主播大秀

Since I arrived late last week, two of the players most likely to liven up proceedings in the Test series have had contrasting fortunes to say the least.

Some six years ago England warmed up for the corresponding Test series at the implausibly against an Otago side keen to put one over their international opposition.

A weather-worn local man made sure he told everyone within earshot that the slight 20-year-old opening the batting for the home side had it in him to be 'a bloody world-beater'.

Ever since then I鈥檝e kept a close eye on the rise and rise of Brendon McCullum and, as luck would have it, I had a chance to see the 2008 vintage close up in the State Shield Final in Auckland at the weekend.

The speak for themselves: a majestic 170 off 108 balls, with his ton coming from 52 deliveries (both of which were NZ domestic records) as Otago chased down a seemingly mammoth 310 with eight overs to spare.

It was an awesome display firstly of power hitting followed by controlled aggression that clearly showed the talent that England are well aware of after the ODI series, and which could ignite the Test series given the chance.

While the stock of BMac (a NZ radio jock鈥檚 invention - not mine!) rises to new highs the rise and fall of New Zealand cricket's 鈥渂iggest鈥� newest star couldn't have been more rapid or more publicly played out.

The where and whens of and subsequent hand injury have slowly slipped off the back pages of the New Zealand papers

But now you can't switch on the radio without Iris from Invercargill or Wally from Whangarei letting the wider public know whether Ryder is a 鈥渄runken boof鈥� or 鈥渕isguided genius鈥�.

Whatever you're opinion he's just the type of character is desperately looking out for the put people through the turnstiles at Test matches.

Although we'll never know for sure, the NZ papers seem pretty sure that he would have made the starting XI for the first Test.

Ryder's notoriety was confirmed when I overheard two students ready for the start of term at Auckland University deciding on whether the previous evening's drinking exploits had constituted a 鈥淛esse鈥�, a 鈥渉alf-Jesse鈥� or a 鈥渜uiet one鈥�!

But while Jesse Ryder is inadvertently adding his name to the Kiwi vocabulary, I for one can't wait for the Test series to spark into life in Hamilton on Wednesday.

After missing the last eight England Tests away from home (England's record - drawn two lost six) since their almost two years ago it's time for England to return to winning ways in the land of the long white cloud.

I reckon a repeat of the is on the cards again, or is that just wishful thinking?

Phil Long has been following England around the world for the last decade and has been for the last six years.