Another Test match, another intriguing contest! After capitulating on the final day at Lord’s, New Zealand must feel gloriously vindicated after turning the tables at Headingley, playing the sort of cricket which served England so well last week.
One of the many things I’ve taken from this short but very sweet series is that one-day batting has had a huge impact. Not so long ago, once the seventh wicket fell in an innings the tailenders would be thinking more about their run-up and new ball strategy than getting a few runs of their own. Now, everyone can be a hero with the willow!
Tino Best, Ashton Agar and even our very own Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have written their names into record books in the past few years. In the past few days we’ve experienced still more fearless fireworks from numbers nine to eleven. Amongst the general glut of boundaries, the last two wickets in the four innings at Headingley have produced more than 300 runs. OK, I know that the second NZ innings was declared during the ninth wicket partnership but that’s still an impressive aggregate for a bunch of bowlers.
At Lord’s, it was mostly Ben Stokes but in Leeds, Luke Ronchi and Matt Henry (each twice), Stuart Broad, Tim Southee and Trent Boult had three-figure strike rates against their names. The Black Caps’ second outing, after another dodgy start, was played out in the image of their brilliant captain Brendon McCullum. Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and BJ Watling may have ridden their luck on occasions but their aggressive approach pressurised fielders into dropping catches and bowlers like Broad resembling nervous teenagers serving up short-pitched tripe.
The Sunday spectators were presented with a feast of runs, then the NZ tail really rubbed it in on Monday morning, declaring on 454-8. Apart from Latham and Williamson, every player struck at least one six! Watling’s excellent century was the single most important contribution, earning him the Man of the Match award. However, Mark Craig’s 99 unbeaten runs and tight bowling earning five wickets should not be underestimated. Trent Boult and Tim Southee occasionally gave even Anderson a lesson in new ball swing bowling, and Luke Ronchi’s belated Test debut at the age of 34 resulted in 119 runs and some tidy displays behind the stumps. Even Williamson made up for his unusually poor display with the bat by clinching the game with 3-15, his vital victims being the dogged Cook, pegged Stokes and ragged Broad.
England weren’t completely outplayed. After all, it was a Test match in which Alastair Cook and Jimmy Anderson became the first Englishmen to pass 9,000 runs and 400 wickets, respectively. Adam Lyth achieved his debut century on his second appearance, Jos Buttler stuck around admirably for 73 on the final evening and Matt Wood did enough to keep his place for the Ashes.
More worrying must be the form of Ballance, Bell and Moeen Ali. Broad’s clueless bowling may have yielded seven wickets at Headingley but he went for six an over! Acceptable in an ODI but not a Test match. Joe Root fared even worse with the bat but even the finest batsmen have an off-day following his excellent display in the first fixture.
For now, let’s celebrate a wonderful brace of Test matches and in particular the attitude of McCullum and co in levelling the series in such style. The appalling negativity and time-wasting we saw from Cook’s men two years ago should be consigned to history. If the new brooms at England’s helm follow suit, the Aussies may yet face a real challenge later this summer.
Showing posts with label Mark Craig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark Craig. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 June 2015
Sunday, 30 November 2014
New Zealand's triumph a worthy tribute to Phil Hughes
It's been a tough week for cricket. Regardless of whether you love cricket, the death of Phil Hughes was a shocking reminder that sport can be a dangerous pastime, even the pastoral pastime of leather on willow. Even people who take little interest in cricket have beebn affected. After appropriate delays and postponements, international fixtures resumed, with the deciding Test between Pakistan and New Zealand the most intriguing.
Misbah-ul-Haq's side have been in the zone lately with plenty of runs and fine spin bowling. Younis Khan in particular has been in spectacular form. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the runaway train derailed at Sharjah. The fairytale script would have had the recalled Daniel Vettori scoring a century and nabbing ten wickets, but there was no fairydust sprinkled on the bespectacled Black Cap legend. After a gap of more than two years, the 35 year-old did score 15 and add two wickets to his impressive Test tally of 360, but in many respects he was outperformed by just about all his team-mates.
