Dominant England on brink of Christchurch triumph
Day Three: New Zealand v England, Hagley Oval
NEW ZEALAND 348 and 155–6 (lead by 4 runs)
ENGLAND 499
Act One: Brook and Stokes turn the screw
Wrapped against the cold of an English Friday night in mid-winter beneath a duvet with a hot water bottle for company, it was “Fancy Dress Saturday” a world away in Christchurch and a sold out Hagley Oval saw the reemergence of England’s oft misunderstood and very definitely ridiculously titled “Bazball”. Starting the day 29 runs adrift on 1st innings with 5 wickets in hand, England ended the opening session with a thumping lead of 111 runs, 2 wickets still to fall, and all after depositing both the old ball and its brand new cherry replacement to all parts of this park within a park on the other side of the world. Milestones and significant achievements, both team and personal, were evident throughout the opening two hours of play as Harry Brook and Ben Stokes continued where they ended yesterday’s play by first passing a combined 100 run partnership (from only 135 balls received) and continuing a theme of yesterday so early in the day today, Brook received his fifth “life” of the innings when dropped on 147. Once again it was Glenn Phillips in the Gully position. Once again Harry Brook looked to the heavens unable to believe his luck. And once again New Zealand had proffered yet more early Christmas gifts in a Test Match they really should be winning, but are now on course for a 4 day defeat.
30 minutes into this opening session saw England eclipse their hosts 1st innings total and soon after Harry Brook smashed the new ball onto the tented white roof of the Hagley Oval for a boundary 6 as he passed 150. His captain soon followed him with his own personal half-century, his 35th in Test Match cricket, and from a rather sedate and controlled 105 balls received. Stokes was clearly playing the anchor role this morning and more than happy to stand and watch from the other end as Brook bludgeoned the ball, old or new, to all parts of Christchurch before finally departing for a brilliantly made, if more than a little lucky, 171 from just 197 balls received. Although Chris Woakes came and went quickly either side of the drinks break, in his stead arrived Gus Atkinson and the England onslaught continued. Whilst Stokes nudged and pushed his way to runs, Atkinson crashed four boundary 4’s and two boundary clearing 6’s as the dominant scorer in a less than a run-a-ball 50 partnership with his captain before departing for a spectacular 48 from just 36 balls received on the cusp of the Lunch Break.
At 459–8 and a lead on 1st innings of 111 runs, England had enjoyed an almost perfect morning.
Act Two: Kiwi Kane the King, but England still hold sway in Ōtautahi
The afternoon session was largely yet more England dominance as they added 40 more runs in just 30 minutes to stretch their final 1st innings lead to 151. Although Stokes, 78 not out at Lunch, would only add 2 further runs before “holing out” in the chase for quick runs and miss out on a century in the city of his birth, Brydon Carse replaced him with a quick fire 33 not out from just 24 balls received, 3 of which he crashed over the boundary edge for spectacular 6’s. New Zealand needed a sure and steady start to their 2nd innings but they lost their opening batsmen Tom Latham and Devon Conway in fairly quick order and at 23–2 were still 128 behind (and thus necessitating their visitors bat again) with just 8 wickets remaining. They were thankful, therefore, for the ever dependable calming influence of Kane Williamson who alongside wunderkind Rachin Ravindra guided their team to 62–2 at the Tea Interval and although 89 runs behind, still competitively in the Test Match at the break in play. Junior partner Ravindra rested at Tea 23 not out but the headline news resided with Williamson who at 26 not out had passed 9,000 Test Match runs in a legendary career containing 32 Test Match centuries at an otherworldly average of nearly 55. Williamson stands alone as the only Kiwi to have reached this milestone and long ago joined luminaries such as Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma, Indian middle order slugger Virat Kohli and Australians David Warner and Steve Smith as opposition batsmen I delight in seeing being dismissed, but more so wielding a cricket bat in perfect poetic motion.
King Kane Williamson, a master batsman supreme.
Act Three: England close in on a dominant triumph
Commencing the third and final session of the day 89 runs behind, New Zealand reached the end of day stumps with a slender lead of just 4 runs but after much promise and a mid-session partnership of 69 between Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, with only 4 wickets in hand. Just 7 balls into the session saw the demise of Rachin Ravindra for 24 as he recklessly hooked a bouncer from Brydon Carse straight into the hands of Jacob Bethell on the edge of the square leg boundary. It was a needless shot in the rather desperate circumstances and not in the playbook of Williamson who alongside the usual supreme confidence of Daryl Mitchell rescued their team from a possible impending innings defeat to fight another day tomorrow. But without Williamson. Whilst Mitchell dominated their mid-innings partnership Williamson serenely reached his second half-century of the match from 74 balls received and looked set for a 33rd Test Match century when, on 61, England seamer Chris Woakes continually bowled away swinging deliveries until a brilliant follow up delivery nipped back from the seam, crashing into Williamson’s pads “plumb” in front of his stumps. A TV referral couldn’t save him and nor could the referral from Tom Blundell a ball later as he feathered the slightest edge through to Ollie Pope behind the stumps from the bowling of Chris Woakes again, his third wicket of the innings. Brydon Carse would join Woakes with his third wicket of the innings shortly before the close of play as he trapped the dangerous Glenn Phillips LBW (Leg Before Wicket) and where Daryl Mitchell was expansive and free scoring in partnership with Kane Williamson, he now dropped anchor to ensure he reached the end of day stumps unbeaten, 31 not out, and arguably New Zealand’s last hope of posting any sort of competitive total for England to chase later tomorrow.
In short, New Zealand have a 4 run lead, are on the brink of a home defeat, and only have themselves to blame for their predicament. Although thoroughly outplayed today, they largely dominated Day One before throwing away so many of their wickets with reckless abandon when on top and on Day Two, spilled a total of six catches. England on the other hand were their revolutionary selves today, attacking both the day ahead and the match as a whole to post an intimidating lead and stamping their dominance over the Test Match.
All New Zealand hopes rest on Daryl Mitchell scoring heavily as well as guiding the batting tail around him to a 100 run lead and then hoping those batsmen rip through England with their preferred method of sporting fun and a red cricket ball in hand.
This Test Match ends tomorrow and barring a cricketing miracle, England should triumph and win in comprehensive fashion.
Thanks for reading. After watching England “through the night” I’ve turned these day by day ramblings into three self-published books to date, the first of which pictured below covers (in the fifth and final part) England’s last tour to New Zealand in early 2023:
"Ashes to Ashes" - link to Amazon
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.