The night before this series opener there was a reunion for the New Zealand side that first beat England in 1978, with David Gower, though not in that touring team, providing an English voice on the panel. When the subject of Geoffrey Boycott’s seven-hour 70 came up, Gower joked that was “seriously fucking rapid” by his old mucker’s standards – before apologising for using the word rapid.
What followed from England on the opening day here was not exactly breakneck either; Ben Stokes winning the toss, electing to bowl and his side labouring through only 83 overs. The cricket itself, though, was packed with incident for the 8,000 or so lucky souls who lined the grass banks of this gorgeous boutique venue. Kane Williamson top-scored on 93, showing those hands are no less Oil of Olay soft for missing the 3-0 series win in India, and 319 for eight felt evenly poised.
Brendon McCullum had credited New Zealand’s resourcefulness for that particular slice of history three weeks ago and while his England players were a bit sloppy – reviews either not taken or burned, a glut of no-balls, and a costly drop off Glenn Phillips at the start of what became an unbeaten 41 – they did keep chipping away. McCullum will have taken particular delight at the off-spinner Shoaib Bashir claiming four for 69 on a green-tinged, day one pitch that both captains had wanted to make use of first. It was a very Kiwi surface, quickening up and likely to get truer.
The 21-year-old is still grooving a consistent length in the harsh glare of the international spotlight but bowling chiefly into a strong wind he found a way. Rachin Ravindra, another gem who looks set from ball one, contrived to turn a full delivery into a full toss after lunch and found midwicket on 34, while Tom Blundell and Nathan Smith fell to slightly soft shots.
Matt Henry also holed out for 18 with the dangerous Phillips at the other end. Had these players been English, it would probably have triggered a wave of online indignation about profligacy. Even without much turn, the extra bounce of Bashir was a significant factor, however.
Plenty of indignation followed the series in Pakistan, a tour where Bashir was out-bowled by Jack Leach on what should have been helpful surfaces. Backed as the long-term bet, the expectation was flipped the other way. After all, no spinner has taken a Test five-wicket haul here, and Bashir became only the second to claim four in an innings. He admitted afterwards to being slightly “in awe” of Williamson during their duel and thrown off line by the wind at times. The response was to look to be stronger in his bowling action and bowl for dots.
“Two years ago I didn’t have a county,” said Bashir. “I’m just very, very thankful for what has happened over the last year. Stokesy and Baz back me 100%.
“I bowled plenty of bad balls [in Pakistan] and I was still kept on. That just shows how much faith they have in me. Stokesy just looks at me and smiles [when I bowl a bad ball] and even that just gives me so much belief.”
Bashir’s three strikes after tea dragged England back into the contest after staring at 193 for three on the scoreboard at the interval, with Williamson ominously set on 73.
Gus Atkinson enjoyed a positive start in the morning, teasing a return catch from Devon Conway with the new ball. But having struggled with some soft foot-holes at the City End and overstepping seven times in total, it was not until a switch to the Botanic Garden End that he found better rhythm and the touch of extra bounce that had Williamson carving to backward point.
With Stokes a bit wild in his 13 overs and Chris Woakes a little quiet in his 16, the pick of the seamers was Brydon Carse and the extra bite witnessed in his maiden series in Pakistan. He ended a particularly fluent 47 by Tom Latham in the morning session, nipping one away from the left-hander to give Ollie Pope an early catch on his return to wicketkeeping, and later effected a bumper ploy that had Daryl Mitchell top-edging to Harry Brook at pretty much long stop.
Pope was more than tidy with the gloves; a reminder he is a genuine wicketkeeper by upbringing and the error in selection was not his back-up status, rather the lack of top-order cover. His chief blip was not realising Ravindra had feathered a catch behind on 20 before lunch – no one appealed, in fairness – and as the consigliere for two burned reviews later on. As shown by his spell as a stand-in captain, the decision review system is not his forte.
These went against Stokes, the captain having also been the one to put Phillips down in the final hour with a diving effort at mid-off. As one of the world’s best fielders, Phillips would probably have held it and having dodged a fourth-ball duck, his late salvo pushed the hosts past 300. Slow by way of over-rate, granted, but enough action to support the predictions of another belting series.
