England end an embarrassing day of cricket on 18-2, trailing New Zealand by a staggering 640 runs. Kane Williamson’s effortless knock of 156 will be overshadowed by a worrying injury to the English captain.
Ben Stokes limped off the field midway through the third over of his first spell of the day, causing considerable concern for English fans.
The England captain bowled a shorter delivery to Rachin Ravindra in the 56th over of the innings, and had already begun his journey back to the dugout before the ball reached the long-on boundary rope.
Clutching at his left hamstring, Stokes hobbled off the pitch without a word to his teammates, not stopping to address the English support staff as he retreated into the team changing rooms. It was later confirmed that Stokes has sustained yet another (left) hamstring injury, and it is highly unlikely that he will make an appearance with the bat tomorrow, as England attempt an impossible chase.
Stokes previously tore his hamstring playing for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, during August of this summer – an injury that sidelined him for 4 Test Matches, of which England won 3, and lost 1, under the stand-in captaincy of Ollie Pope.
Stokes’ fitness has been the cause of concern for quite some time now, as he has had to carefully manage his workload over the past 18 months. It appeared that the captain had finally reached a level of fitness that he was pleased with throughout this tour. He has taken 7 wickets this series, having bowled a total of 66 overs.
In this match alone, the skipper pieced together the best part of 37 overs, including three 8-over spells yesterday evening. His recent increase in workload provides England with a helpful balance, as Stokes finally looked able to play as an effective fourth seamer, completing an impressive bowling outfit – a factor that will have pleased Brendon McCullum a great deal, with an eye to the Ashes next November.
Today’s injury causes a whole lot of problems for both the English red and white ball sides. Questions were asked as to whether Stokes would make an appearance for the English ODI team as they embark on a busy new year with McCullum taking up the role as head coach. England are set to play 5 ODI matches against India in January, closely followed by the Champions Trophy beginning in February.
Speaking before the third Test at Hamilton, Stokes said that he had not chatted to McCullum about joining the white ball group, saying “We’ll see” in response to his inclusion in the squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. His injury today practically confirms that Stokes will not be returning to white ball cricket, also making it likely that he will not feature in January’s SA20, where he was set to appear for MI Cape Town.
In terms of red ball connotations, this afternoon’s setback will once again give Stokes a ‘fragile’ label. It is unsure how serious the injury is, with Marcus Trescothick confirming that “He will have a scan this evening”, also commenting that “He’s been going so well with his bowling, and we didn’t see it coming”.
But even if the captain makes it back for England’s next Test Match (a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May, at Lords), he will be clouded by concerns over his fitness, and no doubt will not be able to continue the large workload that he has accomplished this series. With a 5-match series against India over the summer, closely followed by an away Ashes, this is not good news for England.
Perhaps worse news for England will be the fact that they have to return to Seddon Park tomorrow, as their performance today made it seem as if they wanted to forfeit the game and head home early for Christmas.
New Zealand added a further 317 runs to their substantial overnight lead, ending with a second innings total of 453, and a lead of 658. Kane Williamson led the way, effortlessly notching 156 runs and adding to his impressive record at Seddon Park. It has to be said that he received a significant amount of help from the English bowlers, all of whom looked defeated from ball one, failing to provide any sort of challenge throughout the day.
Ollie Pope, standing in for Stokes as captain, ended up using 8 bowlers, including Harry Brook who took the new ball. Joe Root’s brief spell summarized the English bowling efforts: 1 over, 1 wicket, 17 runs. Cameos from Mitchell Santner and Tom Blundell aided New Zealand in accumulating 12 sixes for the innings, as the batsmen took a particular liking to the bewildered Shoaib Bashir, who finished with figures of 2-170, in 36 overs.
England were then faced with 6 overs before stumps. Sure enough, Zak Crawley faced up to Matt Henry, and sure enough, Matt Henry dismissed Zak Crawley – for the sixth and final time this series. Ben Duckett was dismissed in the second over, advancing down the wicket to Tim Southee, and playing onto his stumps, leaving Bethell and Root as the two batsmen at the crease, heading into Day 4.
Much to their credit, England have already secured a series win with convincing victories in the first two tests – but with defeat imminent, they will undoubtedly be disappointed with ending their busy year on a low note.
