England tour of New Zealand 2019

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England 353 and 55 for 3 (Denly 7*) trail New Zealand 615 for 9 declared (Watling 205, Santner 126, de Grandhomme 65, Williamson 51) by 207 runs

The inaugural Test at Mount Maungenui was always likely to likely to be a memorable occasion for New Zealand cricket, but BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner ensured it would be one with multiple entries in the history books after their monumental contributions sent records tumbling and left England facing an uphill task to save the game.

Speaking of uphill, there had been some debate about the correct billing of the promontory that overlooks Bay Oval, an extinct volcano known locally at "The Mount". But there was no disputing that New Zealand had amassed a mountain of runs, as Watling bent himself to the task of batting for almost 11 hours for a maiden double-hundred, while Santner converted to three figures for the first time in his Test career. The innings produced another new peak, with New Zealand's 615 for 9 declared their highest total against England in 89 years of Test competition.

With the deficit a daunting 262, and realistically needing to bat their way through the majority of four sessions in order to emerge with a draw, England lost both openers and their nightwatchman before the close. There was something appropriate about Santner and Watling combining for the initial breakthrough, and although England could cling to the hope that a slow surface might help pave their way to safety on the final day, increasing signs of up-and-down bounce will doubtless nag at the tourists overnight.

There was no doubting about who were the stars of the show for New Zealand, even if it was a couple of the most unassuming players in a team that has built a reputation for low-key excellence. If there were bragging rights at stake, it would have been impossible to tell, despite Watling and Santner ticking their way through a slew of records.

Both notched career-best scores, as the pair eclipsed the previous highest seventh-wicket stand for New Zealand - initially against England, and then overall. Watling surpassed his own record for the most balls faced by a New Zealand wicketkeeper; Santner set a new mark for balls faced by a New Zealand No. 8. For England, kept in the field for more than 200 overs, it was a relentless grind.

Only the urgency of an impending declaration contributed to Watling finally being dislodged. By then, he had become the ninth wicketkeeper - and first for New Zealand - to score a double-hundred in Tests, the milestone reached a few minutes before tea with a nudged single off the bowling of Joe Root, England's increasingly vexed captain.

Having at least limited the scoring rate during the morning session, England were left chasing leather in the afternoon sunshine as Santner showed his claws. His half-century reached from 170 balls, he required only another 82 to convert to three figures for the first time in Tests, taking particular toll on his fellow left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who was three times deposited over the ropes. When Santner finally slogged Sam Curran to long-on for 126, it had been 73.2 overs since England had previously taken a wicket, with the first ball after tea on day three.

As Santner buckled his swash, Watling continued to buckle down. He had already demonstrated his appetite for crease-occupation by batting throughout day three, and he slipped straight back into the groove. The nearest England came to ruffling him was when a Jofra Archer bouncer glanced the top of his helmet, as he went past his previous highest score - 142 against Sri Lanka in 2015 - and on to his longest Test innings, surpassing the epic rearguard against India at Wellington in 2014.

The end came via a declaration shortly after tea, as Kane Williamson exacted maximum punishment on England. It also allowed for the crowd to salute Watling's efforts one final time, as his 473-ball epic ended with an edge behind. Watling walked off to an ovation and New Zealand's last two batsmen jogged the same way an over later.

New Zealand resumed on day four in control but not in a hurry. Watling and Santner had adopted a circumspect approach during the morning session, when only 58 runs were scored from 30 overs, but the lack of impact on the wickets column was the chief concern for Root.

England dutifully went through the motions with the ball, but there was an air of fatalism about their attempts to finish off the innings. Archer strung together five maidens in a row at the start of the day, but England's attack rarely threatened a breakthrough as New Zealand set out their stall to try and bat only once in the game.

The wisdom of that ploy was proven during the evening session, as Santner stepped into the spotlight with the ball. Dom Sibley and Rory Burns had compiled a watchful 48-run stand to ease English fears about the deterioration of the pitch - only for New Zealand's spinner to produce a three-wicket burst before stumps. First Sibley, who had already survived one tough chance to Watling, succumbed to a thin outside edge, then Burns was lured into sweeping out of the rough and sent a tame top edge to square leg.

In the final over of the day, Tom Latham's brilliant catch at short leg removed the nightwatchman Leach, though replays suggested he had not actually got any bat on the ball. Leach walked off without using a review, however, to leave England facing an even steeper climb if they are to escape Bay of Plenty with the series still level.



Going well then people scoring big hundreds puts other teams under pressure just wait until we get those big hundreds in the Hundred

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New Zealand 615 for 9 dec (Watling 205, Santner 126, de Grandhomme 65, Williamson 51) beat England 353 (Stokes 91, Denly 74, Burns 52, Southee 4-88) and 197 (Wagner 5-44) by an innings and 65 runs

New Zealand marked the arrival of Test cricket in Bay of Plenty with an emphatic victory over England. These are times of rich promise for Kane Williamson's side and they made light of the suggestion that the surface at Mount Maunganui might be too flat to provide a result, Neil Wagner's ebullient five-wicket haul seeing them home with plenty of room to spare on the final day.

