Tourniquet to flow of runs saves Black Caps’ blushes

The New Zealand cricket team’s World Cup campaign may have been saved by a mid-innings bowling spell against England, which hauled them back from the brink of a run-blasting abyss.

The day dawned fine but grim for the Black Caps. Lockie Ferguson was ruled out with what was described as a “tight groin” in one quarter; the official diagnosis was “tight left hamstring”.

Then they lost the toss after being teased by a batting-friendly pitch. That left them exposed to aggression from the England top order who roared to 194 for one after 30 overs.

Jason Roy maintained a run-a-ball cadence until he popped a catch to cover off Jimmy Neesham for 60 off 61 balls.

Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root kept that momentum ticking with a 71-run, 69-ball second-wicket stand.

Then Trent Boult struck with a short ball that Root, attempting a pull shot, feathered to wicketkeeper Tom Latham.

Instantly a tourniquet was applied to a flow of runs which threatened to scale the walls of 400 and escape into pastures new at this tournament.

England lost four wickets for 54 runs in 72 balls which lassoed the total back into the realm of “manageable”.

While Boult claimed Root, the 12-over combination lock between himself, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner brought resolve to what could have been a batting circus.

Henry got Bairstow for 106 off 99 balls with a full delivery that straightened to find a path into his castle; Boult had Jos Buttler miscuing to midoff; Santner tempted Ben Stokes to hole out at long-on.

There’s no shirking evidence that the bowling struggled in the early stanzas under the Roy and Bairstow spell.

A case in point was Southee, making his first appearance at the tournament in Ferguson’s absence. He couldn’t replicate his seven-for-33 swinging miracle from 2015.

In a broader context, the hunt for 306 meant New Zealand have a net run-rate which should — barring a grotesque mismatch between Pakistan and Bangladesh today at Lord’s — guarantee a semifinal place as fourth qualifier in Manchester.

The efforts over that 12-over period against England should ensure there are no Lord’s miracles and the Black Caps fight on.