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England seize advantage after tea despite late Blackcaps blitz
Stephen Foote • December 14th, 2024 6:30 pm
Photo: Photosport
The Blackcaps' strong start has been undone late on day one, despite a wagging of the NZ tail to help the hosts through to 315/9 at stumps in Hamilton.
Kane Williamson's departure early in the final session at Seddon Park triggered a collapse by the New Zealanders, falling from 4/185 to 7/231, before some resistance from the NZ tail led by Mitchell Santner (50*) and highlighted by some swashbuckling heroics from the retiring Tim Southee (23 off 10 balls) spared them some blushes.
Santner slammed a six off the final delivery of the day to raise his half-century, carrying his bat with Will O'Rourke (0*) into day two with the scoreboard relatively modest compared to their early returns, as the NZ middle order became victims of their own demise.
The tourists turned the screws after tea with the key scalp of dangerman Williamson, who had looked threatening in compiling his 44 runs.
It was a brutal way to go out, having defended a ball that trickled back towards his wickets, with his attempt to kick it to safety succeeding only in sending it clattering into his middle stump, throwing his head back in dismay.
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That reduced the hosts at 185/4, with two fresh batters in Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell at the crease and the advantage teetering in either direction.
The visitors should have had Blundell a couple of overs later, if not for Joe Root's slow reaction to a thick edge that saw Potts' head thrown back in frustration, and deservedly so.
But Mitchell's dismissal the very next over for 14 softened that blow, Atkinson enticing a false shot comfortably taken by Ben Stokes at mid-off to leave New Zealand faltering at 206/5.
Matters worsened for the locals when Potts nabbed his third wicket of the day, drawing Glenn Phillips into an uncontrolled cut that went directly to Zak Crawley towering at backward point.
Blundell became the next NZ batter to be claimed by a blatant English trap, well caught driving on the up by Jacob Bethell off Brydon Carse for 21, consigning the Blackcaps to 231/7.
Mitchell Santner - supported ably by birthday boy Matt Henry - anchored a stoic resistance from the NZ tail, who managed to prolong the team's innings, adding some valuable late runs by taking advantage of a sparse field setting.
Harry Brook's brilliance eventually broke that resistance, taking a catch on the third-man boundary and tip-toeing the rope, then throwing the ball back into the field of play and regathering it to earn Stokes his first wicket of the day.
That ended a 41-run eighth-wicket partnership off 54 balls, New Zealand's second highest of the innings.
The retiring Tim Southee took to the crease through a guard of honour from the English, before delivering the crowd a pair of his patented sixes, sending Stokes over the square leg boundary twice in an over.
The following over it was Atkinson's turn, Southee swinging him over square leg for the 97th six of his Test career.
Two balls later he was undone chasing a fourth, skying one to Carse for Atkinson's third wicket.
England strike before tea to stagger Blackcaps at Seddon Park
The Blackcaps' sturdy foundation was violently shaken during the second session.
After losing the wickets of both Tom Latham (63) and Will Young (42), who set the tone with a determined century-plus opening stand, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra moved to the cusp of steering New Zealand to safety at tea.
But Ravindra (18) fell prey to a soft dismissal just a few balls out from the interval, reducing the hosts to 172/3 and shifting the ledger to an evenly balanced contest.
Williamson (31*) and Daryl Mitchell (0*) carried their bats off a sun-soaked Seddon Park, with plenty of work ahead to ensure New Zealand emerge with the upperhand at stumps and consolidate their exceptional start to proceedings.
In the third over after the lunch break, England made the breakthrough they'd been searching for. Gus Atkinson found the edge of Will Young's bat to send him to the sheds for a valuable 42 off 92 balls in his return to the starting XI.
It brought an end to an excellent 105-run first-wicket partnership - the first to reach triple figures since February 2023 against the same opponent and the only one from a New Zealand duo this series.
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Latham raised his 35th Test match half-century with a classic off-drive to the rope off Atkinson, needing 101 balls for his first 50 since the second Test against India in Pune.
The NZ skipper earned a reprieve just three deliveries later, as Ben Duckett couldn't hold on to a very catchable chance at third slip.
Williamson's stay at the crease began with a quartet of boundaries courtesy of some trademark strokeplay
With his score at 63, Latham came to his demise in unfortuitous fashion, tickling a leg glance through to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope to give Matthew Potts his first wicket, taking the NZ score to 142/2.
Ravindra came to the crease full of intent, hitting consecutive boundaries to take the Blackcaps past the 150-run mark.
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But England's trap paid off just moments before the end of the session, Ravindra pushing at a tame ball from Carse that wasn't quite there to drive and gifting a catch to Ben Duckett at gully to depart for 18 off 25 balls.
Atkinson (1/19 off 10 overs) and Carse (1/48 off 12) have been the pick of the English bowlers, with Potts (1/53 off 15) rounding out the wicket-takers.
Blackcaps build steadily at lunch
The Blackcaps rebounded with their most impressive session of the series to date against England, moving confidently through to 93/0 on the first morning.
After being asked to bat first, openers Latham (36*) and Young (42*) have made an assured start at the crease, compiling New Zealand's best first-wicket stand since the second Test against Sri Lanka in March 2023.
The positive beginning made for stark contrast to the trend throughout the series to date for the NZ opening bats, who have averaged just 8.5 runs through the first two matches.
Photo: Photosport
It's the first time a New Zealand opening partnership has gone beyond 70 runs since the second Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington in March last year.
It's also the only time in the 19 occasions on which England have bowled first in a Test since the Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes era began that they have failed to take a wicket in the first session.
The English attack struggled to find their length against the left and right-hand combination presented by the NZ opening tandem, with Young looking every bit as solid as he did during his star turn in India, mixing flourishing drives through the covers with resolute defence.
Young found the boundary 10 times in his 83 deliveries, while Latham played with a touch more patience, reaching the rope on four occasions in 87.
England's new addition Matthew Potts (0/33 off 10 overs) got through the majority of the work for the tourists, while skipper Stokes was also busy, with 0/17 off eight.
Blackcaps bat first after losing toss in Hamilton, Southee confirmed to start in final Test
Mitchell Santner came into the NZ starting XI at the expense of newcomer Nathan Smith.
Young replaced Devon Conway, who is on leave for the birth of his first child.
Tim Southee was also been confirmed to start in his final Test for New Zealand.
Latham said he was content with the outcome of the coin flip, having planned to bat had he won the toss.
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Latham added the team is highly motivated to finish their Test cycle on a high and provide Southee a fitting farewell.
"Looks like a decent surface, we've seen surfaces in NZ with a lot more grass and a greener tinge," he says.
"Haven't been at our best but opportunity to put a performance on the board that we're proud of."
New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O'Rourke
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (capt), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Matt Potts, 11 Shoaib Bashir
Sport Nation has live ball-by-ball commentary of the final Test match between the Blackcaps and England - available on all NZ frequencies and the new Sport Nation app - available on App Store and Google Play.
