The Press

Second test even-stevens says Southee

- ROBERT VAN ROYEN Stuff

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 on Good Friday, before wicketkeep­er batsman 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 today, but hopefully we can get a good night’s sleep and 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 of time. De Grandhomme got through 17 more wicketless overs on Friday. 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.

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