Black Caps tickled pink
The Black Caps have produced one of the best days of test cricket in their history to mark a historic occasion at Eden Park.
Led by Trent Boult, who took six for 32, they dismissed England for 58 after Kane Williamson won the toss and chose to bowl, then made their way through to 175 for three at stumps, with the skipper unbeaten on 91.
However Williamson may have had a slice of luck earlier in his innings.
Williamson was on 64, and the Black Caps 101-2, when Chris Woakes thought he had him out, after he got a finger to a Ross Taylor drive that crashed into the stumps at the non-striker’s end, but replays proved inconclusive, much to England’s frustration.
A crowd of 10,540 came to watch the opening day of the country’s first day-night test, which was also the 50th to be played at the suburban Auckland ground, and the first in a two-match series.
From 2.15pm, when Boult had Cook at second slip, to 3.13pm, when Southee had Broad caught at gully by Kane Williamson doing his Superman impression, England lost nine wickets for 27 runs, on a day where their captain Joe Root said he would have batted first.
The left-armer led the way, claiming his sixth five-wicket bag, with four of his victims caught in the arc between wicketkeeper and point, and two clean bowled – Root, by one that nipped back in to him, and all-rounder Ben Stokes.
It was an efficient effort, at least early on. When he had five for nine, it was remarkable, and while
six for 32 is slightly less freakish, it will still take some beating.
Boult bowled 10.4 overs in a row at the northern end, while Southee completed 10 on the trot at the southern end. He looked slightly less sharp than Boult, and didn’t get as much movement, but was tight, and deserved his rewards – he did well to claim Bairstow caught and bowled, for one of five ducks in the England innings.
Tailender Craig Overton finished not out on 33 off 25 balls, scoring more than all 10 of his team-mates combined, and sharing in a last-wicket stand of 31 with James Anderson, that helped England avoid setting a new record low total.
Their worst remains the 45 they managed against Australia in Sydney in January 1887.
Jeet Raval and Tom Latham began patiently after the tea break was taken early, but the former was out quickly for three, caught behind off Anderson in the eighth over.
Latham and Williamson then shared in an 84-run stand before the opener became Broad’s 400th test wicket in the first over of the evening session, clipping him to Woakes at square leg having made 26 off 112 balls.
The Black Caps were 88-1 for tea, but had only moved on to 128-3 at drinks, 12 overs later, with new man Ross Taylor also falling, caught at mid wicket off Anderson, shortly after Williamson’s narrow escape, and after the ball was changed.
Taylor never looked comfortable, coming in under lights, and was out playing an aggressive shot not in keeping with the rest of the New Zealand innings.
The Kiwis showed great restraint throughout, and that was evident in the final hour and a bit, as Williamson and Henry Nicholls adopted a safety-first approach. Nicholls was on 24 at stumps, with Williamson closing in on a welldeserved century.
It may not have been the greatest day in New Zealand’s test cricket history, which probably remains November 9, 1985, when Sir Richard Hadlee took five of the wickets in his 9-52 against Australia at the Gabba, and Martin Crowe and John Reid were not out on their way to centuries at the close, but it was right up there.