For England, it was a case of new coach, new approach, but largely the same result. Having won the toss and gained first use of the pitch, a first-innings total of 353 was soon shown up as inadequate by New Zealand's more ruthless approach. The brittle nature of their batting was then exposed for a second time, with no one managing more than Joe Denly's 35 as they crumbled to an innings defeat.

Needing to bat for most of the day in order to squeeze out of the game with a draw, England lost four wickets during the afternoon session to fatally undermine their cause. Wagner claimed three of them in a five-over burst before tea that ripped the guts out of England's resistance, with a ninth-wicket stand of 59 between Sam Curran and Jofra Archer only serving to underline what might have been achievable.

New Zealand have not lost a Test at home since 2017, and the way they wrestled control in this match - through the record-breaking feats of BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner and a concerted team effort with the ball - ably demonstrated why they sit No. 2 in the ICC's Test rankings. Watling was named Man of the Match for his marathon double-hundred and while Santner could not add to the three vital wickets he had claimed on the fourth evening, there was a flying catch to savour as New Zealand surged towards victory.

Although England did threaten to draw the game out, losing just one wicket in the first 41 overs of the day, it is a marker of New Zealand's collective strength that someone always seems to stand up when required. Wagner, who looks like he would celebrate the successful purchase of a new hoover with a fist-pumping run towards the cashiers, charged into the fray during the afternoon session to break the tourists resolve.

England's batsmen did, however, lend the odd helping hand. Perhaps most disappointing for Joe Root, the man hoping to help build a new era for England in Test cricket under Chris Silverwood, was his own dismissal and that of his vice-captain, Ben Stokes. Both departed to ill-judged strokes against balls that were not threatening their stumps, clearing the path for Wagner to run through the rest of the line-up.

The loss of Stokes, England's top-scorer in the first innings, dealt the gravest blow to their hopes of saving the game. He and Denly had taken the score to 121 for 4, approaching the afternoon drinks break, when Tim Southee's perseverance outside off stump was rewarded as Stokes was bowled off his inside edge trying to force a wide delivery.

New Zealand, and Wagner, sensed their moment. Denly's 142-ball vigil was ended a few overs later, when Wagner went around the wicket and found some extra bounce from a length to flick the glove - Kumar Dharmasena declined the initial appeal but Williamson immediately, and confidently, reviewed.

Ollie Pope was then suckered in Wagner's next over, mishitting what looked like a wide full toss but was actually a knuckleball towards cover, where Santner continued a memorable Test by clinging on a full stretch. When Jos Buttler opted to leave Wagner's first delivery with the second new ball, only to see it crash into the base of off stump, the game was effectively up. Curran and Archer stitched together a partnership to extend proceedings into the final session, thwarting Santner's attempts to add a five-for to his hundred; but Wagner returned to claim the last two wickets with consecutive balls and seal an impressive win.

The teams came back for the final day at Bay Oval with two outcomes on the table. Either New Zealand would take the seven wickets required, and possibly knock off a few runs, to claim victory and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, or England and the pitch would conspire to deliver a draw in Mount Maunganui's maiden Test.

The initial signs were that bowling out England for a second time would be hard work, despite the pitch increasingly offering assistance to spin - and the departure of Trent Boult for treatment on a side problem after bowling just one over must have been a concern for Williamson. New Zealand only managed one breakthrough during the morning, but the fact that the departing batsman was Root would have encouraged hopes that they could get the job done.

Root, fresh to the crease after Jack Leach's dismissal from the final ball of day four, had looked reasonably assured, clipping a couple of fours off Santner but otherwise taking his time to get in. However, facing a field with three catchers in the covers, he was surprised by Colin de Grandhomme going short and steered limply to gully, departing having failed to make a significant contribution to the England innings for the second time in the match.

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2ND Test at Hamilton

Bit of a risk playing cricket in Scotland at this time of year!!!!!


Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the fourth-largest cricket ground in the country, and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators.

History
Seddon Park was named after Richard Seddon, the longest-serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. Hamilton Borough Council named it in July 1906 before it was developed.[1] It was first used for a major cricket match in February 1914, when the touring Australians played a South Auckland XVIII in a two-day match.[2] It has been in constant use since.[3]

Due to sponsorship from Trust Bank and subsequently Westpac, the ground was known as Trust Bank Park from 1990 to 1997, as WestpacTrust Park from 1997 to 2003, and as Westpac Park from 2003 to 2006. It reverted to its original name in 2006, when Westpac decided to end its sponsorship of a number of sporting events and grounds in New Zealand.

Seddon Park was also used for the 2015 Cricket World Cup for two of the world cup's matches.[4]

Ground
Seddon Park is a round, well-grassed ground with a centre block of nine pitches, running approximately north to south. These pitches are usually very good for batting. There is an embankment going around three-quarters of the perimeter, with a tall hedgerow outside this embankment.

In addition to cricket, Seddon Park has been used for rugby union, rugby league and hockey matches. It therefore has a flexible stadium environment that can be modified according to sports events.

Usage and statistics
Seddon Park has been used for first-class cricket since the 1956–57 season, coinciding with the formation of the Northern Districts Cricket Association and the inclusion of the Northern Districts cricket team in the Plunket Shield competition.

