Bairstow leads fightback
Test evenly poised after opening day
Even stevens. That’s Black Caps bowler Tim Southee’s assessment after the opening day of the second test match against England.
Southee snared 5-60 as New Zealand threatened to roll the tourists at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval yesterday, before wicketkeeperbatsman Jonny Bairstow and No 8 Mark Wood combined to ensure they reached 290-8 at stumps.
It was about 100 more than they looked like totalling after Southee dismissed Stuart Broad and they had sagged to 164-7, but Wood’s 52 and Bairstow’s unbeaten 97 denied the hosts a firm advantage.
Southee called the pair’s 95-run eighth-wicket partnership ‘‘crucial’’. ‘‘It would have been nice to have finished them off, but hopefully we can . . . come back tomorrow and knock those last two wickets off,’’ he said.
‘‘One thing to come out of it, is it shows you once you get in, and the ball gets a bit older, then the wicket is reasonably good. They played exceptionally well when their team needed it.’’
He denied New Zealand took the foot off the throat when Broad gifted him his wicket by chipping a delivery straight to mid-off, and said his side tried most things, including another barrage of Neil Wagner bouncers.
‘‘When the ball does get a bit older, it can get a bit easier out there,’’ he said.
One thing the Black Caps barely tried was leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who only bowled five overs on the day, including three across the first two sessions.
It was similar to the first test at Eden Park, when captain Kane Williamson kept Todd Astle waiting and was content to bowl medium-pacer Colin de Grandhomme for long periods.
De Grandhomme got through 17 more wicketless overs yesterday. His figures in the series now read: 41 overs, 88 runs, zero wickets.
Wood, who has known Bairstow since he played against him in North London when he was 11, credited his partner’s relaxed manner as he went about scoring his maiden test half-century.
‘‘Jonny knows that I like to have fun and have a bit of a crack out there, so it made it easier when we were just sort of seeing how it goes and having a bit of a laugh,’’ he said.
‘‘You sort of forget about the situation that you’re in and you just concentrate on each other. That made it a lot easier for me.’’
Wood rued his dismissal to Southee one ball before the new ball was due, joking he feels like he’s Don Bradman once he gets past 20 and attempts too many flamboyant shots.
But he knew he’d denied New Zealand, a team chasing just their fourth test series win against England, and first since 1999, a chance to ram home the advantage they had shortly after the tea break.
‘‘It didn’t feel like [NZ] were flat. It just felt like maybe we just changed the momentum a little bit and brought it back in our favour,’’ Wood said.
‘‘I would always like more runs as a bowler. I’m sure a few of the lads would have liked to get going, especially the ones that got starts, but we fought back at the end of the day.
‘‘It’s the old cliche, but it will be interesting to see how tomorrow morning goes. It’s obviously crucial.
‘‘Will the ball do as much for us as it did for them in the morning session.’’