Bazball not to blame for Black Caps’ big hole
As Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls each trudged back to the Basin Reserve pavilion yesterday, their New Zealand side plummeting towards another test defeat, all sorts of questions arose.
Top of that list was: Had England’s seemingly unstoppable ‘Bazball’ approach got inside their heads, after both got in an awful tangle attempting reverse sweeps with their side under huge pressure on day two of the second test?
Batting coach Luke Ronchi insisted that England’s fearless attacking style had no bearing on the home batters’ approach.
Whatever caused either’s moment of madness, home fans among another Basin sellout were left shaking their heads as the Black Caps lurched to 138-7 at stumps.
Tom Blundell and captain Tim Southee will resume today at 10.30am still 297 behind England’s 435-8 declared, their victory chances up in smoke.
It’s looking bleak for the reigning World Test Champions, but Ronchi insisted ‘Bazball’ was not to blame.
‘‘I wouldn’t have thought so . . . that’s a phrase that’s been thrown around and from a cricketers’ point of view I don’t think many people take much interest in it. We want to play our style of cricket; England are bowling well which is going to hamper that,’’ Ronchi said.
Granted, England were outstanding with the ball as 40-yearold Jimmy Anderson set the tone with impeccable lines and seam movement.
He nicked off Devon Conway with a peach, then Kane Williamson
hung the bat out at one he never needed to play, fifth ball, which knocked the wind out of their reply.
The usual sirens circling the Basin were fitting, as the recalled Will Young became Anderson’s third wicket and New Zealand were 21-3.
The collapse continued. Latham batted 103 minutes and Nicholls 79 before they departed within four overs of each other. Latham’s dismissal was controversial and he reviewed it, but Craig McMillan in the Spark Sport commentary box felt TV umpire Aleem Dar got it right and the ball brushed the wristband on his glove.
Nicholls has 199 test runs at a sickly 16.58 and a top score of 39. He will bat for his immediate test career in the second innings.
Leach then had Daryl Mitchell prodding forward and brilliantly
caught by Ollie Pope, and Michael Bracewell offered Stuart Broad a simple return catch.
Fine weather is forecast for the final three days as Blundell and Southee attempt the improbable – first to get past the followon mark of 236 then to try to narrow the gap on England before they flail the willow again.
If Bazball hasn’t got inside their heads, it most certainly has demoralised the hosts and sapped their confidence to the point a three-day test remains highly likely.