The ground is used for hosting Twenty20 International matches, One Day International matches as well as Test matches. It has hosted a total of 9 T20Is, 34 ODIs and 25 Test matches. The first ODI played here was between New Zealand and India on 15 February 1981, which New Zealand won by 57 runs. The first Test match was played on 22–26 February 1991, between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, which was a draw.

Kane Williamson has the highest Test score on the ground, 200 not out versus Bangladesh in 2019, whilst Ross Taylor holds the highest Test aggregate for the ground of 908 runs.

The ground was also used for one season in 2001 for the majority of Waikato and Chiefs rugby home games. Temporary stands were raised for the games. Rugby returned to the newly built Waikato Stadium for the following year.

Tests record for ground
Highest totals : 715/6 d (163 overs) by New Zealand v Bangladesh on 28 Feb 2019
High scores : 200*(257) by Kane Williamson v Bangladesh on 28 Feb 2019

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Buttler injured Pope keeps wicket

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England win toss bowl looks like they are playing 5 seamers

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New Zealand 173 for 3 (Latham 101*, Nicholls 5*) v England

Tom Latham is not a batsman who does things by half. Even by the standards of New Zealand's under-appreciated line-up, he tends to slip below the radar, but in racking up his fifth Test century in the space of ten Test innings, he has achieved a feat that no other Kiwi has ever before managed. And it was on his watch that England's tricky tour of New Zealand's took another turn for the problematic.

It was probably quite some relief for England that their day's work was truncated, moments after tea, by the onset of a torrential downpour coupled with apocalyptic cloud cover. By that stage, Latham was solidly ensconced on 101 not out, the serenity of his latest stay at odds with the chaos in his opponents' camp, as he picked up where BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner had left off with their monolithic stand in the first Test at Mount Maunganui.

There will, allegedly, be other more important challenges for this England side in the coming months. This Test series, as we all know, falls outside the World Test Championship and therefore is being seen in some quarters as some sort of glorified development trip. But given that Test cricket has existed irrespective of wider context for 141 years and more than 2300 matches, the combatants tend to know instinctively when they are in a battle. And England certainly know for sure.

To say that this tour hasn't quite gone to plan so far for England is quite the under-statement. The first-Test thrashing aside, there have been off-field distractions with the Jofra Archer incident and Chris Silverwood's sad news from home, and then on the eve of this game, the untimely gym injury to Jos Buttler that forced a rejig of their resources and a debut for Zak Crawley, with Ollie Pope taking over the wicketkeeping duties.

And then came England's throw of the dice at the toss today, with Chris Woakes' recall at the expense of Jack Leach meaning that England had plumbed for an all-seam attack for the first time since the Headingley Test against South Africa in 2012 - and that didn't exactly work out as planned.

England, it seems, had been gambling both on a correct call at the toss (which Joe Root duly delivered) and on an unusually furry surface, featuring a full 16mm of live grass, playing into their hands. And though Woakes himself justified his recall with two wickets in 14 economical overs of probing line and length, it already feels inevitable that Leach's absence will be felt as the match wears on - not least if Ben Stokes is unable to bowl for the rest of the match.

Stokes was not called upon until the 44th over of the day, and then bowled just two uncomfortable overs before hobbling out of the attack with a sore left knee. It is not a new injury, which is some comfort, but it is one that the ECB have already admitted that will need to be assessed before he can be called upon again. With a four-Test tour of South Africa looming next month, discretion may be prudent.

Not least because this innings already promises to be a further slog for England's attack. In spite of the pitch's fuzzy appearance, barely a ball deviated from the straight and narrow all day, and England were reliant on discipline - from Woakes first and foremost - to keep themselves in contention. It was a trait that Latham in particular was more than willing to display for his countrymen in return.

Ominously for England, in the course of Latham's formidable run of form, which extends back to his career-best 264 not out against Sri Lanka last year, he has yet to be dismissed for less than 154 on the occasions he has reached three figures, and there was little evidence in another supremely judged stay that he'll be giving it away lightly on this occasion either.

He did have one massive scare in the penultimate over before lunch, as Woakes nipped one into his pads on 49, and extracted an lbw verdict from an uncertain umpire Dharmasena that was instantly and rightly reviewed by the non-striker Ross Taylor. And then, on 66, Latham was briefly undone by Jofra Archer's extra pace - all too briefly for the catcher Stokes, who was unable to cling onto a fenced edge that burst through his upturned fingers at second slip.


Beyond those flickers of fallibility, however, Latham's innings was built on a pinpoint recognition of his scoring opportunities, as he presented the straightest of blades to anything remotely stump-threatening, while cashing in whenever the opportunity arose. Sam Curran, in particular, strayed repeatedly onto his toes in search of that elusive swing. Latham reached his first fifty in 87 balls, then galloped down the track in the final over before tea, to meet Root on the full and bring up his century with a whistling drive through long-on.

For all that Root favours mixing things up with an over of spin before an interval, it was a curious moment to bring himself into the attack, given that Latham had been on 96 and the opportunity was still there to make him sweat.

For he been made to work hard at the top of his innings. Broad and Archer opened proceedings with a steadfast line round the wicket to both the left-handed openers, with Broad soon extracting Jeet Raval as the day's first casualty when he flashed at a length ball outside off, and scuffed a flat-footed drive to Root at first slip for 5.

