Williamson wicket rocks NZ
In Kane Williamson’s backyard it takes something special to dislodge him.
New Zealand’s skipper, a few hundred metres from his Mt Maunganui home, set up camp on Bay Oval on Friday as home fans in ‘Steady the Ship’ captain’s hats nodded and clapped approvingly.
Williamson passed 50 for the 51st time in his glittering test career, after 140 minutes at the crease, and was settling in for an overnighter as the Black Caps eyed England’s par first innings of 353 before a crowd of 4652.
Then, within sight of stumps on day two of the first cricket test, it happened.
Just as England’s Barmy Army rose and chanted on the hill, the busy left-armer Sam Curran got one to fizz from the benign pitch and a startled Williamson fended it to second slip.
The catcher? Ben Stokes, of course. England’s talisman had, seven overs earlier, enticed a false stroke from New Zealand’s other key man Ross Taylor (25) when he took on the short ball.
Advantage England, then, heading into day three when Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling resume on 144-4, still trailing the tourists by 209. Nicholls survived a fearsome crack to the helmet from Jofra Archer who wasn’t as much a threat as expected, and batted on.
If either Williamson or Taylor were still there, then the Black Caps were in reasonable shape. Instead on a drying pitch starting to play the odd trick, they’ll be doing supremely well to reach 300.
Plenty rests on the two scrappers Nicholls and Watling, with gamechanger Colin de Grandhomme to follow. Anything under 350 looked a good reward for the Black Caps’ toil after a luckless day one, so it was evenly poised when Tom Latham and Jeet Raval strode out.
It started badly as Latham, arriving with a test average of 44 and coming off 154 in his previous test against Sri Lanka, was trapped in front for eight.
Curran’s delivery looked good and Latham didn’t review the decision, but replays showed a Hot Spot mark suggesting he’d inside edged it. The only explanation was that Latham’s bat clipped his pad at the same time and he was uncertain.
Latham and Raval averaged 40.94 as a pair since January 2018, the best of any country’s openers.
But Raval is struggling and, after another scratchy innings (19 off 68 balls) he slogged out to Jack Leach’s spin. It always looked a chance as Raval stayed creasebound instead of advancing, and continued his trot of six sub-15 scores in his last seven test or first-class knocks.
Taylor and Tim Southee combined for the other big turning point of the day, just when it seemed their Cricket World Cup nemesis Stokes and England would seize control.
Having caught one, dropped one (off Stokes on 63) and let another edge go begging on day one, Taylor thrust out his right hand and grabbed a screamer at wide first slip with Stokes on 91 and in full flight.
It took the wind from England’s sails and boosted a flagging home side. From 277-4, the tourists lost 3-9 in the space of 16 balls, all to Southee who after a slow start raced into gear to end with 4-88 off 32 overs.
He was even on a hat-trick after trapping Curran in front first ball, but Archer survived as Bay Oval buzzed into life.
It should have been five for Southee but Raval shelled Jos Buttler on 34, a running chance from the deep as the wicketkeeper and Jack Leach added 52 for the ninth wicket.
Frustration built again but Wagner kept charging and was finally rewarded.
He removed Buttler in bizarre fashion to a Mitchell Santner catch at deep point. Santner was signing autographs as Wagner ran in, he leapt the hoardings and crossed the rope just before delivery and calmly pouched the chance. Scoreboard:
ENGLAND
First innings
R Burns c Watling b de Grandhomme ................................. 52 D Sibley c Taylor b de Grandhomme ........................................................... 22 J Denly c Watling b Southee ........ 74 J Root c Southee b Wagner ............. 2 B Stokes c Taylor b Southee ......... 91 O Pope c Watling b Southee ......... 29 J Buttler c Santner b Wagner ...... 43 S Curran lbw b Southee .................. 0 J Archer c Southee b Boult ............ 4 J Leach not out ............................... 18 S Broad b Wagner ............................ 1 Extras (2b, 11lb, 1nb, 3w) ......... 17 Total (all out, 124 overs) ......... 353 Fall: 52 (Sibley), 113 (Burns), 120 (Root), 203 (Denly), 277 (Stokes), 286 (Pope), 286 (Curran), 295 (Archer), 347 (Buttler), 353 (Broad).
Bowling: T Boult 31-6-97-1 (1w), T Southee 32-7-88-4, C de Grandhomme 23-5-41-2 (1w, 1nb), N Wagner 32-7-90-3 (1w), M Santner 6-1-24-0.
NEW ZEALAND
First innings
J Raval c Denly b Leach ................ 19 T Latham lbw b Curran .................. 8 K Williamson c Stokes b Curran . 51 R Taylor c Pope b Stokes .............. 25 H Nicholls not out .......................... 26 BJ Watling not out ........................... 6 Extras (9b) ................................... 9 Total (for 4 wkts, 51 overs) .... 144 Fall: 18 (Latham), 72 (Raval), 106 (Taylor), 127 (Williamson).
Bowling: S Broad 10-4-20-0, J Archer 14-4-40-0, S Curran 10-4-28-2, J Leach 12-1-29-1, B Stokes 4-0-16-1, J Root 1-0-2-0.