England need to blunt Boult’s swing

Left-armer’s opening spell will be pivotal at the Riverside today, writes Scyld Berry

Seldom does so much hinge on one brief passage as it will at the Riverside. Trent Boult’s opening spell will go a long way to determining the outcome of England’s match against New Zealand – and their whole World Cup campaign.

England have a history of being surprised by left-arm bowlers swinging the new ball – by Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff, of

Australia, at Lord’s during this World Cup, by Sheldon Cottrell in the West Indies earlier this year – trapped lbw half-forward, yorked or bowled while attempting booming drives. If they are trapped again, they will be left hanging on the result of Pakistan’s game against Bangladesh on Friday.

The Riverside, at Durham, also happens to be the ground which has seen the most swing so far in the first 10 overs of this World Cup, and Boult has taken more wickets than any other bowler in the first 10 overs of one-day internationals since the 2015 tournament.

Can England’s top three batsmen summon the technique as well as temperament to hold the fort? Can they bat defensively as well as hit gloriously?

Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow endured some hairy moments before settling down to their opening stand of 160 against India on Sunday; Bairstow inside-edging two fours when Mohammed Shami shaped the ball back into him.

England would prefer a hot Durham day to minimise Boult’s swing – and the risk of him repeating the spell which ruined their last tour of New Zealand. In the opening session of that Auckland Test last March, on a cloudless afternoon (it was that horrendous innovation, a daynight Test), Boult routed England for 58: he swung the ball late and they went to drive, naively. In his first seven overs, Boult took five wickets for nine runs – and five of the England batsmen then will be playing today if Moeen Ali is selected. Any repeat, and England will be depending on results elsewhere.

Boult was not swinging the ball in the first half of this tournament, taking only four wickets in New Zealand’s first four matches, and he was warned for running on the pitch in Cardiff in their opener against Sri Lanka. Then he talked to Wasim Akram, the best of all left-arm fast bowlers, and realigned his feet, so that he swivels his hips and runs off the pitch – and the ball now follows the same curve.