating India 2-0 at home. This series will also be only the 3rd in the WTC for West Indies who thus far have played five Test matches where they won only one.

Here are the key stats and numbers that matter ahead of the 2-match NZ vs WI Test series:

0/20 – New Zealand hasn’t lost any of the previous 17 home Tests where they chose to bowl first and are unbeaten batting second in 20 home Tests since the start of 2011. New Zealand elected to bowl first in each of their last 17 home Test matches where they won the toss. The last instance of them electing to bat in a home Test was back in January 2011 during the Wellington Test against Pakistan.

6 – New Zealand won each of their previous six series in Test cricket at home, a streak which began after losing the 2017 Test series against South Africa by 0-1 margin. This is the longest series winning streak at home for the Blackcaps in the longer format.

39.3 – Jason Holder has a bowling strike rate of 39.3 in Test cricket since the start of 2018. Holder picked 63 wickets across 14 Tests he played in this period at an average of 16.74 with as many as six 5-wicket hauls. Holder also had 794 runs at an average of 37.80 with the bat during the same span.

43 – Trent Boult has claimed a total of 43 wickets in Test cricket against West Indies across ten games. He has only one 5-wicket haul against the Caribbean team but averages 22.72 and a strike rate of 45. Boult’s 43 Test wickets against West Indies are the 2nd most in NZ vs WI Test matches behind Sir Richard Hadlee’s tally of 51 scalps.

48 – Neil Wagner has taken a total of 48 wickets across eight Test matches since the start of 2018. Wagner took those wickets at an average of just 19.08 and a strike rate of 41.2 with help of four 5-wicket hauls. Wagner also played 48 matches in his Test career and will reach 50 Test appearances in the series against West Indies.

1089 – Ross Taylor is the only New Zealand player to score over 1000 runs in Test cricket against West Indies. He has aggregated 1089 runs against the Caribbean team across 21 Test innings averaging 68.06 with four centuries and three fifties. Taylor needs 170 more runs to become the leading run-getter in NZ vs WI Test matches by going past Chris Gayle tally of 1258 runs.

1995 – The last instance of West Indies winning a Test match on New Zealand soil is way back in 1995 where they recorded an innings victory in Wellington. Since that win, West Indies played 12 Tests in New Zealand and lost in eight of them including each of the previous four.

2015 – West Indies have not won an International match in New Zealand since the start of the 2015 CWC quarter-final meeting which the hosts won by 143 runs. New Zealand has won ten of their last 12 International matches at home against West Indies while another two games ended without a result.