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England fight back on evenly poised opening day against Blackcaps
Stephen Foote • November 28th, 2024 6:30 pm
Photo: Photosport
The Blackcaps have left a finely balanced ledger marginally tipped in their favour after the final session of day one of the first Test against England in Christchurch.
Kane Williamson's departure just sevens runs shy of triple figures was part of a post-tea mini collapse for the New Zealanders, whose sturdy early foundation was left looking decidedly shaky, until Glenn Phillips' stern resistance down the stretch ensured it wasn't squandered, his side finishing at 319/8 in challenging conditions at Hagley Oval.
Phillips (41*) and Tim Southee (10*) were the two New Zealand batters left at the crease when stumps were pulled late due to England's slow over-rate, ending an absorbing day of Test cricket littered with punches and counters.
"It was tough," Williamson told Sport Nation after the close of play.
Kane Williamson speaks after Day 1 at Hagley Oval | Sport Nation
"There was some movement there for the bowlers and some good bounce. They hit the wicket hard. There were some really good partnerships from our side and some good fight to get into some positions of strength.
"It wasn't a surface where you could get rhythm. We worked hard and and that was pleasing.
"I think it was a fairly balanced day of Test cricket. Both sides will be pleased with the effort that went into it."
With the hosts starting the final session well poised at 193/3, the new ball paid immediate dividends for England after tea, as Daryl Mitchell misjudged a pull shot and sent a thick edge skyward for a regulation catch to Harry Brook at deep third man, earning Brydon Carse his second scalp.
Smithy & Coney give their thoughts on the opening day of the first Test | Sport Nation
New Zealand's fifth wicket to tumble was their most costly. Williamson was denied his 33rd Test century, undone by some extra bounce from Gus Atkinson and cutting one straight to Zak Crawley at backward point to bring his superb injury comeback to a painful end at 93 off 197 deliveries.
It was the first time since 2018 Williamson had been dismissed in the nineties at Test level.
Phillips joined Tom Blundell at the crease with the scoreboard finely balanced at 227/5, instantly offering up a very catchable opportunity to Ben Stokes at mid-off. But the England skipper couldn't hold on to the diving effort, despite getting both hands to it.
After looking solid early, Blundell soon became another victim of some surprisingly sharp bounce off the Hagley Oval deck, cutting directly to Atkinson to hand Bashir his second wicket.
Kane Williamson so close to another Test century in his return from injury | Sport Nation
Entering at 246/6, debutant Smith managed just three runs before spooning an easy catch to Joe Root at leg slip - again off Bashir.
Phillips and Matt Henry's dogged determination seemed as though it may mitigate any further damage for the Blackcaps, until Henry holed out to deep long-on off Bashir for 18.
With the lights switched on, Tim Southee strolled to the middle in vintage carefree fashion, seeing out the second new ball alongside Phillips.
Bashir was the pick of the England bowling attack, ending the day with 4/36, while Atkinson (2/61) and Carse (2/57) finished with two wickets apiece.
Kane Williamson leads way as Blackcaps build patiently against England
Resuming after lunch at 104/2, Rachin Ravindra's cheaply conceded wicket was the only to fall during the second session at Hagley Oval, the hosts adding 89 runs in 27 overs.
Kane Williamson showing no signs of his lengthy injury lay-off by returning seamlessly to his trademark talisman role with an assured 77 off 161 balls.
Daryl Mitchell (16 off 42) has anchored the other end valiantly as part of a 63-run partnership with Williamson.
Ravindra and Williamson eased back into their work after the lunch break, as Ravindra found his groove with a handful of boundaries to take the partnership beyond the 50-run mark.
Photo: Photosport
But a few overs later it abruptly came to an end, when Ravindra gift wrapped his wicket via a catch to Zak Crawley off a full toss from spinner Shoaib Bashir, leaving the Blackcaps at 130/3.
Williamson ramped up his scoring rate, with his seventh boundary of the day helping him surpass 50 for the 36th time in his distinguished Test career.
The English attack toiled with minimal reward on a sunny, yet breezy, day in Ōtautahi, as Williamson and Mitchell grinded to ensure the scoreboard ticked over on a slow outfield.
The wickets for the visitors have been shared between Gus Atkinson (1/43 off 12 overs), Brydon Carse (1/35 off nine) and Bashir (1/32 off 10).
Blackcaps make encouraging start in opening session
After being sent in to bat on another green wicket at Hagley Oval, the hosts overcame the early loss of Devon Conway to move to 104/2 at lunch.
Conway (2) was sent packing in just the second over of the day, with Atkinson snaring an exceptional catch off his own bowling.
Atkinson takes a brilliant caught & bowled for the first wicket of the NZ summer | Sport Nation
Captain Tom Latham was the other wicket to fall, tickling an edge to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope off the bowling of Carse, having righted the ship with a measured knock of 47 off 54 balls.
Williamson (26 runs off 57 balls) and Ravindra (21 off 30) are the two batsmen at the crease, the former taking an understandably patient approach in his long-awaited return from a groin injury but looking assured at the crease.
In the final over of the session, Ravindra was given a reprieve after what was later revealed as an ultra-thin edge off Ben Stokes to Pope - a nick so fine that not a single player in the field asked the question of the umpires.
Chris Harris checks out the Hagley Oval pitch ahead of Day 1 of the first Test | Sport Nation
Blackcaps lose toss, sent into bat
After winning the toss, the obvious option for English captain Ben Stokes was to let his bowling attack have a crack on a clear day in the Garden City.
"The wicket generally gets better and better here as cricket is played on it," Stokes said.
"There's a nice covering of grass on it so hopefully, we can get something out of it with the new ball.
The most notable selection in England's line-up was the addition of debutant Jacob Bethell at No. 3, coming in for the injured Jordan Cox.
New Zealand have included their own debutant in allrounder Nathan Smith, whose outstanding from at domestic level has been rewarded with a maiden red-ball call-up, just two weeks after playing his first ODI.
Sport Nation has live ball-by-ball commentary of the first Test between the Blackcaps and England at Hagley Oval - available on all NZ frequencies and the new Sport Nation app - available on App Store and Google Play.
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