Captain’s diving catch will go down in history

Andrew Alderson

at Eden Park New Zealand hardly needed a boost after England racked up a rugby score of 27-8 in the first cricket test at Eden Park, but they got one through gully aficionado Kane Williamson.

Craig Overton sliced a wide Trent Boult yorker for four in the 15th over to get off the mark. More importantly, the stroke took the visitors beyond 26, the record lowest test score set by New Zealand against England at the same ground 63 years ago.

The following over, Tim Southee lured Stuart Broad into an edge which flew towards the North Stand’s short, straight boundary.

Williamson leapt left like a starfish at a disco to take one of the catches of his generation. Parallel to the ground, the pink ball stuck in his hand to register an unforgettable piece of fielding. Broad traipsed off for a duck.

The New Zealand captain lay absorbing an instant of solitude as his teammates charged at him like a crash of rhinoceroses to celebrate.

The skipper was elated, too, but his sportsmanship compass gave nothing away. There was no ballyhooing — as we’ve seen with such gauche regularity in South Africa of late — just plucking joy.

“To hang on to [six] catches like we did was significant,” Boult said.

“Kane’s added another classic to his repertoire. I’m not saying it turned the match, but it’s a good feeling when ones like that stick.”

The catch reinforced Williamson’s decision to field. It was understood to be a 50:50 call, and England would have batted anyway. He was the second captain in nine day-night tests to insert the opposition. The other was his counterpart Joe Root in England’s loss to Australia at Adelaide earlier in the summer.

Williamson’s yang was matched by Root’s yin across the day.

The pitch looked ripe for batting, provided players were prepared to negotiate a few emerald stripes across the first session. England succumbed in 124 balls.

Root was central to the carnage, suffering a sixth-ball duck at No 3. Boult drew the right-hander into a drive as the ball swung back between bat and pad to skittle the stumps.

Then, at second slip, the England skipper dropped Jeet Raval off Broad. Raval added only one more run, but the concern was more about the damage to morale.

England looked rattled afterwards, which included two poor reviews for lbw that were far from howlers as New Zealand advanced their batting cause.

The failure to win in 11 away tests appears to be weighing heavily.