England completed a comprehensive 8-wicket victory against New Zealand, to open the Crowe-Thorpe series in style. The visitors entered the morning session with a firm grip on the match, and with New Zealand starting the day on the equivalent of 4/6, the match was expected to be wrapped up within the first session, with only Darryl Mitchell (31* overnight) posing any considerable threat.
Nonetheless, Mitchell (accompanied by debutant Nathan Smith) began the day in a defiant fashion, battling hard against a relentless barrage of short bowling, courtesy of Stokes and Carse. Stokes, who had to withdraw from his 5th over (completed by Gus Atkinson), later revealed that he tweaked his back diving in the field on Day 1. When asked about his condition, he replied “A bit stiff, but I’ll be fine for Wellington” – a typically valiant response from the skipper, who has been plagued with injury in the past.
Smith eventually fell victim to a rare full delivery of Brydon Carse, trapping Smith on the pads, forcing the debutant to depart for 21. Carse (who finished with his first Man of the Match award, with figures of 6-42, alongside his first innings figures of 4-64) is known to consistently bowl a shorter length than other quicks, mainly due to the power that he is able to generate via his aggressive approach to the crease. In fact, out of 156 right-handed bowlers who have bowled 500-plus deliveries (data gathered by CricViz), Carse bowls the shortest length, averaging 8.5 meters down the track.
Matt Henry quickly followed suit after Smith’s departure, leaving the field with just one run to his name, capitulating to another Carse LBW. Gus Atkinson joined the fray, as he continued the short-ball battery, staying persistent despite Tim Southee’s wild slogfest, eventually reaping the rewards as Joe Root clung on to a difficult catch out at deep midwicket, to dismiss Southee for 12. Number 11, Will O’Rourke, recorded his highest test match innings, finishing on 5 not out, off 39 balls, combining in a stubborn partnership with Mitchell, adding a further 45 runs for the 10th wicket. Mitchell fought hard throughout the morning, forcing an extra half-an hour of play before lunch, much to the irritation of a few ravenous members of the media team. Finishing on 84 off 167 balls, Mitchell helped add a further 99 runs towards New Zealand’s tally, pushing their lead to 104.
Any chance of a miraculous comeback from the hosts – after sending Zak Crawley back to the shed in the 2nd over, for just one run – was quickly quashed by the left-handed duo of Duckett and Bethell, who slashed and pulled the resigned Kiwi seam attack, mercilessly deconstructing various bowling plans in chaotic fashion. Joe Root continued this momentum after Duckett was dismissed for 27 off just 18 balls, pulling out his signature ‘Root Scoop’, and eventually finishing unbeaten on 23 off 15 deliveries. The star of the chase however was the 21-year-old debutant Jacob Bethell, who brought up the winning runs whilst reaching his maiden Test Match half century, capping off a more than satisfactory start to his Test career, despite only making 10 runs in the first innings.
England will leave Christchurch, on Tuesday, brimming with confidence – whilst New Zealand will be heavily regretting their match-defining 8 dropped catches in the first innings. Questions will be asked of Kiwi selection (especially of keeper-batter, Tom Blundell) ahead of the second Test in Wellington, commencing on Friday – but for now, skipper Tom Latham remains adamant that he has the right team. For England, they will enjoy this victory for the next few days (as they are currently doing now on the outfield), and will return to training on Wednesday, with an eye to winning the series at the Basin Reserve.
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