Woakes, no fan of the Kookaburra ball in his previous forays overseas, was unable to find much lateral movement throughout a probing day's work. But by settling in on an immoveable line and length, he was able to force the errors, even in a batsman as brilliant as Kane Williamson, who was suckered by the angle into the stumps, and kissed the edge on an off-stump line to give Root his second catch of the morning, low to his right.

Taylor's arrival upped the ante for New Zealand's innings, as he took the attack to Archer in particular, unfurling the cut to fine effect to cash in on an occasionally errant line. He too had a let-off, and one that even he probably had not seen coming, when on 25, he whipped impulsively across the line to Broad, and was only saved from a plumb lbw by the faintest of tremors on RTS - one that Taylor himself seemed not to have felt.

Taylor carried on his selectively aggressive vein to bring up a 99-ball fifty, only to fall to his very next delivery, as Woakes dangled a fuller length outside off, and induced an impetuous drive straight into Root's bread-basket.

Henry Nicholls arrived and survived with few concerns, as play was curtailed just three balls into the final session, with the clouds closing in in the gloom and the groundstaff scurrying to batten down the hatches.

Prior to the start of play, England's new boy, Crawley, had been handed his cap by his county (and now England) team-mate Joe Denly, and already it is looking likely that he'll be required to show composure at No. 6 in the face of what may prove to be another daunting New Zealand total. In the event, he endured an unfortunate first day in the field, his two most notable moments coming with a hyperactive shy at the stumps that fizzed away for four overthrows, and a valiant attempt to save another boundary that ricocheted over the rope off his own tangled feet.

Pope, by contrast, looked the part behind the stumps, having had just five first-class matches in the role prior to this opportunity. He was tested early on by a wayward sighter from Curran that swung wickedly down the leg side, and had to be on his mettle to contend with a brief flurry of 140kph aggression from Archer in his mid-afternoon spell. But Pope, like the rest of his team, will probably prefer not to have to spend 201 overs in the squat position, as had been Buttler's fate in the first Test. Latham looks in the mood, and the form, to challenge that sort of timeframe.

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England 39 for 2 (Burns 24*, Root 6*) trail New Zealand 375 (Latham 105, Mitchell 73, Watling 55, Broad 4-73) by 336 runs

England's dicey fortunes took another turn for the precarious on the second day at Hamilton, as New Zealand's seamers found movement and energy with the new ball in a torrid final hour, to consolidate their grip on the series after another four-and-a-half sessions of hard graft from their batsmen had visibly drained their visitors' resolve.

By the close, England were clinging on through their under-pressure captain, Joe Root - who has rarely felt more desperate for a score - and Rory Burns, who survived two dropped catches and an under-edged drive past the off stump in scratching his way to an unbeaten 24. Ugly runs will do just fine, of course, but the hounding that England endured in their 18 evening-session overs merely compounded the difference in confidence between the two camps.

Though a late flurry of wickets (and runs) in New Zealand's own innings had hinted at a pitch that had quickened up from the slightly spurious greentop of the first morning, the contest came alive from the moment that Tim Southee and Matt Henry were handed New Zealand's new ball.

Dom Sibley had barely found his bearing when he was thumped a savage blow on the helmet by Southee - sconed on the badge just as he had been in England's warm-up in Whangarei - and four overs later he swished loosely across the line to be pinned lbw for 4.

Joe Denly barely endured any longer: Henry had already been denied Burns' scalp when Ross Taylor shelled a diving chance at first slip, but Denly couldn't escape his clutches, grazing a loose drive for BJ Watling to cling on low behind the stumps. Burns, his balance all over the place, was lucky to survive again when Jeet Raval flung himself at an airy clip at midwicket, and England could well have lost a third to the final ball of the day when New Zealand's master of chaos, Neil Wagner, forced Root to flinch a lifter just wide of leg gully.

The intent New Zealand displayed with the ball made light of a surface that England's own bowlers (with the honourable exception of Stuart Broad) had at times made to look like a featherbed. But moreover it was a tribute to the tactics employed by New Zealand's batsmen - particularly their first-day centurion Tom Latham, and today's sixth-wicket mainstays, BJ Watling and the debutant Daryl Mitchell.

Between them, that trio marshalled a first-innings total of 375 that spanned a hefty 129.1 overs. It ended up being some way shy of the 201 overs they had ground out at Mount Maunganui last week, largely thanks to Broad, whose cross-seaming screamer from the final ball before tea dislodged the steadfast Watling for 55 from 192 balls and set in motion a frantic race through the tail as the final five wickets fell for 60 inside 13 overs.

Up until that finale, England had gone through their motions with as much energy as they could muster. Chris Woakes was line-and-length personified in another economical display, while Jofra Archer occasionally touched 140kph in another barrel-scraping display from a hard-worked thoroughbred who desperately looks in need of a rest. His fortunes were best summed up in a lively joust with Mitchell Santner, who twice in an over hoicked his short balls over fine leg for six, on the second occasion taking out a luckless security guard who had been looking the other way behind the rope.

