Could a new generation grab Boxing Day glory?

There’s a great summer barbecue argument to be had about which group can rightly claim to be the Golden Generation of New Zealand men’s cricket: The Hadlee/Croweinfused side of the 1980s or the Williamson-led World Test Championship heroes of recent years.

In cricket, more than in any other sport, numbers don’t lie. There’s little doubt that on the telling metrics of averages — for both runs and wickets — Kane Williamson’s crew would mostly have the outside edge.

And they got the biggest result. When Williamson lifted the WTC mace at the conclusion of an enthralling and surreal six-day test match in 2021, it capped a remarkable decade for the Black Caps in all formats. They were, briefly though inarguably, the best exponents of the highest form of their sport in the world — a remarkable achievement in a code dominated by powerhouses Australia and India, and with the likes of resource or talent-rich England, Pakistan and South Africa.

But Williamson’s team fell terribly on cricket’s harshest stage: the Boxing Day test. Their 2019 visit to Melbourne was the lowest point of a magical era. In the ignominious second innings, the gutsy 121 scored by makeshift opener Tom Blundell was 12 runs more than the rest of the line-up combined could manage. The first innings had been even worse. The series was a 3-0 dunking.

In 1987, with Sir Richard Hadlee at his glorious best, the New Zealanders were denied victory in the Boxing Day test only by dubious umpiring. With the draw in Melbourne, Australia claimed the three-test series 1-0. Honours were stolen, not shared.

Melbourne is a tough town for Kiwi cricketers. The players, the pitch, the public and the press all make it clear you’re the underdog, you’re unwelcome and you’re going to lose. Of the 326 test tons scored by New Zealand men, Blundell’s is the only one to come at the MCG.

Now a new generation will get its chance. The Black Caps are in line to play the Boxing Day test in 2026, as part of a four-test series. Some of the remnants of the 2019 crew could still be among the ranks, but by then they will surely be more a greying generation than a golden one.

Williamson might still be there. If we’re lucky, Tom Latham, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell will still have the touch and guile of top-flight batters. They’ll need new blood in the pace attack. It will take something special from a new generation for us to grab Boxing Day glory on the sport’s harshest stage.

A test victory in the Melbourne Boxing Day test would be cherished by fans for generations to come. Outside a WTC final, it’s the result that would matter more than any other — indeed there are some traditionalists who would rate the MCG scalp greater than the WTC.

Where our two greatest sides fell short, a new one built around the likes of Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson and Glenn Phillips must shine.