Kiwis hand England a painful World Cup lesson
New Zealand v England, 5th October 2023.
ENGLAND 282–9
NEW ZEALAND 283–1 (win by 9 wickets)
Oh dear.
Well this wasn’t quite what England captain Jos Buttler envisioned for his team’s opening day defence of the World Cup crown they won “by the barest of margins” against today’s opponents New Zealand four short years ago!
Being defeated by 9 wickets with still the thick end of 14 overs remaining and both opposition batsmen at the crease unbeaten with a century each to their name in a 273 run partnership is as comprehensive and demoralising as it sounds, but here’s hoping the after match words of both an ex England captain and the current incumbent prove wise before the event, and ahead of the long seven week cricketing road that lies before us, and a return to the incredible Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the World Cup Final on 19th November.
Joe Root, easily England’s most impressive performer today with 77 runs from 86 balls received, and the anchor of mid innings partnerships with Harry Brook and Jos Buttler that threatened to set the England batting innings alight but which flickered and ultimately died early cricketing deaths, called for “calm” post match whilst captain Buttler pragmatically said today was “just one loss at the start of a long tournament”. Both players too echoed a constant sentiment of there being “bumps” in this particular cricketing road and although this is only the first game of a very long World Cup, today wasn’t so much of a bump but a badly bloodied nose in a fight for the defence of their World Champion crown.
From the fall of their first wicket at 40–1 and Dawid Malan presenting Kiwi Matt Henry with the first of 3 deserved wickets at the cost of 48 runs, England would continually establish double digit batting partnerships throughout their middle order (24, 30, 24, 70 and 33) but as these figures would suggest, batsmen “got in” and established before, in the quixotic language of this grandest of all games, they got themselves out too.
In and out. Out, and back in again.
Jonny Bairstow’s first scoring shot was a mighty boundary 6, and in the first over of the contest too, before he followed Malan back into the Pavilion to give Mitchell Santner the first of his 2 wickets for the cost of just 37 runs. Harry Brook, rightly in the team on merit and for his attacking verve and seemingly nerveless disposition, crashed the bowling of eventual “Man of the Match” candidate Rachin Ravindra to all parts of this vast cricketing oval in Ahmedabad before falling or “giving his wicket away” like so many of his colleagues today by “checking” or not fully committing to the shot and looping simple high catches to eager Kiwi’s patrolling the boundary. Buttler and Bairstow were equally culpable in this regard too with Root dying by the reverse sweep sword he lives by and when Moeen Ali fell for just 11 to a piece of bowling “magic” (according to West Indian commentator Ian Bishop) part-time off spin bowler Glenn Phillips was on his way to a brilliant 2 wickets for just 17 runs conceded, England were tottering on 118–4 and their eventual total of 282 was creditable, but at least 70 runs shy of being competitive.
My first self-published cricket book and England's winter tours throughout 2021-2023
My second self-published book on cricket, and this Summer's Ashes battle with Australia
To the victors, the spoils, and a thoroughly deserved and comprehensive win for New Zealand it was too. When you consider that bowling spearhead Matt Henry (and main strike bowler due to the injury absence of Tim Southee) scalped 3 wickets and regular and/or part-time spin bowling accounted for another 5 England wickets along the way, it was a near perfect 50 overs in the field from the Kiwis. Then, even if their legendary batsman Kane Williamson was fit and playing rather than watching from the stands, he wouldn’t have even been required to wield his batting willow in anger as the always impressive Devon Conway scooted his way to 100 from just 83 balls received and current wunderkind Rachin Ravindra, nearly 10 years his junior at just 23 years of age, needed 1 less delivery for his personal century on his way to a stunning 123 not out from just 96 balls received. Conway perhaps edges the “Man of the Match” stakes by “carrying his bat” throughout the innings for a mightily impressive 152 not out from just 121 balls received but regardless, this was as comprehensive a team win as can possibly be imagined.
Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, this Summer’s Ashes heroes in their vain attempt to wrest the urn from New Zealand’s noisy neighbours Australia, were, in the cricketing vernacular, “carted” to all parts of the Narendra Modi Stadium and only bowled a combined 11 overs between them for a staggering century of runs conceded. No England bowler had an economy rate less than 6 and hence, conceded at least a run every ball bowled and yes it is “just one loss at the start of a long tournament”, but Ben Stokes’ Lazarus like powers of recovery are needed and needed fast as although two of the minnows of the tournament lie in wait for their next two games (Bangladesh and Afghanistan), they still have to play my arguable favourites for the tournament India, as well as bitter neighbours Pakistan, let alone South Africa or an Australian team in the middle of yet another rebuild.
I have England second favourites for the tournament behind India and ahead of Pakistan in a top 3, but New Zealand have shown once again why they’ve played in both consecutive World Cup Finals since 2015 and why they might well achieve a hat-trick of sorts come mid November.
Time will tell.
It always does.
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