It’s been almost two months since my last cricket blog. Following the crushing conclusion to the English county season and the high drama of the Ashes, there hasn’t been an awful lot to write about. Yes, a handful of Twenty20s and The Hundred’s draft – something nobody understands for something nobody wants – but little to get the heart pounding. Until now.
India have become the
first nation to win four successive Tests by an innings. OK, so the final two
were against Bangladesh lacking their best player, but the first two in the sequence
were against South Africa, even if the Proteas are not as strong as they were a
few years ago. Virat Kohli continues to break records of his own and the last
victory was clinched with all wickets taken by seamers (India?!). In Brisbane,
Australia handed Pakistan their thirteenth consecutive defeat on their shores,
and just for a change their runs weren’t primarily provided by Steve Smith.
Which brings us back to
England. Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes may well be practising their bowing and
scraping in advance of their likely New Year knighthoods but Joe Root’s may
have to wait awhile after falling victim to another of the week’s innings outcomes at
The Bay Oval.
New Zealand may have suffered
two excruciatingly tight limited-overs losses to England in recent months but
in proper cricket they were undone by poor batting and an inability to dismiss
the Black Caps’ seventh-wicket pairing for more than eighty overs. A first innings
of 353 didn’t look too shabby but that was ery nearly matched by the combined
scores of BJ Watling (a career-best 205) and spinner Mitchell Santner (a maiden
Test century) who shared a stand of 261. England bowlers toiled for only two
wickets on day three before Watling and Santner cranked it up on the fourth,
the latter rounding off a superb six hours by dismissing both openers and
nightwatchman Leach with the ball.
England desperately dug
in for the draw, with Santner bowling nineteen maidens, but Neil Wagner’s
lively 5-44 was the decisive factor. It’s
only a two-Test series which won’t count for the World Test Championship, in
which NZ currently occupy second place, but it was a humbling experience for new
coach Chris Silverwood. It was nice to see Dominic Sibley win his first cap
after such a commanding season with Warwickshire, and he did outscore his captain,
but that was all. He should get another chance, as might Ollie Pope.
Jofra Archer got no
support from the pitch, nor from the crowd. Racist abuse should not be
tolerated in any situation but it seems a bit rich to complain when bowlers are
constantly spitting vile abuse at the opposition and getting away with it.
Sledging = abuse, isn’t it? I hope they throw the book at the small-minded bozo
who yelled at Archer across the boundary but it shouldn’t distract from the
fact that England were well beaten. Next week Trent Boult will probably be
absent through injury but with Matt Henry or Lockie Ferguson waiting in the
wings, England will face further disciplined seam and swing bowling, and they
will do well to win the series. They don’t have Super Overs in Tests….
