A Jaunt into the South England v NZ Part 2 - Christchurch
By Grockle
December 1 2024
Day 3 and 4 of the Hagley Oval First Test of the winter tour of New Zealand. How did England fare in their first innings and what was the Kiwi's response?
Day 3 England v New Zealand Hagley Oval Saturday 30 November 2024
A cloudy, overcast, grey Saturday morning greets the largest crowd of the game . There is rain suggested though it never actually materialises as Stokes and Brook resume the England innings 29 runs short of the New Zealand first innings score of 348.
England have wickets in hand with Woakes, Atkinson, Carse and Bashir to come so they are in the driving seat of the game presently. It's 'Dressing Up Day' at the Christchurch Test and fancy dress abounds as O'Rourke starts proceedings from the Punthills End to Brook on 132 (from 163 balls) while the Barmy Army sing 'Jerusalem' and skipper Stokes (on 37 from 78 balls) stands at the non striker's end.
The 100 partnership arrives at 334 for 5 with a dimissive four from the captain - he looks in the mood to push things on this morning. Smith is bowling from the Botanical Gardens End and he also receives 'the charge' from the England boss who seems to be a man in a hurry. He is nearly too hurried as he almost loses his wicket to sharp fielding from Williamson when out of his ground. Conditions this morning are distictly different and the floodlights are on at 11:20 as Brook is once again dropped, this time in the slips - once again by Phillips. It really isn't his game!!
Meanwhile the jousting between Smith and Stokes continues as the 80 over mark is passed with England on 347 with Brook 3 short of 150 and Stokes 4 short of 50. The new ball is taken by Southee from the Porthills End and the 350 arrives alongside an England lead in the 82nd over.
Matt Henry, the most consistent home bowler returns and Harry is up the wicket to him and past 150 at 354 (152 runs from 187 balls). The majestic innings from him continues despite the chances given to him by the Kiwi fielders. His partner passes 50 almost immediately afterwards (off 105 balls). Brook continues the pain as he brings up the 150 partnership with a massive straight six at 376 for 5 followed by the most subllime glance to the boundary the next ball. That is followed by a 'yahoo' as he gets carried away.
Henry finally tempts him to fish for one and he is caught behind at 381 for 6 for a brilliant 171. He leaves to a standing ovation, passed by the new batsman Chris Woakes. Matt Henry now turns his ire on Ben Stokes who is more than willing to take him on. Woakes does not stay long as he is caught behind off Henry after a review and Atkinson replaces him in the 90th looking to take his side over 400. That happens from Gus's bat almost as soon as he is in. He is looking to push the score on as quickly as he possibly can and he can!!
As Smith and O'Rourke try manfully to end the innings, Atkinson does not leave you wondering as he moves along at speed to 33 off 26 balls, outscoring the bat who has been inconsiderably longer. Another 50 partnership arrives in quick time at 433 for 7 and another six from Gus moves the score to 441 before he falls for 48 (from a mere 36 balls) caught Phillips bowled Smith, Brydon Carse is the next man in and he moves the score past 450 with a squeezed four reviewed for LBW but found to be off the bat. Lunch arrives with the visitors at 459 for 8 with Carse on 5 from 5 and his skipper on 78 from 138. 111 runs ahead and still going strong.
The cloud breaks and we start the second session of the day in brilliant sunshine with O'Rourke once more steaming in from the Botanic Gardens End. Stokes skies one trying to push on and is once again dropped by PHILLIPS!! How many lives are the Blackcaps going to give their opponents? Carse is definitely willing to get in on the fun as he puts it on the hill with a nice little flipped four followed by a huge scooped six that takes him to 24 from 16 balls and moves his side towards the 500 mark at 485 for 8 after 100 overs. Stokes tries it on once too often and falls giving it the long handle to Southee caught by Henry on the boundary for 80 from 146 balls. In comes the last man Bashir with one job - get Carse on strike and the score over 500.
A six from the burly fast bowler moves them forward and a four from the spinner helps but on 499 the younger man tries to go over the top and is caught by Southee off Henry. The mayhem is over and New Zealand will resume 151 runs behind the English with 2 and a bit days to make something of this game but from behind their opponents and with a lot of questions to ask about their bowling and, unusually, their fielding. NOT something you usually comment on negatively for the men from this part of the world.
The Reply New Zealand 2nd Innings
The home side return to the crease 151 runs behind with Latham and Conway facing Woakes from the Punthills and Atkinson from the Botanical Gardens ends of the ground. It does not start well as Woakes finally gets one to move and Latham goes caught by Brook as part of a wicket maiden while Kane Williamson finds himself in early once again with a job to do. It gets worse as well as Conway flaps one from Carse who comes on first change caught by the bowler he replaced in Gus Atkinson. He goes for 8 off 26 balls at 23 for 2 and it is going pear shaped for the Kiwis.
