Aggressive Archer rises above flat pitch
Pace bowler knocks two batsmen off their feet England made to work for warm-up wickets
Darren Gough, England’s temporary bowling consultant, did not say that in his day he would have bowled out this New Zealand A team for 50. “The Dazzler” recognises that the standard of batting has got better since his England career ended a dozen years ago, and so have New Zealand’s pitches.
Since Gough’s day it is almost as if two versions of Test cricket have evolved, depending on the ball in hand. Given a Dukes ball, pace bowlers are in clover. Handed a Kookaburra, the Australian make, they are in trouble; and in New Zealand they use Kookaburras.
Yesterday, only Jofra Archer rose above the conditions of a flat pitch and soft ball that did not swing even when new. In his third spell, Archer hit both batsmen then knocked them off their feet, including Glenn Phillips, who went on to score 116. In this two-test series, Archer will be the fastest bowler on either side, but not by much if New Zealand give Lockie Ferguson a Test debut.
“You need a strike bowler and the third spell is the best he [Archer] has bowled since he’s been here,” Gough said. “The pitch is flat and as a captain or a coach you’re looking for a bowler to do something – and
Jofra has done that. For the others, it’s finding their way to be positive in an attacking frame of mind without going at five an over.
“I’m impressed by them all,” Gough added, before singling out a pace bowler not involved in this single first-class game that precedes the first Test in Mount Maunganui on Thursday, Lancashire’s
Saqib Mahmood, who has a slingy action and capacity for reverseswing which was Gough’s trademark. “I’ve enjoyed working with Saqib. I see certain similarities. Just coming back and seeing how enthusiastic the boys are – they want to learn and be the best.
“This is perfect preparation. You could go on pitches that seam all over and the game finishes in two days. But this is the best prep you can get, because there’s a good chance next week could be similar.” Mount Maunganui has never staged a Test but the one-day internationals there have been high-scoring.
Ben Stokes, as England’s secondquickest bowler, took a couple of wickets – first Tim Seifert, who, having been softened up by Archer, drove to extra cover; second, Jimmy Neesham, who fended a short ball.
“Stokesy just does what he does and has a golden arm,” Gough said. “Archer is just a natural talent. With him, it’s about keep challenging him and giving him a target. With the others, it’s about working on trying to find a way, when the pitch goes flat, to take wickets.”
Stuart Broad pitched the new ball up and was rewarded when left-handed opener Rachin Ravindra pushed half-forward. Sam Curran tried over and round the wicket without much impact. Jack Leach, too, operated over and round at right-handers, and kept one end tight at about two an over.
There was an alarm when Leach bowled, Joe Root dived at long on to scoop back a ball and lay prone on the turf with a jarred hip. England’s captain was eventually able to stand and hobble back to the pavilion, leaving Stokes to lead for an hour, before returning.
Root has consulted Gough on how to use his bowlers. “That’s all about chatting about game-plans and field settings and trying something different,” Gough said. “That’s what these games are for. In the old days, you’d play four or five warmup games and you work out your plans. These days you’re in and out, so you have to find a plan quickly before they play the first Test.
“In New Zealand it can swing a bit, but I’ve not seen a swinging ball since I’ve been here; two weeks, very little swing. But the ball has to swing here because [Trent] Boult and [Tim] Southee are swing bowlers and they have good records. You’ve got to find a way.”
Pace bowlers on flat pitches need all the support they can get – and Dom Sibley dropped a catch at second slip that came quickly but straight to him at waist height. But after New Zealand A had declared on 302 for six, and left England 10 overs to bat, Sibley survived with some composure, whereas Rory Burns slashed a catch to cover.