New Zealand show beauty of simplicity
As England agonised over one of their worst displays in a home Test in years, two vignettes said much about their opponents.
First, it was confirmed that New Zealand — a country of 5million and barely 100 firstclass cricketers — had quietly returned to the top of the Test rankings. second, the match award went to seamer Matt Henry, who is unlikely to play in Friday’s World Test Championship final against India.
It was quintessential New Zealand: unobtrusive excellence on the one hand, enviable depth on the other. But how do they do it? Their stand- in captain, Tom Latham, was characteristically modest as he tried to put his finger on a national cricketing philosophy.
‘ It’s been about keeping things pretty simple: the guys trying to perform their roles as best they can and putting the team first,’ he said. ‘We play a brand of cricket that we’re proud of as Kiwis.’
A mantra of ‘keeping things simple’ wasn’t aimed at England, with their complex restand-rotation policy, their plethora of odd batting techniques, and their obsession with the Ashes when there are important Test matches in front of them. But it might have been.
Latham might have added that they take Test cricket seriously. In January 2013, they were bowled out for 45 by south Africa in Cape Town, prompting a period of soulsearching by captain Brendon McCullum. New Zealanders, he concluded, needed a Test team they could take pride in.
They have not wavered since, an approach helped by an uncluttered schedule. The game at Edgbaston was their 70th since Cape Town. In that time, England have played 106.
When fringe players come into the side, they know they have a limited opportunity to impress. Over the last few days, Henry has taken six wickets, and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel four. Will Young, in only his third Test, has scored 82.
It’s sobering to think Neil Wagner, a south African-born cricketer who has almost become more Kiwi than the Kiwis, and whose left- arm bouncers reflect the team’s unpretentiousness, may miss out against India.
England, by contrast, say they take Test cricket seriously but do a good impression of having other priorities. Not once in eight Test matches in 2021 has Joe Root had his firstchoice side available. After a good start in sri Lanka and the first Test in India, they have lost four out of five.
Yesterday, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali faced off in a county T20 game, while Chris Woakes turned out for Birmingham Bears.
England have pleaded rest after the IPL, yet New Zealand’s Trent Boult played for Mumbai Indians, missed Lord’s so he could spend time with his family, and still found time to get ready for Edgbaston. He took six wickets.
If you think Zak Crawley can go back to Kent and score plenty of red-ball runs before the first Test against India on August 4, forget it. Between now and August 30, Kent and the rest of the counties have two four-day matches each. so much for prioritising Tests.
But back to ‘keeping things simple’. Take the opening batsman Devon Conway, whose first Test innings was a doublecentury and third was 80. A left- hander, he repeatedly ignored anything outside his eye line and waited for England’s bowlers to come to him. When they did, he clipped them through midwicket.
Young, too, didn’t feel the need for flourishes, and Ross Taylor was prepared to give the bowlers an hour on Friday evening, shelving extravagance and focusing on survival.
If slip catching is indicative of a side’s state of mind, New Zealand have excelled there too — taking the highest percentage of their chances since the start of 2019. England are towards the bottom.
As for New Zealand, it’s perfectly possible to imagine them keeping things simple all the way to becoming Test cricket’s first world champions.