But ultimately it was the sight of Ben Stokes, his dodgy knee already causing him so much discomfort, charging in time and again in a bid to be his side's game-changer once again, that was the clearest indication of the direction in which this contest is currently headed. After limping out of the attack after two overs on the first day, he defied logic by returning for a further 11 today. Lion-hearted and loyal to his captain, maybe, but wicketless and futile at the same time, especially with four Tests in South Africa looming within the month.

Stokes' involvement was at least an indication that England believed the contest was not out of reach. And at 191 for 5 in the first hour of the morning, it had indeed looked rather promising, after Broad had induced a rare misjudgement from Tom Latham to peg back his off stump for 105, before Henry Nicholls' flapped a Sam Curran bouncer down Broad's throat at backward square leg.

But then again, England had thought they were in the contest in Mount Maunganui as well, where New Zealand had been tottering at 197 for 5 before Watling and Co. cranked their innings up to a monstrous 615 for 9 declared. And while such riches proved to be out of reach today, their runs on the board felt mightily significant by the close.

The bulk of those were mined from Watling's sixth-wicket stand of 124 with the new boy Mitchell, whose handful of cameos in the T20 series were scant preparation for the emotion and pressure of a Test debut innings, but who proved very much up to the challenge. He took his time to get going, digging deep for eight scoreless deliveries (with his mum filming them all on her phone) before lumping a rare Woakes long-hop through midwicket for a very cathartic first boundary.

And thereafter he was away - not in the sense of a free-flowing rampage, but in the "block, block, cash in" sense of a man who trusted his technique, the pitch, his team-mate and his team's tactics, to force England to dig deep, exhaust themselves, and offer up the odd ball that had to be put away - such as the monstrous golf-swing of a straight drive with which Mitchell climbed into an otherwise perfectly serviceable legbreak from Denly that travelled the best part of 110m back over the bowler's head.

There wasn't much of that ilk to be seen from either batsman throughout their alliance. Watling had one significant let-off, on 1, when the stand-in keeper Ollie Pope was unable to stay low enough to scoop a low edge off Curran, and New Zealand were able to add just 24 runs in the first hour after lunch - a-nip-and-tuck period in which two quick wickets at 280-odd for 7 could well have dragged their innings quickly back into the mire.

But that just never looked like happening. The new ball came and went with the minimum of alarm, and as the second hour wore on, so the scoring opportunities became more frequent. Mitchell motored to his maiden Test fifty with a brace of boundaries in a tired over from Stokes, the latter a sweetly timed pull through midwicket that earned a wave from a very proud mum, and Watling passed his own landmark soon afterwards - crunching a Curran half-volley through the covers.

But then came the one that misbehaved from Broad - a snorter that fizzed off a startled splice to Rory Burrns in the gully, and suddenly the door was open once more. Broad kicked his way through it after the resumption, persuading Mitchell to top-edge a bouncer to Archer on the square leg boundary for 73 before Woakes found Southee's edge to give Pope that overdue maiden keeper's catch. Archer added his first wicket of the match, and only his second of an arduous series, when Santner chanced his arm once too often, and one ball later Wagner chipped a Curran full-toss to midwicket.

But that rush of breakthroughs proved a double-edged omen for England. By the close, with their innings in serious jeopardy, they might even have missed the ennui of New Zealand's mid-innings go-slow.

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England 269 for 5 (Root 114*, Pope 4*) trail New Zealand 375 (Latham 105, Mitchell 73, Watling 55, Broad 4-73) by 106 runs

"Bat big, bat once," had been Stuart Broad's exhortation on the second evening at Hamilton, after England's frazzled batsmen had retreated to the pavilion following a torrid evening examination from New Zealand's seam attack.

Sure enough Joe Root, England's under-fire captain, lived and breathed that rallying cry in the course of a dogged and unashamedly dour unbeaten 114 from 278 balls. It was his 17th Test hundred but his first since the tour of West Indies in February, and his slowest by a country mile, but that mattered not a jot to a man who began this match having slipped out of the top ten batting rankings for the first time in five years, and whose enduring authority as a leader seems to stem entirely from his need to get back to regular run-scoring.

The manner in which Root reached his century was a microcosm of his innings as a whole. There was fluency lurking beneath his hard-pressed exterior, as shown by the sumptuous cover-drive off Neil Wagner with which he inched into the 90s, but there was desperation too, not least in the shot that took him past his milestone: a wild flap at a wide one from Wagner once again, and an under-edge past the stumps, past the keeper and away to the rope.

It had taken Root 259 balls and the best part of 80 overs to get to his hundred, but the fact that he'd got there at all was the crucial factor. While he endured, which he did right up to a premature rain-affected close, England remained in with a shout of leaving the series with an improbable share of the spoils.

For the best part of two sessions, he had been joined in deed and spirit by the steadfast Rory Burns, who contributed a century of his own in the course of a 177-run third-wicket stand that seemed, at 201 for 2 with tea looming, to have laid the platform for the sort of monolithic single innings with which New Zealand, on BJ Watling's watch, went on to win last week's first Test at Bay Oval by a canter.

But then came the wobble that England cannot entirely shake from their system at present. Burns' needless run-out, moments after bringing up his second Test century, lifted New Zealand's spirits with the new ball on the horizon, and when Ben Stokes was prised out after an innings that had arguably started too fluently for England's attritional needs, the new boy Zak Crawley was picked off without fuss by the endlessly on-it Wagner.

