Jonny blitz too much to BAIR for the Kiwis
JONNY Bairstow was England’s century-scoring hero once again as he led debutant Jamie Overton in a thrilling partnership that turned the Headingley Test against New Zealand on its head.
England looked to be imploding when the duo came together at 55 for six on day two, light years away from the tourists’ 329 all out, but they were rescued by Bairstow’s fearless 130 not out and an unbeaten 89 from Overton in his first international innings.
The pair plundered 209 runs from just 223 balls to close on 264 for six - a lightning-fast rate in any circumstances, let alone having seen their team’s top six dismissed in the space of 12 calamitous overs.
Bairstow’s blistering 136 in last week’s victory at Trent Bridge was the innings of a lifetime but the Yorkshireman somehow produced a knock worthy of its predecessor at his beloved home ground.
Such was the exhilarating manner of his 95-ball ton, a fluid, crowdpleasing affair that appeared to drag Overton along in its slipstream, it was hard to believe that England were still 65 behind at stumps.
Bairstow has been playing Test cricket for a decade but four of his 10 centuries have come in the past seven games, all against a backdrop of adversity, and it is now certain that
the 32-year-old is in the midst of a golden phase that once looked unlikely to materialise.
Overton, picked for his 90mph bowling rather than his abilities as a number eight, ended agonisingly close to announcing his arrival on the biggest stage with the second firstclass century of his career but already has a share of England’s best ever seventh-wicket partnership.
England had earlier lost six wickets in their first 12 overs at the crease.
Having worked hard to dismiss New Zealand for 329 in the third LV= Insurance Test, with Daryl Mitchell scoring his third century of the series, the hosts saw their top order routed as the tourists produced an outstanding display of seam and swing bowling.
While it would be tempting to attribute the dramatic collapse, first to 21 for four then 55 for six, to the same ultra-aggressive approach that brought a rousing victory at Trent Bridge last week, it would not be entirely accurate.
Captain Ben Stokes was certainly guilty of hubris, reacting to a perilous position by unsuccessfully trying to slog his way out of trouble, but most of his team-mates simply lacked the wherewithal to occupy the crease.
Left-armer Trent Boult set the runaway train in motion during an immaculate new-ball spell that saw him clean bowl Alex Lees, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley in quick succession.
Swinging the ball at good speed and with an unerring accuracy around off stump, he needed just five balls to open his account. Lees did not have the defence to keep Boult out, propping half-forward at one that held its line and flicked a bail on the way past.
There was nothing quite so subtle about Pope’s departure, with Boult ripping out the Surrey man’s off stump at his next visit. It was a knockout blow, landed flush on a player riding high after a fine century in Nottingham last week.
Boult’s masterclass continued as he sized up and reeled in his next victim, the off-form Crawley ruthlessly picked apart for six. It was another super delivery, curving in on an attacking length, but by allowing the ball to snake between bat and pad and hit middle stump Crawley’s technique had let him down.
England badly needed Joe Root to exert his class on proceedings but his was a brief, unhappy stay. He could have been run out on nought and carved over the slips on one before Tim Southee tightened his line and had Root caught behind in defence.
That brought England’s Trent Bridge match-winners together, with Bairstow and Stokes facing a huge rebuild. They picked up precisely where they left off last time, peppering the boundary ropes with a frenzy worth 34 in 19 balls.
Stokes was being too frenetic, though, and it was no surprise to see him drill Neil Wagner’s second ball of the match, and series, to mid-off.
Wagner made short work of Ben Foakes, lbw for a three-ball duck, before Bairstow and Overton took their slices of luck to revive the batting.
England had earlier taken the last five New Zealand wickets for 129 runs – a seemingly solid effort were it not for the fireworks to come.
Mitchell converted his day one score of 78 into 109, in the process passing Martin Donnelly’s 73-yearold Kiwi record of 492 runs in a series on these shores.
Jack Leach finally took his wicket with the last ball before lunch, Stokes holding a swirling catch, before two more catches in the deep gave the spinner figures of five for 100 – his third England five-for.