England celebrate the wicket of Kane Williamson. Photo / photosport.nz
England 325/9 dec
Black Caps 37/3
Stumps - Day one
All aspects of Bazball were on display as the Black Caps faced a first-day barrage in the first test at Bay Oval.
New Zealand were initially blown away by the bat as Ben Duckett hammered the fastest test half-century by an England opener. Then, after the tourists kept swinging and allowed the bowlers to hit back, the hosts were undone by a bold declaration and a tricky spell under lights.
England’s shotmaking was as aggressive as advertised but occasionally contributed to their undoing - so it goes with coach Brendon McCullum’s combative approach.
The good added to the bad and the end result was a declaration on 325-9 midway through the evening session - with 246 runs having been plundered in boundaries.
Having faced 356 deliveries, it was the second-fastest first-innings declaration in test history, edged only when Pakistan in 1974 called a close to their innings on 130-9.
England were in a somewhat stronger position and skipper Ben Stokes’ decision reaped reward when Ollie Robinson removed Tom Latham before James Anderson trapped Kane Williamson and nicked out Henry Nicholls, leaving the Black Caps on 37-3 at stumps.
Hasty declarations have been a mark of England under McCullum and Stokes, helping to produce nine wins in 10 tests. Another could well be coming but the captain might have held a tinge of hurt after earlier following Joe Root in enduring a painful trudge back to the pavilion.
That key pair haven’t been the biggest beneficiaries of Bazball; the less illustrious names have shone brightest during McCullum’s reign. And it was burgeoning stars like 23-year-old Harry Brook who gave England ascendancy today.
After Tim Southee won his first toss in a home test and, with a shrug, opted to bowl, any ambivalence eased by the third over when the skipper found the edge of Zak Crawley, who had already used up two lives.
It was a well-deserved wicket for Southee, creating problems with a probing line, but also an aberration. The opening hour ended with England on 77-1, as Duckett led a charge that brought 13 boundaries in 11 overs.
Southee was initially alone in consistently testing the batsmen - he later bowled the Black Caps’ sole maiden in the 47th over - as Wagner joined debutants Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn in being picked apart.
In a sign of what was to come, though, Duckett (84 from 68) was the first to fall from the type of dismissal that owed more to his aggression than the bowler’s ability. The opener could hardly be blamed, having blazed a fifth test 50, but his mis-timed drive gave Tickner a maiden scalp.
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England headed to tea on 134-2, before Root set about further applying the accelerator. Following another effective spell of pressure from Southee, inducing an edge from Ollie Pope, the former English captain got himself out in calamitous fashion.
Root’s second attempt at a reverse ramp from Wagner went much worse than the first, waving at a wide one and diverting a bottom edge to slip. England had slipped to 154-4 but were continuing to collect boundaries - while continuing to offer chances.
After Stokes was fortunate to survive when opening the face to Kuggeleijn, he then looked to pull the same bowler and sent his shot straight to midwicket.
England remained unbowed, reaching 279-5 by dinner as attack remained the primary focus. But after Brook (89 from 81) chopped on, Wagner (4-82) cleaned up the lower order as the tourists chased an early - and eventually justified - declaration.
Despite starring against India, the 36-year-old might have played his final test for NZ.