The 2027 World Test Championship campaign begins for New Zealand, the championship’s inaugural winners, with a home series against the West Indies starting Tuesday. This series is particularly significant as it’s the first in the new WTC cycle for the Black Caps, offering a chance to gain crucial early points. The initial encounter will be hosted at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Head coach Rob Walter stressed the value of a strong performance on home turf. “Winning at home is important, but it is not the be all and end all because we have started to see how teams can win away from home,” Walter stated. He added, “We’ll be looking to start strong and lay down an marker early in the World Test Championship. The team is clear in their Test match identity, they’ve done incredibly well as a unit, so just to fall back into that.” Following a successful sweep of the ODI series and a T20I victory against the West Indies, the team is in good spirits. Walter remains cautiously optimistic about the Test series, acknowledging the potency of the West Indies’ bowling unit, despite some notable injuries. Kemar Roach is slated to lead the West Indies’ formidable seam attack. “They’ve got a really good seam attack, some dangerous batters and can bat for long periods of time so from a team point of view (we need to) respect the game of cricket and be prepared for the contest,” Walter commented. He also emphasized the team’s ability to adapt, especially considering the seam-assisting characteristics of the Hagley Oval pitch. New Zealand aims to assert dominance from the outset of their WTC journey.
