Broad’s early burst rocks Kiwis
Two wickets fall in the first over of final day Success too for spinner Leach in his debut Test
If Test cricket is to survive, beyond the odd series such as England v Australia or India, it has to be promoted far more wisely than now. A two-test series, like England’s against New Zealand, which is tacked on at the end of a tour looks like an afterthought – an official proclamation that the longest format no longer matters.
After Stuart Broad had given day five the most dramatic of starts by taking wickets with the first two balls, including Kane Williamson for his first-ever first-baller in Tests, all the ingredients were available to make this series an attention-grabber – if it had been played over three Tests.
The teams have been so wellmatched, once England got their 58 in Auckland out of their system; relations between the two teams have been exemplary, in complete contrast to the simultaneous series in the southern hemisphere; and the rival 27 year-old captains, Williamson and Joe Root, made for a fascinating comparison in themselves.
This series was all set up for a third Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington – though not next week in mid-april, when the new England season is starting. This was England’s longest tour for over half a century, since their one to Australia and New Zealand in 1962-3, and at times it seemed to last for more than half a century. So the T20 tri-series which occupied the first half of February to little effect, other than broadcast revenue, should have been the part of the schedule cut in order to make space for a three-test series.
Root, in trying to level the series at 1-1, timed his declaration nicely to set New Zealand a target of 382 off 137 overs, but he did not have the luck that any commander needs when bad light on the fourth evening cost him 24 of those overs. England were due to get an extra eight overs on the final day in recompense, but they were scheduled to be added on at the end, so with autumn closing in they were only going to be bowled if the sunniest of sunsets bathed Hagley Oval.
Williamson was dismissed by a snorter from Broad that lifted and left him. Overall, he has compiled 28 Test fifties and 18 centuries, whereas Root has made 39 fifties and 13 centuries – and during the winter Root made seven fifties without converting one. Not much should be made of the last failure, however, for it was time to accelerate when he tried to cover-drive a ball angled across him and edged a catch behind.
It was a shame, for this game, that Marais Erasmus was one of few people in Hagley Park who did not hear Jonny Bairstow edge a catch off Trent Boult when he had scored only two. England should have been 282 for seven – and would have been if New Zealand had not used up their reviews. Had England lost their tailenders quickly and been dismissed for 300, with New Zealand set 330, the home batsmen would have been drawn into chasing whether they wanted to or not.
Although Broad picked up where he had left off in New Zealand’s first innings, on a full length, James Anderson was shorter – too short for the new ball to swing – second time round. But when Anderson pitched up, he still had Tom Latham driving – only James Vince at third slip floored the chance.
This was one of the consequences of Root emigrating from second slip and standing, for the most part, at mid-off to work with his bowlers. Dawid Malan moved from third to second slip to replace Root and let him concentrate on his captaincy, while Vince switched from gully to
third slip. Vince went up then down, rather than moving horizontally to his left.
Ben Stokes clipped a catch to mid-wicket off Colin de Grandhomme, an ursine medium-pacer who took the new ball instead of Southee and picked up his first wickets of the series. Williamson, perhaps to slow down the overrate, did not use Isa Sodhi on day four whereas Root needed his spinner, Jack Leach, to use the shallow footmarks outside the off stump of left-handed batsmen like Jeet Raval and Tom Latham.
On the fifth morning however, England and Broad started perfectly with his first two balls of the day: Raval clipped to midwicket a ball outside leg stump that was at least full of length, then the corker which dismissed Williamson first ball, bouncing and leaving New Zealand’s captain.
New Zealand lost their third wicket, and most senior batsman, when Ross Taylor swept Leach to backward square-leg as if he had failed to notice that deep square had been brought in. It was a maiden Test wicket for Somerset’s spinner and a fourth Kiwi batsman followed when Anderson had Henry Nicholls caught in the slips. It set up a lovely climax on a hot day at Hagley Oval, where the autumnal leaves and England’s supporters turned to brown.