At 262 for 5, that left Root and Ollie Pope with a rebuilding job to do on a surface that was just beginning to misbehave, and though they survived to stumps without further alarm, the situation wasn't quite as clear-cut as England might have liked. They still trailed by 106, and with Sam Curran and Chris Woakes to come, there's still plenty chance for England to scrape together a useful lead. But whether there's now the time and the personnel to turn the screw will be another matter.


Rory Burns bows as he celebrates scoring his century AFP / Getty Images
Nevertheless, the relative ease of England's progress after the drama of their 18-over prologue on the second evening was belated evidence that bowling first on this surface maybe hadn't been such a bad idea after all. There are still plenty more runs to be mined on this deck before any real demons are unearthed.

As for the tempo of England's innings, a good night's sleep clearly helped, as Root and Burns - who had been dropped twice before he had reached 20 - were given a chance to rest up after 124 arduous overs in the field. But the pitch too had reverted to type after briefly quickening up in the latter stages of New Zealand's innings, and for much of this third day, batsman error was the only real prospect of any player being dislodged.

Wagner and his left-arm bouncing bombs proved the right sort of chaos to keep England honest, as Burns in particular discovered in a range of mild alarms, including a wild bouncer that flicked his shoulder and a spliced poke that looped out of the reach of leg gully. But these moments were the exceptions rather than the rule throughout a burgeoning stand, and as both men began to gauge the lack of pace in the deck, they each began to seize on anything short.

Burns climbed into consecutive Wagner short balls to rush into the 40s, and his half-century duly arrived two balls before the drinks break, from 97 balls. Root at the other end was made to wait rather longer for his mini-landmark, but he won't have minded that, for time at the crease was every bit as important for an England captain who has been feeling the pressure like never before in the days since the Mount Maunganui rout.

The early overs of Root's innings were a battle for balance, as he challenged himself to get his feet moving in synch with the rest of his technique, but as the lunch break approached he was looking like the compact world-beater of old - even if he needed a successful review on 47 to save himself from a leg-side strangle that replays showed had clipped pad not bat.

With that alarm behind him, Root picked off another of his bread-and-butter leg-side singles to reach his fifth half-century in his last seven Tests, a stat which puts some of his recent struggles into context, even if it simultaneously reawoke that old chestnut about his inability to convert starts to finishes. Nothing less than three figures would suffice, and he knew it.

Burns at the other end did not miss out, although he should by rights have been toast on 86 when he clipped Henry to Wagner at mid-on and set off for a kamikaze single. Tom Latham, a wicketkeeper by trade, was waiting obediently at the non-strikers' end to whip off the bails, but Henry in his excitement rushed back to do the job himself, and his fumble allowed Burns to fling himself to safety.

It was the last true let-off that Burns would require in another innings, like his Ashes hundred at Edgbaston, that perhaps looked chancier on the highlights reel than it ever felt at the time. But it was not a lesson learnt, for in the very same over with which he brought up his hundred, he took on Jeet Raval's arm as he turned unwisely for a second run, and lost - though not before the third umpire Bruce Oxenford had raised his hopes of an unlikely reprieve by struggling to make out the white bails against the white shirt of the keeper Watling.

Out came Ben Stokes - and so too a set of yellow bails to guard against further third-umpire shenanigans - and out came a series of thumpingly confident strikes that hinted at a player who was still seeing the ball like a planet. And yet, with New Zealand taking the new ball in the over before tea, Stokes seemed reluctant to commit too fully to the aggression that his form seemed to warrant. It would prove his undoing when he dangled his bat to an off-stump nibbler from Tim Southee, and edged low to a tumbling Ross Taylor at a wide slip.

His departure brought Zak Crawley to the middle at an uncomfortable juncture, and his first impressions weren't entirely encouraging. He all but ran himself out in his haste to get off the mark from his fifth delivery, and one ball later he pushed with hard hands at Wagner to graze a low edge to the keeper. Such are the frailties that run deep in England's Test squad at present. All the more reason why a return to form for their classiest act is so desperately welcome.

[Admin]

New Zealand 375 (Latham 105, Mitchell 73, Watling 55, Broad 4-73) and 96 for 2 (Williamson 37*, Taylor 31*) trail England 476 (Root 226, Burns 101, Pope 75, Wagner 5-124) by five runs

Joe Root confirmed his return to form with a masterful innings of 226, and Ollie Pope passed his own test of mettle with a maiden Test half-century, as England, at last, produced the single hefty team performance required to put the squeeze on their New Zealand hosts in the second Test at Hamilton.

In the final analysis, England's best efforts of the tour probably won't be enough to ensure a share of the series, as New Zealand's veteran pair, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, dug deep after the loss of both openers to grind to the close on 96 for 2, a deficit of 5. But, given the depths to which his stock as captain had fallen after the innings defeat in Mount Maunganui - and with a four-Test tour of South Africa looming large on the horizon - Root in particular will doubtless settle for a moral victory, replete with signs that his side have learned some rapid lessons about how to compete in unresponsive overseas conditions.

