A couple of days out from the second Test, at a drinks reception, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, David White, referred to the Basin Reserve as the “spiritual home” of the sport in the country, prompting a few harrumphs from the visiting heads of the country’s major associations.
Lighthearted harrumphs, admittedly, they nevertheless spoke of the pride that underpins cricket across New Zealand and the collective drive from the bottom up that has seen the men’s national team go unbeaten at home for five years, while claiming the inaugural World Test Championship title in 2021.
