Rue Patel omission
‘‘It was one of those things. The decision that we made and for the balance of the side.’’
Black Caps captain Kane Williamson on leaving out Ajaz Patel
Patel was picked for the first test at Lord’s, but bowled only two overs in the match and wasn’t used in the first innings with England rolled in 42.5 overs.
England’s 3-0 test series triumph was a dream beginning for new test coach, Black Caps great Brendon McCullum, and Christchurch-born skipper Ben Stokes, who took over from Joe Root as captain.
New Zealand slumped to their fourth straight test loss, something they last did in 2016, and have won just two of seven tests this year – including an embarrassing home loss to Bangladesh, and a 198-run loss to South Africa in Christchurch in February, which tied the series at 1-1.
Talk about a steep fall for the Black Caps, who only 12 months ago won the World Test Championship final win over India.
Reflecting on the series sweep against England, Williamson said it was tough knowing there were moments in all three matches, where they were on top and could have swung the result their way.
‘‘It’s frustrating that we haven’t quite had some of the results go our way, but we do want to keep putting our focus and energy into the quality of the cricket and still understand we’re not that far away,’’ he said.
‘‘If we look at each match closely, there were moments and large moments where we were either right in the match or even ahead of the game, but to not perhaps win those moments and take the game further into stronger winning positions is something we want to be doing and something we were doing really well a year ago.’’
Tom Latham: 121 runs at 20.16
Found some form in the final innings of the series before falling first ball after tea as New Zealand were working their way into a rare position of dominance. Appeared to lack his usual good judgment around which deliveries to leave and which to attack. Influential performances against quality teams are missing from his otherwise impressive resume.
Will Young: 133 runs at 22.16
Can make batting look simple at times, which makes it more frustrating when he fails to convert starts into big scores. Had a tendency to play at too many deliveries early that could be left in the initial overs. May be better utilised at No 4.
Kane Williamson: 96 runs at 24.00
Nothing has gone right for the captain since his elbow injury flared in India in December. Short of time in the middle at the start of the series, his efforts to play his way back into form were hampered by Covid-19 and while there were signs of re-emergence at Headingley, it was still unsettling to see him uncharacteristically troubled by impressive rookie Matthew Potts.
Devon Conway: 151 runs at 25.16
The left-hander was always going to have a series where runscoring was no longer as natural as breathing after transferring his domestic form to the international game. Got out in a myriad of different ways, which probably indicates there’s not a lot he needs to change. 4.5
Henry Nicholls: 59 runs at 14.75
Had an awful buildup through injury and Covid. Horrendously unlucky in the first innings at Headingley but otherwise lost his wickets through ill-discipline when more knuckling down was required.
Daryl Mitchell: 538 runs at 107.60; 0-24
One of the greatest batting displays in a series by a New Zealander in test history. Three centuries and a string of fighting partnerships with Tom Blundell. Mitchell would be excused for wondering how on earth New Zealand lost all three tests despite his efforts. 9.5
Tom Blundell: 383 runs at 76.60, 10 catches and a stumping
Came in to bat in positions of peril almost every innings and responded magnificently. There’s no higher praise than being a replica of BJ Watling in the test side. Did a good job with the gloves too. 8.5
Colin de Grandhomme: 42 runs at 42.00; 1 wicket at 27.00
The only New Zealand batter to look untroubled in their horrible first innings of the series and grabbed the big wicket of Joe Root in England’s reply. His golden-duck run out, no-ball ‘dismissal’ of Ben Stokes and foot injury in the second innings was a trainwreck which left the tourists battered and bruised. 3.5
Michael Bracewell: 96 runs at 24.00; 5 wickets at 57.00
Asked to fill a role which felt beyond his skills and experience. Batted well with freedom allowed in the first innings at Trent Bridge and grabbed three useful wickets, but erred on the side of aggression with the bat from there and England punished his limited control with the ball in two runchases. 4.5
Kyle Jamieson: Six wickets at 27.50; 21 runs at 5.25
Bowled well at Lord’s before breaking down in the second test and his absence from that second innings and the finale at Headingley was telling. Needs to work on his batting against short-pitched bowling. 5.5
Tim Southee: Nine wickets at 59.00; 86 runs at 14.33
The workhorse of the bowling attack showed what a heavy load he’s carried over the past few years, going through a long wicket-less spell in the first and second tests after a brilliant start.
Neil Wagner: Two wickets at 54.00; 4 runs at 2.00
Not wanted for the first two tests to the immense frustration of Black Caps fans. Would have had a massive impact in the first innings at Headingley if he and his team-mates had been more convinced of the lbw appeal against Jamie Overton. 5 Ajaz Patel: 0-22 from 2 overs; 11 runs at 5.50
Bowled two overs against an aggressive Ben Stokes at Lord’s and that was it. New Zealand opted for a part-time spinner in the next two tests with little impact while Patel’s left-arm counterpart [Jack Leach] flourished for England.
Matt Henry: Two wickets at 97.50; 18 runs at 9.00
Preferred ahead of Wagner and Patel for the second test but had minimal impact in either innings. 2.5
Trent Boult: 16 wickets at 28.93; 55 runs at 18.33
Bowled brilliantly throughout the series, getting swing early and still being able to trouble a number of in-form batters later in the innings.