England take charge after Day 1 in Mount Maunganui
12 wickets tumble under the New Zealand lights.
12 wickets tumble under the New Zealand lights.
ENGLAND 325–9 declared.
NEW ZEALAND 37–3 (Trail by 288 runs)
Being a February baby doesn’t tend to afford you that rarest of luxuries of watching Test Match cricket on your birthday. Cricket may be a year round tussle of leather on willow these days and I’m sure the grand old game has been played on my birthday many times, but I can’t ever recall watching it on the celebratory day itself, and certainly not with England involved. Last night or, strictly speaking, a cold and dark very early morning, I became 51 not out in the game of life whilst commencing the celebrations early with tea, chocolate biscuits, and Test Match cricket from the cloudy sunshine of Mount Maunganui on the north island of New Zealand 11,000 miles away.
Tea and chocolate biscuits at 1am on a Thursday morning in the middle of a February English winter?
And why not?
It was my birthday after all.
I watched the opening session of play (1–3am UK time, 2–4pm local time) as well as catching the final hour’s play live after a few birthday hours sleep. I left England in a commanding position at the Lunch Break and re-joined them as they cemented another of those incredible day’s of Test Match cricket as early morning was breaking here in England and darkness had fallen on the other side of the world. Playing under the evening lights of a pink ball Day/Night Test Match, England made the very best of the slow, placid afternoon conditions before striking, and striking hard, under the Bay Oval’s floodlights at the end of the day’s play.
Yet again under the stewardship of coach Brendon McCullum (a New Zealand “Kiwi”) and his captain, New Zealand born but English raised Ben Stokes, “Bazball” was again in stupendous evidence. So called for the affectionate nickname of Brendon “Baz” McCullum and the attacking tactics he and skipper Stokes will live and cricketing die by, attack is the order of the day, dominate the opposition, take control of the game and force a positive result. 9 wins from 10 is some start to their revolution as well as an incredible statement put before any opposition and whilst I’m excitedly getting ahead of myself, this summer’s Ashes duel with New Zealand’s neighbours Australia is already bubbling over with potential for a humdinger of a series in England this summer.
Whilst England reached the Lunch Break on 134–2 (Pope 30 not out and Root 9 not out), the first session brickbats and plaudits fall to their opening batsmen Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. 25 year old Crawley received a cricketing “life” not once but twice, and in only seven balls faced as first he edged a tough chance to Michael Bracewell at 3rd slip which the Kiwi all-rounder spilled before he was comprehensively clean bowled by a “Jaffa” of a delivery from Neil Wagner. The veteran’s no-ball was symptomatic of his erratic first session, but Crawley would last just seven further deliveries before edging a simpler chance to Bracewell again, this time from the bowling of skipper Tim Southee, and this time his game was up. Duckett meanwhile had simply continued on from his run scoring tour of Pakistan as he raced to a 54 minute half-century from just 36 balls received, scoring 10 boundary 4’s in the process. His blistering progress continued after the first hour’s drinks break as he added 4 more boundary 4’s on his way to a supremely well played 84 before his only loose shot of the session gifted another catch to Bracewell and a first Test Match wicket on debut to 29 year old Blair Tickner.
At 134–2 at Lunch, England were in a prime position to continue attacking at the resumption of play, which they duly did. Adding almost a further 200 runs, the all out attack was typified throughout the innings by the loose shots and dismissals of Ollie Pope and the somewhat reckless shots and low scores from ex captain Joe Root and current skipper Ben Stokes, but with his batting partners losing their heads (and wickets) all around him, Harry Brook, like Ben Duckett, simply picked up from where left the Pakistan tour with 15 boundary 4’s and 1 almighty boundary 6 in his 89 runs from just 81 balls received. Declaring on 325–9 with an hour and a half of the day to play and, crucially, under the floodlights, this England team have a happy knack and winning habit of putting the opposition under the severest of pressure and cometh the hour, cometh veteran 40 year old record breaking bowler James “Jimmy” Anderson.
New Zealand struggled to inch their way to 37–3 at overnight “Stumps” and remain immensely indebted to 31 year old South African born Devon Conway who scratched his way to 17 not out at the end of the day’s play. His will be a valued wicket come the first session tomorrow as too will be the dismissal of “Night-Watchman” bowler come protective batsman, Neil Wagner. His eventual demise will lead to the heart of the New Zealand batting order and the prized scalp of Daryl Mitchell who was outstanding in defeat during the last English summer. Two early wickets will see the likes of Anderson, Stuart Broad and the much maligned (by me) Ollie Robinson bowling at a makeshift lower batting order containing newly appointed captain Tim Southee as well as the two debutants who bowled so well under pressure today, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn.
Pleasingly, as I sign off to blow out the numerous candles atop my birthday cake before visiting the cinema with my beautiful son, the first session tomorrow is so vital as to the probable outcome of this Test Match. I can only foresee the wicket playing exactly as it did today: lively and difficult to play on in the first hour, a featherbed to score runs on in the afternoon session before the floodlights take effect in a final session that will again offer far more hope to bowlers than batsmen. See Ben Duckett and Harry Brook for evidence of the former and the oldest (and best) swinger and seamer in town, Jimmy Anderson, for the latter. His first dismissal today was a cricketing peach, trapping the dangerous Kane Williamson on his crease and LBW (Leg Before Wicket) before undoing and undressing Henry Nicholls with a cricketing Jaffa that pitched just outside his leg stump, jagged away to catch his outside edge as he defended his middle and off stumps, and Zak Crawley did the honours in the slips with a straight forward catch. A straight forward catch from a ball of pure perfection from the 40 year old, and a veteran and Hall of Fame great of the game who seems far from retirement and playing as a part of this exciting team, more than one cricketing eye on Australia this summer.
Test Match cricket on my birthday? What a rare pleasure.
See you in the morning!
Thanks for reading. I’ll be covering every day of this Test Match and the two that follow on this tour, as I did England’s recent tours to the West Indies, Pakistan and Australia, and as evidenced here if you desire some further cricketing rambles:
Stokes and McCullum — Viva la revolution!
Pakistan v England — Karachi, Day 4.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits in the West Indies
Day 4: Grenada. Brathwaite leads the Windies to a fully deserved and dominant victory over a sorry England.medium.com
Tea and Biscuits at The Ashes
Bellerive Oval, Hobart, Day 3: Another ignominious England batting collapse. Another thumping by a rampant Australia.medium.com