June 25th, 2013 was a significant day for me, personally. To date, it’s the only time I’ve witnessed a cricket match (any format) in its entirety in person. That was the day England hosted New Zealand at the Oval in London for the first of two scheduled T20I contests. (The second one, planned for two days later, would be rained out and not made up.) The sold-out crowd made for an electric atmosphere in London, and the match did not disappoint, with England falling just short in a game that came down to the final delivery. The ECB uploaded two different videos of highlights; one of New Zealand’s batting innings…

…and one from England’s innings…

England have had a roller coaster of mixed fortunes – in all formats of the game – in the two years since that night at the Oval. It started with a high, as Alastair Cook led the squad to success in the Ashes series in the second half of that summer, retaining the urn for the third consecutive series. That joy would be short-lived, however, as only three months passed before England and Australia met Down Under for another series. This time, it was the Aussies doing the celebrating, winning all five Tests in convincing fashion.

2014 was another year of ups and downs for the squad, as focus slowly turned to the World Cup in Australia & New Zealand at the beginning of this year. What occurred Down Under this time around was a disaster, as England failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, leading many skeptics to wonder what’s next for the players. With the New Zealand having just finished, all eyes will be on winning back the Ashes. England will be regarded underdogs – although not quite to the extent that they were back in 2005 – and the younger players who struggled against the Blackcaps can expect even more scrutiny should they struggle against Australia.

The upcoming tour is set to create another chapter in Alastair Cook’s legacy as England captain; will it be positive or negative?