Boycott says England losing to Black Caps in Test series is 'unthinkable'

Former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has said that the prospect of losing to New Zealand in the Test series is unthinkable for England, especially in the backdrop of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and the five-Test Ashes in a packed summer of cricket.

Alastair Cook leads England in his first home series since taking over from Andrew Strauss last year, having achieved a memorable win in India then a speed wobble when drawing 0-0 in New Zealand, Stuff.co.nz reports.

The report further said that the heat is on England who still carry the world's No 2 test ranking, just ahead of India.

Although England has not lost a May test at Lord's since the early season internationals were introduced in 2000, Boycott, however, said that two Tests against New Zealand are pivotal for England's summer, adding that playing poorly against New Zealand would be the worst possible build-up for the Ashes, for which losing is a big 'no-no'.

According to Boycott, it is necessary for England to win in order to gain confidence which will help in erasing the memory of mistakes made in New Zealand and leave English players and the whole cricketing public feeling good about the team, specially with the upcoming Ashes.

Stating that England lost their focus of being the No. 1 team in the world in the drawn Test series against the Black Caps and instead took a '10-day holiday', Boycott said that the team should not underestimate the tourists as it will be a big occasion for New Zealand to play at the mecca of cricket Lord's, for which they are sure to come ready with all their weapons sharpened.

The report further said that it is necessary for England to be careful as they are without their star batsman Kevin Pietersen and have a young middle order in the unproven Jonny Bairstow and batting prodigy Joe Root, adding that much of their efforts will rest on their pace spearhead James Anderson who is formidable in English conditions.