Ok, so I may be typing this a touch prematurely but there is no prospect of play at The Basin Reserve today. Cricket New Zealand have made a stern announcement that the match will not be called off until late this afternoon but look….

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So it’s still nil-nil in terms of the series score as thoughts turn towards the third Test that begins in Auckland on Friday. A match that will be played at a rugby ground.

Cricket New Zealand have been widely panned by many for their decision to host the Test at Eden Park. The weather has put paid to the Wellington match as it did at Dunedin, so Cricket New Zealand will cop yet more abuse for scheduling the Tests after the shorter forms of the games this summer but the call on the rugby ground could prove to be a master stroke.

With the shorter boundaries at long on and long off, both teams could be tempted to chance their arm in this winner-takes-all encounter. A dream scenario for CNZ would be Baz, Roscoe, Rudders and company go crazy with the bat in the Kiwis’ first innings and they pile on something silly like 600-8 declared. England have another bad day at the office (remember that Thursday in Dunedin) and all of a sudden the unthinkable starts to happen.

The famously fickle local crowd start to trickle in, Bruce Martin, the new (albeit Kiwi) Stuart MacGill, prays on England’s bewilderment stricken collapse and all of a sudden Test cricket, in front of a packed Eden Park, is alive and well.

I don’t want this bleak fantastical foreboding to come true but, if it reignites this country’s love affair with their summer game then it will have been worth it. I’ve said it before and will do again, cricket supporters in this country here are a marvellous bunch.

They need something to inspire the next generation of Kane Williamsons and Tim Southees. Would it really be the end of the world if it came with an unlikely series win against my beloved England?