Misbah won the toss and elected to bat. While Mohammad Hafeez was at the crease, that looked an excellent decision. However, once he top-edged a pull to be fifth man out for 197, the side collapsed to the spin of Mark Craig, a 27 year-old with only thirty games' first-class experience. What came next was unprecedented in New Zealand cricket. In under two days, they amassed a record 690 at getting on for five an over.
Skipper Brendon MaCullum led from the front, making another double-century at more than a runa ball, and shattering his country's second-wicket partnership record alongside Kane Williamson, who notched 192 himself. Four others also reached 50; the total of six half-centurions another first for NZ. Faced with the need to bat to save the game to win the series, Pakistan made a terrible start. Trent Boult had them reeling at 24-3 with swift in-swingers and seamers, his victims including Younis Khan first ball!
As in the first innings, one man attempted to hold it all together. This time it was Asad Shafiq, choosing attack as the best form of defence. He fell on 137 and the final wicket fell the next over, McCullum pouching the catch to hand Craig a first 'ten-for'.
While delivering disappointment for Pakistan in the Middle East, this counter-attacking performance will do the Black Caps the world of good. As well as the record run and 50 tallies for New Zealand, the whole match boasted 35 sixes, easily smashing the previous Test record of 27 notched by Pakistan v India in 2006 (Shahid Afridi at his best) and Bangladesh against - of all opponents - New Zealand last October. They've now won or drawn each of their last five series, with six victories and three draws out of eleven Tests and if they take this confidence into the 50-over World Cup, they might actually have a chance of winning the tournament instead of being perennial mere thorns in the side of the big guns.
As for this week in Sharjah, nobody was hurt, the match was played in good spirit and the late Phil Hughes was not forgotten. The same can be said for this Third Test.
Misbah-ul-Haq's side have been in the zone lately with plenty of runs and fine spin bowling. Younis Khan in particular has been in spectacular form. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the runaway train derailed at Sharjah. The fairytale script would have had the recalled Daniel Vettori scoring a century and nabbing ten wickets, but there was no fairydust sprinkled on the bespectacled Black Cap legend. After a gap of more than two years, the 35 year-old did score 15 and add two wickets to his impressive Test tally of 360, but in many respects he was outperformed by just about all his team-mates.
Misbah won the toss and elected to bat. While Mohammad Hafeez was at the crease, that looked an excellent decision. However, once he top-edged a pull to be fifth man out for 197, the side collapsed to the spin of Mark Craig, a 27 year-old with only thirty games' first-class experience. What came next was unprecedented in New Zealand cricket. In under two days, they amassed a record 690 at getting on for five an over.
Skipper Brendon MaCullum led from the front, making another double-century at more than a runa ball, and shattering his country's second-wicket partnership record alongside Kane Williamson, who notched 192 himself. Four others also reached 50; the total of six half-centurions another first for NZ. Faced with the need to bat to save the game to win the series, Pakistan made a terrible start. Trent Boult had them reeling at 24-3 with swift in-swingers and seamers, his victims including Younis Khan first ball!
As in the first innings, one man attempted to hold it all together. This time it was Asad Shafiq, choosing attack as the best form of defence. He fell on 137 and the final wicket fell the next over, McCullum pouching the catch to hand Craig a first 'ten-for'.
While delivering disappointment for Pakistan in the Middle East, this counter-attacking performance will do the Black Caps the world of good. As well as the record run and 50 tallies for New Zealand, the whole match boasted 35 sixes, easily smashing the previous Test record of 27 notched by Pakistan v India in 2006 (Shahid Afridi at his best) and Bangladesh against - of all opponents - New Zealand last October. They've now won or drawn each of their last five series, with six victories and three draws out of eleven Tests and if they take this confidence into the 50-over World Cup, they might actually have a chance of winning the tournament instead of being perennial mere thorns in the side of the big guns.
As for this week in Sharjah, nobody was hurt, the match was played in good spirit and the late Phil Hughes was not forgotten. The same can be said for this Third Test.
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