Indeed, such was the resolve that both Root and Pope put into their performances, had it not been for the loss of some 45 overs over the first three days of this Test, England might well have been able to push their own innings into the sort of 600-plus territory with which New Zealand had seized control of that opening Test.

Instead, having batted through the best part of two sessions in carrying their sixth-wicket stand to an imposing 193, both men fell in successive overs as the innings brief shifted from attritional accumulation to hasty run-pillaging with a declaration looming. In the end, Root wasn't required to make that call, as Neil Wagner took advantage of a slap-happy tail to rip his way to an unlikely five-wicket haul - due reward for a never-say-die performance, as England were bowled out on the brink of tea for 476, a lead of 101.

As the players left the field for the interval, the die had been cast for New Zealand's second innings. Showers are forecast for the final day of the match, meaning that a draw was always the likeliest outcome. However, as New Zealand's own bowlers had shown with their wholehearted display on the second evening, opportunity knocks when weary opponents are forced to confront a brand-new ball and a rested pack of seamers.

And so it proved for a frenzied first hour after tea, when - for a fleeting moment - it seemed that New Zealand might suffer the same collapse of resolve that had done for England in their first-Test defeat at Mount Maunganui.


Kane Williamson sways out of the way of a bouncer Getty Images
In the space of a hapless two-ball stay, Jeet Raval managed to survive a sitting-duck run-out chance from extra cover before failing to review a Sam Curran lbw that had taken a massive inside-edge. Then Tom Latham, New Zealand's first-innings centurion, was undone in the midst of a superb five-over spell from Chris Woakes, who hounded his technique with a relentless stump-threatening line before hitting the seam to take an edge through to Root at a solitary slip.

It took all of Taylor's and Williamson's experience to draw the sting of England's attack, one which had begun to look pretty saddle-sore by the close, with Stuart Broad and Curran both grimacing with apparent foot niggles at various moments, and Jofra Archer hobbling with a sore knee in the midst of another intermittently threatening spell. It's been a dog of a pitch for seamers on both sides, but they've acquitted themselves well in the circumstances - even if England might now be regretting the absence of a specialist spinner.

Long before that finale, Root and Pope had resumed in the morning session with England on their overnight 269 for 5, still trailing by 106 runs. Their initial approach wasn't exactly thrilling viewing for a sparse Monday crowd, as Root resolved to press ever onwards in what would end up being the longest innings of his career in terms of balls faced.

However, for the long-term health of this recalibrated Test squad, it was an important session of play - not least for the rookie Pope, who overcame a flighty start to his day's work to get himself properly acquainted with the rhythms of Test match batting for the first time. He would finish on 75 from 202 balls, and might have pressed on even further towards a maiden Test hundred, had the match situation not demanded he chance his arm in the latter stages of an obdurate stay.

The star turn, however, was Root, who had done the needful in bringing up three figures on the third afternoon, thus ending a barren run that had spanned the English summer. Today he set out his stall for the big one, racking up his third Test double-century and his highest score since making 190 against South Africa at Lord's in 2017 - his first Test innings as England captain. Whether this proves to be a rebirth, only time will tell. But he will set off for South Africa next month with his authority renewed, and his confidence higher than it's been for months.

From the outset, Root's feet and hands were back in synch, as he found himself playing the delicate dabs through third man that have long been such a feature of his best, most anonymous, feats of run-making, but which had deserted him of late - notably in the first Test at Bay Oval where he had twice fenced tamely to the cordon.

His improvisatory instincts didn't desert him either, even while New Zealand ploughed a disciplined line and length, looking to choke the runs and force the errors that they know this team are perfectly capable of making. Early in his day's work, he unfurled an uppercut to a slow loopy bouncer from Wagner that flew over the keeper for four, before keeping his eyes on a short ball that scuttled to pull it effectively at shin height through midwicket.

Root's moments of alarm were few and far between - the odd ball kept low, a handful of inside-edges were dragged perilously close to the stumps - but the closest that New Zealand came to breaking the stand was the moment of Root's 200, when he tapped the decisive single into the covers, only for Pope to hesitate at the non-striker's end before putting his head down and sprinting for his skipper. A direct hit would have done for him, but instead the shy went wide, and Root was able to peel off his helmet and salute a truly doughty innings.

For Pope, the opportunity to have a front-row seat for such a gritty display will be an invaluable learning experience, for at the age of 21, this was a "jam tomorrow" performance from England's young prospect. Strictly speaking, his strike-rate in the first two sessions wasn't exactly what England needed in their bid to force victory on the final day, and the absence of Jos Buttler, the man who would have been coming in at No.7 but for his back injury, was keenly felt at a moment when England might have looked to up the ante.

But nevertheless, after complaints that England's batsmen have been too flighty in recent seasons, there could be no quibbling with the application that Pope brought to his innings - all achieved, remember, after squatting behind the stumps for 129 overs in his unlikely role as wicketkeeper.

At times in the early stages of the day's play, Pope was susceptible to the same old sucker punch that had undermined him in his first season of Test cricket, against India in 2018 - namely the tendency to get too greedy whenever the ball was outside his eyeline. He survived more than a handful of urgent air-shots before he had reached 20, but with Root providing an object lesson in balance and shot selection, he grew in stature visibly as his innings progressed.