Woakes is bowling much better while Carse has been aggressive all game and Williamson and the new man Ravindra look to reset the innings in a lot of trouble. They move it past 50 in the 15th over promoting the introduction of the spin of Bashir. During his over Williamson passes the milestone of 9000 Test runs at 62 for 2 and Tea is reached with Ravindra on 23 and his partner with 26.
Stokes partners Carse on the resumption and watches as his partner has Ravindra caught by Bethel to bring Mitchell to the crease and Bashir back after Brydon loses it a bit seeming to have bowled one too many without a break... though he did have an interval to get his line back!!
New Zealand have 100 on the board in the 29th as Williamson moves towards a second 50 in the match and Mitchell once agan operates as his support act. After he moves to 52, Mitchell takes over the striking and doubles his score to 34 in quick time. A good job as Woakes has Williamson LBW after review at 133 and then dismisses Blundell in the same way first ball.
Phillips deals with the hat-trick ball but the problems are still there for the home side and although he and Mitchell move the score past 150 by the 45th over, Carse returns and is not finished as he has Phillips LBW before the end of play at 153. In comes Smith and they add two before the end of Day 3. New Zealand go into Day 4 a mere 4 runs ahead with 4 wickets left but only Henry, Southee and O'Rourke to come. It is not looking all that possible that the Blackcaps will move this game past Sunday.
Day 4
Bets are being taken on when this game will end in an England win around the boundary. Most Kiwi fans are not great fans of the 'Umpires Call' in reviews after the last session of Day 3 but they accept that catches win matches and the home side simply haven't caught well, especially when Harry Brook was offering the chances.
So Stokes and Carse open proceedings and Mitchell and Smith look to stave of the inevitable in most fans eyes. Very little happens early on and the two Kiwi bats move the score on to 190 before Carse takes another one having Smith LBW after review for 21 off 44 balls. He then takes a five-fer as the hopes of Matt Henry having a good day with the bat come to nothing and he is also LBW to the Durham bowler at 192.
Tim Southee, a great servant of New Zealand cricket strides out for his last international innings at the Hagley Oval to a great ovation from the faithful. He faces the England skipper from the Botanical Gardens End but Ben does not finish the over as he passes the ball to Atkinson after four deliveries. He must have felt something, he does not bowl again, but he also does not leave the field so it seems more precautionary than anything else.
The 200 is passed in the 60th as Mitchell movees towards a 50 but before that individual target is reached, another wickt goes down courtesy of a well judged boundary catch by Root to dismiss the vetran Southee for 12 at 207 for 9. In comes Will O'Rourke to help Mitchell past 50 at 214.
With Bash partnering Woakes play is extended to 1:30 to see if the last wicket can be taken before the Lunch break. Neither of them seem capable of doing it so Carse returns from Punthills and finally Mitchell holes out after some spirited fight for 84 from 167 balls and New Zealand end at 254. The sides go into lunch with England needing 104 to win in 5 sessions. The scorecard gives us the calculation that they need 0.7 runs an over to reach that total.
Crawley and Duckett come out to get this done at speed. Zak fails once again as he is caught and bowled early by Henry for a single off 8 balls. Bethel joins Duckett early once again but in a position he is more comfortable with having a specific total to reach in an shorter period of time probably - more of a white ball scenario and all he needs to do is have a decent go at it.
He and Duckett look to go for it in a white ball manner with the more expansive shots one expects from the short form of the game being more common than usual. Scoops etc bring up 50 in 6.4 overs but not long after, Duckett flails and fails at 27 from 18 balls being caught by Henry off O'Rourke at 55 for 2.
In comes Root to join Bethel on 26 and he is almost dimissed immediately as a caught claim is reviewed but it is found the ball came off his forearm. He commences getting this job done as England move forward very professionally until we have to stop for a drinks break with 9 needed!!! Cricket huh?
After that break, Bethel clears the boundary to bring up the 100 and take him to 47. He then makes the 50 as the touring side take this one by 8 wickets in the afternoon of Day 4.
Despite Brook reaching 171 (with the help of home fielders perhaps) the 'Man of the Match' award goes to Brydon Carse for his ten wickets in the game with 4 for 64 in the first innings and 6 for 42 in the second. The right decision.
And so we move on to Wellington at the end of next week. See you there.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2024:12:06:22:30:01 by Grockle.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:03:14:11:56:44 by Grockle.