Error-strewn England stumble to defeat
New Zealand level series in second T20 contest Morgan’s men pay price for five dropped catches
Having watched the Rugby World Cup final, England’s cricketers could not provide sporting consolation, primarily because they too did not watch and catch the ball as well as they normally do.
England dropped five catches in 20 overs in Wellington, which allowed New Zealand to set the substantial target of 177, win by 21 runs and level the series. When New Zealand fielded there was still a bright sun, and the white ball came out of the same background of yellow seats, yet they managed to be flawless while England were like a minor county on a bad day.
As the Westpac Stadium, alias “the Cake Tin”, is primarily a rugby ground and oval-shaped, the square boundaries are very short and hard to protect – especially if the fielders do not do their job – while the straight ones are enormous.
James Vince had a nightmare in the field, and with the bat, having been man of the match in the first game. He had been responsible for the only catch dropped by England in the Christchurch opener and added three more misses here. It will be surprising if England’s selectors do not bear it in mind after this series, as at least seven of their T20 regulars have to return.
Of Vince’s three drops here, one was a dolly to point which required only a little back-pedalling, and the second was pulled straight to him at deep midwicket by Jimmy Neesham, not a man to reprieve as England know from the World Cup super-over. Vince could have redeemed himself with a blinder at long on but that slipped from his left hand. It placed an extra onus on the poor bowlers operating on a benign drop-in pitch. Pat Brown was hit for 14 in his first over and 18 in his second, and that was it: he was not wanted for his full allotment of four overs. But in his first over Brown completely deceived Tim Seifert with an off-cutter – only Vince shelled it.
Not only Brown but Saqib Mahmood on his debut and Adil Rashid were too expensive, partly because of this poor fielding. In addition to Vince’s hat-trick, Dawid Malan dropped a straightforward skier at deep midwicket and Sam Curran a harder one at short fine leg. Rashid was the one to suffer when Neesham, who had made only four, pulled to Vince at deep midwicket, and Neesham needed no second invitation to finish New Zealand’s innings strongly, hitting 42. Still, Rashid must be a major concern for England with a year to go before the World T20 finals as his right shoulder is manifestly not working as it should: there is no zip in his bowling, and the googlies are rare (because of the extra strain they put on a shoulder), and Matt Parkinson has it all to learn as the apprentice leg-spinner.
Far more frugal were Chris Jordan, Curran and Lewis Gregory, who took a wicket with his first ball for England when Colin de Grandhomme went to mow and missed. These three used their variations at the right moment and frequently bowled the straight yorker length which this ground requires.
The naivety of England’s batting was the second main cause of this defeat. Given that the square boundaries were 60 yards to either side, whereas the straight boundaries demanded a hit of 100 yards, it was remarkable that so many of England’s senior batsmen perished in the attempt to clear long on and long off.
Eoin Morgan, the captain himself, illustrated the dimensions of the ground by hitting three sixes square of the wicket then getting caught at long on the first time he launched straight. Sam Billings, the vice-captain, Curran and Malan – after pulling a ball out of the stadium (to square leg of course), all drove straight to perdition. De Grandhomme, fielding straight and deep, was like a man standing
Umpires
New Zealand won by 21 runs 1ST T20
England won by 7 wickets. 3RD T20
4TH T20
5TH T20 England won toss
R 41
7 16 28 28
5 42 0 4 5 176 B 4 6
under a plum tree in September. The third T20 takes place tomorrow in Nelson when England return to the South Island. Everyone in England’s 15-man squad has been promised a game but “gun fielders” are in short supply, which is strange for a developmental squad. England’s outstanding fielder here is Jordan, who also contributed his highest innings for England.
New Zealand, on the other hand, after Neesham’s return, have no weak fielding links and are almost at full strength apart from Trent Boult, who will be back for the last two games, and Kane Williamson, the captain who is resting a hip injury to be ready for the two Tests that follow.