Two of a kind

So New Zealand's sad test series against England comes to an end. At one stage during the second test, they looked like they were going to whip England. Then came that collapse, and from there on, everything went wrong. They lacked punch and penetration in just about all departments, They don't have a strike bowler other than Vettori (who disappointed when the moment came for him in the second test), and more worryingly, since their board has decided to shoot itself in the foot by banning Shane Bond, there is no indication that improvement is around the corner. They don't have a single batsman capable of consistently racking up the big scores test cricket (how about scoring a 158 in a test, Brendon?), and its not clear what their talent pool holds in store. All in all, this series was not good news for those of us that admire the Kiwis. As for England, I'm not sure what this series taught them. Perhaps they learned that their batting line up is shaky. Perhaps. Perhaps they think their "fast" bowlers are the best in the world (as we will soon see English journalists proclaim; one gentleman already thinks Sidebottom should be compared to Akram; soon Anderson will be compared to Marshall)). More likely, when the South Africans land on their shores, they will find out that serious shakeups lie ahead for them as well.