Moments before the interval, it was left to Pope to carve the cut through third man that took England into the lead for the first time in the match, and soon after the break, he crashed a cut through point to bring up his hard-earned fifty. From that point on, England's intent grew steadily, like a runaway truck gathering speed down a hill, and it wasn't until the score had passed 450 that Pope finally picked out a fielder, as he hoicked Wagner to Jeet Raval at deep square leg.

Root holed out one over later, slamming an inside-out slog to deep cover to give Mitchell Santner a breakthrough, and thereafter it was over to Wagner to run through the rest. Chris Woakes slashed a drive to the keeper for a duck, before Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad were bowled in quick succession - though not before Archer had slammed a massive six over the sightscreen. Wagner would finish with 5 for 124 in 35.5 typically wholehearted overs - his second five-wicket haul of an under-statedly brilliant series.

[lancsdes]

Amazing how Neil Wagner's career has gone stratospheric since he left us ; another DuPlessis.

I always thought him a wholehearted but very limited bowler who bowled too many bouncers.

[Admin]

Second Test, Seddon Park, Hamilton (day five of five):
New Zealand 375 (Latham 105) & 241-2 (Williamson 104*, Taylor 105*)
England 476 (Root 226, Burns 101; Wagner 5-124)
Match drawn; New Zealand won series 1-0
New Zealand sealed a 1-0 series win over England as Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor centuries helped secure a draw in the second Test in Hamilton.

Captain Williamson made an unbeaten 104 and Taylor 105 not out as they guided New Zealand to 241-2 - a lead of 140 - before rain ended play early.

England were unable to take a wicket in the 41 overs possible in the day.

The tourists, who lost the first Test by an innings and 65 runs, have not won in New Zealand since 2008.

Although England - under new coach Chris Silverwood - won the Twenty20 series that preceded the Tests, they end the year without a Test series victory for the first time since 1999.

They travel to South Africa for a four-Test series starting on 26 December.

Williamson and Taylor had fought their way through a difficult evening session on the fourth day, but the inconsistent bounce that England had found then all but disappeared overnight.

Despite that, Williamson offered two chances - both straightforward - but England were unable to take them.

He gloved a Ben Stokes short ball down the leg side on 39 but Ollie Pope, keeping for only the sixth time in a first-class match, could not hold on as he dived to his left.

Much worse was Joe Denly's miss with Williamson on 62. Outfoxed by a Jofra Archer slower ball, Williamson lobbed the tamest of catches to mid-wicket, where Denly let the ball slip out of his fingertips in what was described by BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew as "possibly the worst drop in Test history".

'Your 95-year-old grandma would catch that in the dark'
Williamson and Taylor grew in confidence against England's short-ball tactics, putting on 213 with a mixture of pulls and gentle dabs to the third man boundary.

The skipper, who would have been run out for 97 had Sam Curran not missed with a throw from mid-off, reached three figures first by gently flicking Joe Root off his pads for his 21st Test century.

Taylor reached his hundred by hitting Root for successive sixes shortly after becoming the second New Zealander to reach 7,000 Test runs.

Rain forced the players off two balls later, and play was abandoned at 03:00 GMT, the scheduled start of the final session.

England still with questions to answer
The two-match series was not part of the Test World Championship and, although England remain third in the International Cricket Council rankings, there is plenty to ponder given that they have won only four of 11 Tests this year.

Root's 226 at Seddon Park was a welcome return to form, while Rory Burns continued to show the maturity he demonstrated in the summer with his second Test century.

However, England's middle order is still far from settled, and their bowling attack once again failed to take 20 wickets in a match, albeit in placid conditions and in a rain-affected match.

Chris Woakes, recalled for the second Test, was the standout bowler and fellow all-rounder Sam Curran showed he can use his variations to good effect.

But Jack Leach was dropped for the final Test after struggling in Mount Maunganui for the consistency that England want from their spinner.

Archer also had a difficult series, finishing with two wickets at an average of 104.50, and there are concerns over Ben Stokes' long-term fitness after he was limited by a knee injury in Hamilton.

England began this tour saying they would show more patience with the bat. While they did that to an extent in the second Test, there are still frailties there that may be exploited on the bouncier South African pitches.

'We want to be harder to beat' - what they said
England captain Joe Root: "We are a side that wants to learn quite quickly and wants to become quite resilient in these conditions.

"We want to become a much harder side to beat, first and foremost, and then go on and win games. Similarly, we want to make really big totals and put sides under pressure."

Ex-England batsman Mark Ramprakash on BBC Test Match Special: "Chris Silverwood will reflect on England getting some good, hard cricket under their belt against a good New Zealand side.

"That will stand them in good stead for the South Africa series."

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson: "It was a great series for us. It was a great fighting effort over the last couple of weeks. We know how strong the England side is.

"To lose both tosses but to keep showing that fight was really pleasing to see."

[Admin]

Dec 2, 2019 12:51:09 GMT lancsdes said:

Amazing how Neil Wagner's career has gone stratospheric since he left us ; another DuPlessis.

I always thought him a wholehearted but very limited bowler who bowled too many bouncers.

Always rated him, Des, whole hearted gives 100% all the time