5 reasons why New Zealand can whitewash England in the Test series

New Zealand Cricket — The New Zealand team are an extremely difficult opposition when playing on their home turf

England’s struggle in Australia did not come as a surprise to many but the 4-0 scoreline proved that the team had declined immeasurably from the heady days of their series win in South Africa back in 2015.

The team has deteriorated at an alarming rate over that period and although they have done relatively well at home, they have been mauled on overseas trips plenty of times.

So, it is fair to wonder if New Zealand can actually hand the visiting England team a whitewash in the two-Test series that started on Thursday. Considering the fact that they were all out for a meagre 58 on the opening of the 1st Test at Auckland, a whitewash looks like a distinct possibility.

Here are the five primary reasons why New Zealand might end up humiliating England in this series with a whitewash.

#5 New Zealand’s impeccable record at home

Over the past few seasons, New Zealand has been one of the best teams at home as far as Test cricket is concerned. They might have lost the last two series at home to South Africa and Australia, but overall their record has been exemplary.

Since December 2014, they whitewashed 5 opponents on the trot, winning the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka (twice), Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh.

What is important to note in this regard is that New Zealand have a history of blanking teams at home and considering the current state of the English team, it won’t be the biggest shock in the world if they deliver a whitewash yet again.